Universal Beta Incidence Angles: Cauchy Rigidity and Infinite Arrangements

Source abstract

Let $U$ be Haar-uniform on $\mathbb S^{p-1}$, let $a_1,\ldots,a_k$ be arbitrary nonzero vectors, and let $w_1,\ldots,w_k$ be simplex weights. Define $$g(U)=\sum_{j=1}^k w_j\frac{a_j}{a_j^\top U}, \qquad N(U)=\frac{g(U)}{\|g(U)\|}.$$ We prove the universal incidence law $$\{U^\top N(U)\}^2\sim\operatorname{Beta}\!\left(\frac12,\frac{p-1}{2}\right),$$ independently of the number, arrangement, rank, or overcompleteness of the directions and of the weights. Thus a deterministic, generally non-Haar function of $U$ has the same squared-cosine law as an independent Haar direction. One proof combines a Herglotz--Cauchy boundary principle, a Haar-random two-plane with one common phase, and an exact Beta--Cauchy tangent-projection equivalence. A second proof specializes the positive-semidefinite Pillai--Meng identity. The planar structure leads to converses: plane-conditional Cauchy laws recover positivity, while for signed measures an exact phase-cancellation deficit equals twice the hidden negative mass. This yields local-to-global rigidity under a phase-norming condition strictly weaker than injectivity and an unconditional exclusion of negative atoms. The law extends to probability measures under almost-sure reciprocal integrability. We characterize this condition by an exact Wiener--Dini belt series, prove finite Shannon entropy to be the sharp universal criterion for countable weights, and give an entropy--geometry extension for clustered measures. Every compact carrier of zero one-dimensional Hausdorff measure is admissible, whereas a nonzero rectifiable arc component forces divergence on a set of positive Haar measure. In orthogonal coordinates, the theorem also gives a weight-free scaled $F$ law for Pearson divergence from a fixed simplex vector to a $\operatorname{Dirichlet}(1/2,\ldots,1/2)$ vector.