Harmonic morphisms from the compact semisimple Lie groups and their non-compact duals

In this paper we prove the local existence of complex-valued harmonic morphisms from any compact semisimple Lie group and their non-compact duals. These include all Riemannian symmetric spaces of types II and IV. We produce a variety of concrete harmonic morphisms from the classical compact simple Lie groups SO(n), SU(n), Sp(n) and globally defined solutions on their non-compact duals SO(n,C)/SO(n), SLn(C)/SU(n) and Sp(n,C)/Sp(n).     

Harmonic morphisms from the classical compact semisimple Lie groups

In this article, we introduce a new method for manufacturing harmonic morphisms from semi-Riemannian manifolds. This is employed to yield a variety of new examples from the compact Lie groups SO(n), SU(n) and Sp(n) equipped with their standard Riemannian metrics. We develop a duality principle and show how this can be used to construct the first known examples of harmonic morphisms from the non-compact Lie groups , SU ^*(2n), , SO ^*(2n), SO(p, q), SU(p, q) and Sp(p, q) equipped with their standard dual semi-Riemannian metrics.      

Harmonic sections of Riemannian vector bundles, and metrics of Cheeger-Gromoll type

We study harmonic sections of a Riemannian vector bundle E→M when E is equipped with a 2-parameter family of metrics hp,q which includes both the Sasaki and Cheeger-Gromoll metrics. For every k>0 there exists a unique p such that the harmonic sections of the radius-k sphere subbundle are harmonic sections of E with respect to hp,q for all q. In both compact and non-compact cases, Bernstein regions of the (p,q)-plane are identified, where the only harmonic sections of E with respect to hp,q are parallel. Examples are constructed of vector fields which are harmonic sections of E=TM in the case where M is compact and has non-zero Euler characteristic.     

Einstein metrics on compact Lie groups which are not naturally reductive

The study of left-invariant Einstein metrics on compact Lie groups which are naturally reductive was initiated by D??Atri and Ziller (Mem Am Math Soc 18, (215) 1979). In 1996 the second author obtained non-naturally reductive Einstein metrics on the Lie group SU(n) for n ??? 6, by using a method of Riemannian submersions. In the present work we prove existence of non-naturally reductive Einstein metrics on the compact simple Lie groups SO(n) (n ??? 11), Sp(n) (n ??? 3), E ₆, E ₇, and E ₈.     

Classification of generalized normal homogeneous Riemannian manifolds of positive Euler characteristic

The authors give a short survey of previous results on generalized normal homogeneous (δ-homogeneous, in other terms) Riemannian manifolds, forming a new proper subclass of geodesic orbit spaces with nonnegative sectional curvature, which properly includes the class of all normal homogeneous Riemannian manifolds. As a continuation and an application of these results, they prove that the family of all compact simply connected indecomposable generalized normal homogeneous Riemannian manifolds with positive Euler characteristic, which are not normal homogeneous, consists exactly of all generalized flag manifolds Sp(l)/U(1)⋅Sp(l−1)=CP2l−1, l?2, supplied with invariant Riemannian metrics of positive sectional curvature with the pinching constants (the ratio of the minimal sectional curvature to the maximal one) in the open interval (1/16,1/4). This implies very unusual geometric properties of the adjoint representation of Sp(l), l?2. Some unsolved questions are suggested.     

Equivariant cohomology of real flag manifolds

Let P=G/K be a semisimple non-compact Riemannian symmetric space, where G=I₀(P) and K=Gp is the stabilizer of p∈P. Let X be an orbit of the (isotropy) representation of K on Tp(P) (X is called a real flag manifold). Let K₀⊂K be the stabilizer of a maximal flat, totally geodesic submanifold of P which contains p. We show that if all the simple root multiplicities of G/K are at least 2 then K₀ is connected and the action of K₀ on X is equivariantly formal. In the case when the multiplicities are equal and at least 2, we will give a purely geometric proof of a formula of Hsiang, Palais and Terng concerning H^∗(X). In particular, this gives a conceptually new proof of Borel's formula for the cohomology ring of an adjoint orbit of a compact Lie group.     

Pappus type theorems for motions along a submanifold

We study the volumes volume(D) of a domain D and volume(C) of a hypersurface C obtained by a motion along a submanifold P of a space form Mⁿ_λ. We show: (a) volume(D) depends only on the second fundamental form of P, whereas volume(C) depends on all the ith fundamental forms of P, (b) when the domain that we move D₀ has its q-centre of mass on P, volume(D) does not depend on the mean curvature of P, (c) when D₀ is q-symmetric, volume(D) depends only on the intrinsic curvature tensor of P; and (d) if the image of P by the ln of the motion (in a sense which is well-defined) is not contained in a hyperplane of the Lie algebra of SO(n−q−d), and C is closed, then volume(C) does not depend on the ith fundamental forms of P for i>2 if and only if the hypersurface that we move is a revolution hypersurface (of the geodesic (n−q)-plane orthogonal to P) around a d-dimensional geodesic plane.     

Generalized normal homogeneous spheres S 4n+3 with greatest connected motion group Sp(n + 1) · U(1)

We find all (new) δ-homogeneous invariant Riemannian metrics (including the metrics that are not normal homogeneous) on the spheres of dimensions 4n+3, n ≥ 1, with the greatest Lie group of isometries equal to Sp(n + 1) × U(1) and all homogeneous (non-simply-connected) lens spaces covered by them. All δ-homogeneous Riemannian spaces considered here have positive sectional curvatures and zero Euler characteristic. The answers are found to some previously posed questions.     

The spectrum of the Dirac operator on SU<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Q<Subscript>8</Subscript>

We compute the fundamental Dirac operator for the three-parameter-family of homogeneous Riemannian metrics and the four different spin structures on SU₂/Q₈, where Q₈ denotes the group of quaternions. We deduce its spectrum for the Berger metrics and show the sharpness of Christian Bär’s upper bound for the smallest Dirac eigenvalue in the particular case where SU₂/Q₈ is a homogeneous minimal hypersurface of S ⁴.     

Some properties of non-compact complete Riemannian manifolds

In this paper, we study the volume growth property of a non-compact complete Riemannian manifold M. We improve the volume growth theorem of Calabi (1975) and Yau (1976), Cheeger, Gromov and Taylor (1982). Then we use our new result to study gradient Ricci solitons. We also show that on M, for any q∈(0,∞), every non-negative Lq subharmonic function is constant under a natural decay condition on the Ricci curvature.     

Special metrics and triality

We investigate a new 8-dimensional Riemannian geometry defined by a generic closed and coclosed 3-form with stabiliser PSU(3), and which arises as a critical point of Hitchin's variational principle. We give a Riemannian characterisation of this structure in terms of invariant spinor-valued 1-forms, which are harmonic with respect to the twisted Dirac operator ? on Δ⊗Λ¹. We establish various obstructions to the existence of topological reductions to PSU(3). For compact manifolds, we also give sufficient conditions for topological PSU(3)-structures that can be lifted to topological SU(3)-structures. We also construct the first known compact example of an integrable non-symmetric PSU(3)-structure. In the same vein, we give a new Riemannian characterisation for topological quaternionic Kähler structures which are defined by an Sp(1)⋅Sp(2)-invariant self-dual 4-form. Again, we show that this form is closed if and only if the corresponding spinor-valued 1-form is harmonic for ? and that these equivalent conditions produce constraints on the Ricci tensor.     

Large element orders and the characteristic of finite simple symplectic groups

The characteristic of a simple group of Lie type is the characteristic of the field over which this group is defined. Let G = Sp_2n (q), where q = 2 ^k . It is shown that every finite group of Lie type with the same two largest element orders as G has characteristic 2.     

Sufficient conditions for open manifolds to be diffeomorphic to Euclidean spaces

Let M be a complete non-compact connected Riemannian n-dimensional manifold. We first prove that, for any fixed point p∈M, the radial Ricci curvature of M at p is bounded from below by the radial curvature function of some non-compact n-dimensional model. Moreover, we then prove, without the pointed Gromov-Hausdorff convergence theory, that, if model volume growth is sufficiently close to 1, then M is diffeomorphic to Euclidean n-dimensional space. Hence, our main theorem has various advantages of the Cheeger-Colding diffeomorphism theorem via the Euclidean volume growth. Our main theorem also contains a result of do Carmo and Changyu as a special case.     

Harmonic bundle solutions of topological-antitopological fusion in para-complex geometry

In this work we introduce the notion of a para-harmonic bundle, i.e. the generalization of a harmonic bundle [C.T. Simpson, Higgs-bundles and local systems, Inst. Hautes Etudes Sci. Publ. Math. 75 (1992) 5-95] to para-complex differential geometry. We show that para-harmonic bundles are solutions of the para-complex version of metric tt^∗-bundles introduced in [L. Schäfer, tt^∗-bundles in para-complex geometry, special para-Kähler manifolds and para-pluriharmonic maps, Differential Geom. Appl. 24 (1) (2006) 60-89]. Further we analyze the correspondence between metric para-tt^∗-bundles of rank 2r over a para-complex manifold M and para-pluriharmonic maps from M into the pseudo-Riemannian symmetric space GL(r,R)/O(p,q), which was shown in [L. Schäfer, tt^∗-bundles in para-complex geometry, special para-Kähler manifolds and para-pluriharmonic maps, Differential Geom. Appl. 24 (1) (2006) 60-89], in the case of a para-harmonic bundle. It is proven, that for para-harmonic bundles the associated para-pluriharmonic maps take values in the totally geodesic subspace GL(r,C)/Uπ(Cr) of GL(2r,R)/O(r,r). This defines a map Φ from para-harmonic bundles over M to para-pluriharmonic maps from M to GL(r,C)/Uπ(Cr). The image of Φ is also characterized in the paper.     

Classification of homogeneous almost cosymplectic three-manifolds

The purpose of this paper is to classify all simply connected homogeneous almost cosymplectic three-manifolds. We show that each such three-manifold is either a Lie group G equipped with a left invariant almost cosymplectic structure or a Riemannian product of type R×N, where N is a Kähler surface of constant curvature. Moreover, we find that the Reeb vector field of any homogeneous almost cosymplectic three-manifold, except one case, defines a harmonic map.     

Classification of pinched positive scalar curvature manifolds

Let (Mn,g), n?3, be a smooth closed Riemannian manifold with positive scalar curvature Rg. There exists a positive constant C=C(M,g) defined by mean curvature of Euclidean isometric immersions, which is a geometric invariant, such that Rg?n(n−1)C. In this paper we prove that Rg=n(n−1)C if and only if (Mn,g) is isometric to the Euclidean sphere Sn(C) with constant sectional curvature C. Also, there exists a Riemannian metric g on Mn such that the scalar curvature satisfies the pinched condition

     

Relation between metric spaces and Finsler spaces

In a connected Finsler space Fn=(M,F) every ordered pair of points p,q∈M determines a distance ?F(p,q) as the infimum of the arc length of curves joining p to q. (M,?F) is a metric space if Fn is absolutely homogeneous, and it is quasi-metric space (i.e. the symmetry: ?F(p,q)=?F(q,p) fails) if Fn is positively homogeneous only. It is known the Busemann-Mayer relation , for any differentiable curve p(t) in an Fn. This establishes a 1:1 relation between Finsler spaces Fn=(M,F) and (quasi-) metric spaces (M,?F).We show that a distance function ?(p,q) (with the differentiability property of ?F) needs not to be a ?F. This means that the family {(M,?)} is wider than {(M,?F)}. We give a necessary and sufficient condition in two versions for a ? to be a ?F, i.e. for a (quasi-) metric space (M,?) to be equivalent (with respect to the distance) to a Finsler space (M,F).     

Branching laws for minimal holomorphic representations

In this paper we study the branching law for the restriction from SU(n,m) to SO(n,m) of the minimal representation in the analytic continuation of the scalar holomorphic discrete series. We identify the group decomposition with the spectral decomposition of the action of the Casimir operator on the subspace of S(O(n)×O(m))-invariants. The Plancherel measure of the decomposition defines an L²-space of functions, for which certain continuous dual Hahn polynomials furnish an orthonormal basis. It turns out that the measure has point masses precisely when n−m>2. Under these conditions we construct an irreducible representation of SO(n,m), identify it with a parabolically induced representation, and construct a unitary embedding into the representation space for the minimal representation of SU(n,m).     

A class of Riemannian manifolds that pinch when evolved by Ricci flow

The purpose of this paper is to construct a set of Riemannian metrics on a manifold X with the property that will develop a pinching singularity in finite time when evolved by Ricci flow. More specifically, let , where N ⁿ is an arbitrary closed manifold of dimension n≥ 2 which admits an Einstein metric of positive curvature. We construct a (non-empty) set of warped product metrics on the non-compact manifold X such that if , then a smooth solution , t∈[0,T) to the Ricci flow equation exists for some maximal constant T, 0<T<∞, with initial value , and