The curvature invariant of a non-commutingn-tuple

Non-commutative versions of Arveson's curvature invariant and Euler characteristic for a commutingn-tuple of operators are introduced. The non-commutative curvature invariant is sensitive enough to determine if ann-tuple is free. In general both invariants can be thought of as measuring the freeness or curvature of ann-tuple. The connection with dilation theory provides motivation and exhibits relationships between the invariants. A new class of examples is used to illustrate the differences encountered in the non-commutative setting and obtain information on the ranges of the invariants. The curvature invariant is also shown to be upper semi-continuous.     

Non-preserved curvature conditions under constrained mean curvature flows

We provide explicit examples which show that mean convexity (i.e. positivity of the mean curvature) and positivity of the scalar curvature are non-preserved curvature conditions for hypersurfaces of the Euclidean space evolving under either the volume- or the area preserving mean curvature flow. The relevance of our examples is that they disprove some statements of the previous literature, overshadow a widespread folklore conjecture about the behaviour of these flows and bring out the discouraging news that a traditional singularity analysis is not possible for constrained versions of the mean curvature flow.     

Finsler空间上的Weyl曲率

The Weyl curvature of a Finsler metric is investigated. This curvature constructed from Riemannain curvature. It is an important projective invariant of Finsler metrics. The author gives the necessary conditions on Weyl curvature for a Finsler metric to be Randers metric and presents examples of Randers metrics with non-scalar curvature. A global rigidity theorem for compact Finsler manifolds satisfying such conditions is proved. It is showed that for such a Finsler manifold,if Ricci scalar is negative,then Finsler metric is of Randers type.     

Geometric realizations of curvature models by manifolds with constant scalar curvature

We show any pseudo-Riemannian curvature model can be geometrically realized by a manifold with constant scalar curvature. We also show that any pseudo-Hermitian curvature model, para-Hermitian curvature model, hyper-pseudo-Hermitian curvature model, or hyper-para-Hermitian curvature model can be realized by a manifold with constant scalar and -scalar curvature.     

Minimal surfaces in a unit sphere pinched by intrinsic curvature and normal curvature

We establish a nice orthonormal frame field on a closed surface minimally immersed in a unit sphere Sn, under which the shape operators take very simple forms. Using this frame field, we obtain an interesting property K + K~N= 1 for the Gauss curvature K and the normal curvature K~N if the Gauss curvature is positive. Moreover, using this property we obtain the pinching on the intrinsic curvature and normal curvature, the pinching on the normal curvature, respectively.     

Solitons of curvature

An intristic geometry of surfaces is discussed. In geodesic coordinates the Gauss equation is reduced to the Schrödinger equation where the Gaussian curvature plays the role of a potential. The use of this fact provides an infinite set of explicit expressions for the curvature and metric of a surface. A special case is governed by the KdV equation for the Gaussian curvature. We consider the integrable dynamics of curvature via the KdV equation, higher KdV equations and (2+1)-dimensional integrable equations with breaking solitons.     

Finsler metrics of scalar flag curvature with special non-Riemannian curvature properties

In this paper, we study Finsler metrics of scalar flag curvature. We find that a non-Riemannian quantity is closely related to the flag curvature. We show that the flag curvature is weakly isotropic if and only if this non-Riemannian quantity takes a special form. This will lead to a better understanding on Finsler metrics of scalar flag curvature.      

Strongly positive curvature

We begin a systematic study of a curvature condition (strongly positive curvature) which lies strictly between positive-definiteness of the curvature operator and positivity of sectional curvature, and stems from the work of Thorpe (J Differ Geom 5:113–125, 1971; Erratum. J Differ Geom 11:315, 1976). We prove that this condition is preserved under Riemannian submersions and Cheeger deformations and that most compact homogeneous spaces with positive sectional curvature satisfy it.     

Special Lagrangian curvature

We define the notion of special Lagrangian curvature, showing how it may be interpreted as an alternative higher dimensional generalisation of two dimensional Gaussian curvature. We obtain first a local rigidity result for this curvature when the ambient manifold has negative sectional curvature. We then show how this curvature relates to the canonical special Legendrian structure of spherical subbundles of the tangent bundle of the ambient manifold. This allows us to establish a strong compactness result. In the case where the special Lagrangian angle equals (n ? 1)π/2, we obtain compactness modulo a unique mode of degeneration, where a sequence of hypersurfaces wraps ever tighter round a geodesic.     

Ricci flow on a 3-manifold with positive scalar curvature

In this paper we consider Hamilton's Ricci flow on a 3-manifold with a metric of positive scalar curvature. We establish several a priori estimates for the Ricci flow which we believe are important in understanding possible singularities of the Ricci flow. For Ricci flow with initial metric of positive scalar curvature, we obtain a sharp estimate on the norm of the Ricci curvature in terms of the scalar curvature (which is not trivial even if the initial metric has non-negative Ricci curvature, a fact which is essential in Hamilton's estimates [R.S. Hamilton, Three-manifolds with positive Ricci curvature, J. Differential Geom. 17 (1982) 255-306]), some L²-estimates for the gradients of the Ricci curvature, and finally the Harnack type estimates for the Ricci curvature. These results are established through careful (and rather complicated and lengthy) computations, integration by parts and the maximum principles for parabolic equations.     

On the scalar curvature of constant mean curvature hypersurfaces in space forms

In this paper we study the behavior of the scalar curvature S of a complete hypersurface immersed with constant mean curvature into a Riemannian space form of constant curvature, deriving a sharp estimate for the infimum of S. Our results will be an application of a weak Omori-Yau maximum principle due to Pigola, Rigoli, Setti (2005) [17].     

Distributional radius of curvature

We show that any continuous plane path that turns to the left has a well‐defined distribution that corresponds to the radius of curvature of smooth paths. We show that the distributional radius of curvature determines the path uniquely except for a translation. We show that Dirac delta contributions in the radius of curvature correspond to facets, that is, flat sections of the path, and show how a path can be deformed into a facet by letting the radius of curvature approach a delta function. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ricci curvature of a weighted tree

A formula for the coarse Ricci curvature of a weighed tree with a random walk on vertex set is obtained. A criterion of restoration of a binary tree topology from its Ricci curvature matrix is proved as a corollary.     

Properties of Berwald scalar curvature

We prove that a Finsler manifold with vanishing Berwald scalar curvature has zero E-curvature. As a consequence, Landsberg manifolds with vanishing Berwald scalar curvature are Berwald manifolds. For (α,β)-metrics on manifold of dimension greater than 2, if the mean Landsberg curvature and the Berwald scalar curvature both vanish, then the Berwald curvature also vanishes.     

Hypersurfaces with constant scalar curvature and constant mean curvature

Non-spherical hypersurfaces inE ⁴ with non-zero constant mean curvature and constant scalar curvature are the only hypersurfaces possessing the following property: Its position vector can be written as a sum of two non-constant maps, which are eigenmaps of the Laplacian operator with corresponding eigenvalues the zero and a non-zero constant.     

Convexity estimates for a nonhomogeneous mean curvature flow

We study the evolution of a closed immersed hypersurface whose speed is given by a function f(H){\phi(H)} (H) of the mean curvature asymptotic to H/ ln H for large H. Compared with other nonlinear functions of the curvatures, this speed has some good properties which allow for an easier study of the formation of singularities in the nonconvex case. We prove apriori estimates showing that any surface with positive mean curvature at the initial time becomes asymptotically convex near a singularity. Similar estimates also hold for the mean curvature flow; for the flow considered here they admit a simpler proof based only on the maximum principle.     

On the total mean curvature of a nonrigid surface

Using the Green’s theorem we reduce the variation of the total mean curvature of a smooth surface in the Euclidean 3-space to a line integral of a special vector field, which immediately yields the following well-known theorem: the total mean curvature of a closed smooth surface in the Euclidean 3-space is stationary under an infinitesimal flex.     

Combinatorial curvature for planar graphs

Regarding an infinite planar graph G as a discrete analogue of a noncompact simply connected Riemannian surface, we introduce the combinatorial curvature of G corresponding to the sectional curvature of a manifold. We show this curvature has the property that its negative values are bounded above by a universal negative constant. We also prove that G is hyperbolic if its curvature is negative. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 38: 220–229, 2001     

Some curvature properties of complex surfaces

Summary In this paper, we are investigating curvature properties of complex two-dimensional Hermitian manifolds, particularly in the compact case. To do this, we start with the remark that the fundamental form of such a manifold is integrable, and we use the analogy with the locally conformal KÄhler manifolds, which follows from this remark. Among the obtained results, we have the following: a compact Hermitian surface for which either the Riemannian curvature tensor satisfies the KÄhler symmetries or the Hermitian curvature tensor satisfies the Riemannian Bianchi identity is KÄhler; a compact Hermitian surface of constant sectional curvature is a flat KÄhler surface; a compact Hermitian surface M with nonnegative nonidentical zero holomorphie Hermitian bisectional curvature has vanishing plurigenera, c₁(M) 0, and no exceptional curves; a compact Hermitian surface with distinguished metric, and positive integral Riemannian scalar curvature has vanishing plurigenera, etc.     

An estimate for the scalar curvature of constant mean curvature hypersurfaces in space forms

In this paper we derive a sharp estimate for the supremum of the scalar curvature (or, equivalently, the infimum of the squared norm of the second fundamental form) of a constant mean curvature hypersurface with two principal curvatures immersed into a Riemannian space form of constant curvature. Our results will be an application of the generalized Omori-Yau maximum principle, following the approach by Pigola et al. (Memoirs Am Math Soc 822, 2005).