Complex Surfaces with Cat(0) Metrics

We study complex surfaces with locally CAT(0) polyhedral K?hler metrics and construct such metrics on \mathbbCP²{\mathbb{C}P^{2}} with various orbifold structures. In particular, in relation to questions of Gromov and Davis–Moussong we construct such metrics on a compact quotient of the two-dimensional unit complex ball. In the course of the proof of these results we give criteria for Sasakian 3-manifolds to be globally CAT(1). We show further that for certain Kummer coverings of \mathbbCP²{\mathbb{C}P^{2}} of sufficiently high degree their desingularizations are of type K(π, 1).     

The Riemannian <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis><Superscript>2</Superscript> topology on the manifold of Riemannian metrics

We study the manifold of all Riemannian metrics over a closed, finite-dimensional manifold. In particular, we investigate the topology on the manifold of metrics induced by the distance function of the L ² Riemannian metric—so-called because it induces an L ² topology on each tangent space. It turns out that this topology on the tangent spaces gives rise to an L ¹-type topology on the manifold of metrics itself. We study this new topology and its completion, which agrees homeomorphically with the completion of the L ² metric. We also give a user-friendly criterion for convergence (with respect to the L ² metric) in the manifold of metrics.     

C1,1 regularity for degenerate complex Monge–Ampère equations and geodesic rays

We prove a C^1,1 estimate for solutions of complex Monge–Ampère equations on compact Kähler manifolds with possibly nonempty boundary, in a degenerate cohomology class. This strengthens previous estimates of Phong–Sturm. As applications we deduce the local C^1,1 regularity of geodesic rays in the space of Kähler metrics associated to a test configuration, as well as the local C^1,1 regularity of quasi-psh envelopes in nef and big classes away from the non-Kähler locus.     

Hypersurfaces in Hn and the space of its horospheres

A classical theorem, mainly due to Aleksandrov [Al2] and Pogorelov [P], states that any Riemannian metric on S ² with curvature K > —1 is induced on a unique convex surface in H ³ . A similar result holds with the induced metric replaced by the third fundamental form. We show that the same phenomenon happens with yet another metric on immersed surfaces, which we call the horospherical metric.?This result extends in higher dimensions, the metrics obtained are then conformally flat. One can also study equivariant immersions of surfaces or the metrics obtained on the boundaries of hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Some statements which are difficult or only conjectured for the induced metric or the third fundamental form become fairly easy when one considers the horospherical metric, which thus provides a good boundary condition for the construction of hyperbolic metrics on a manifold with boundary.?The results concerning the third fundamental form are obtained using a duality between H ³ and the de Sitter space . In the same way, the results concerning the horospherical metric are proved through a duality between H ⁿ and the space of its horospheres, which is naturally endowed with a fairly rich geometrical structure. Submitted: March 2001, Revised: November 2001.     

Optimal pinching constants of odd dimensional homogeneous spaces

In this article we compute the pinching constants of all invariant Riemannian metrics on the Berger space B ¹³=SU(5)/(Sp(2)×_ℤ2S¹) and of all invariant U(2)-biinvariant Riemannian metrics on the Aloff–Wallach space W ⁷ _1,1=SU(3)/S¹ _1,1. We prove that the optimal pinching constants are precisely in both cases. So far B ¹³ and W ⁷ _1,1 were only known to admit Riemannian metrics with pinching constants .?We also investigate the optimal pinching constants for the invariant metrics on the other Aloff–Wallach spaces W ⁷ _k,l =SU(3)/S¹ _k,l . Our computations cover the cone of invariant T²-biinvariant Riemannian metrics. This cone contains all invariant Riemannian metrics unless k/l=1. It turns out that the optimal pinching constants are given by a strictly increasing function in k/l∈[0,1]. Thus all the optimal pinching constants are ≤.?In order to determine the extremal values of the sectional curvature of an invariant Riemannian metric on W ⁷ _k,l we employ a systematic technique, which can be applied to other spaces as well. The computation of the pinching constants for B ¹³ is reduced to the curvature computation for two proper totally geodesic submanifolds. One of them is diffeomorphic to ℂℙ³/ℤ₂ and inherits an Sp(2)-invariant Riemannian metric, and the other is W ⁷ _1,1 embedded as recently found by Taimanov. This approach explains in particular the coincidence of the optimal pinching constants for W ⁷ _1,1 and the Berger space B ¹³. Oblatum 9-XI-1998 & 3-VI-1999 / Published online: 20 August 1999     

Clairaut relation for geodesics of Hopf tubes

Summary In this note we use the Hopf map π: S³ → S² to construct an interesting family of Riemannian metrics h^fon the 3-sphere, which are parametrized on the space of positive smooth functions f on the 2-sphere. All these metrics make the Hopf map a Riemannian submersion. The Hopf tube over an immersed curve γ in S² is the complete lift π^-1(γ) of γ, and we prove that any geodesic of this Hopf tube satisfies a Clairaut relation. A Hopf tube plays the role in S³ of the surfaces of revolution in R^3. Furthermore, we show a geometric integration method of the Frenet equations for curves in those non-standard S³. Finally, if we consider the sphere S³ equipped with a family h^f of Lorentzian metrics, then a new Clairautrelation is also obtained for timelike geodesics of the Lorentzian Hopf tube, and a geometric integration method for curves is still possible.     

Hopf surfaces: locally conformal Kähler metrics and foliations

In this paper we describe a family of locally conformal Kähler metrics on class 1 Hopf surfaces H _a,ß containing some recent metrics constructed in [GO98]. We study some canonical foliations associated to these metrics, in particular a 2-dimensional foliation E _a,ß that is shown to be independent of the metric. We prove with elementary tools that E _a,ß has compact leaves if and only if a ^m=ß ⁿ for some integers m and n, namely in the elliptic case. In this case we prove that the leaves of E _a,ß explicitly give the elliptic fibration of H _a,ß, and we describe the natural orbifold structure on the leaf space.     

Stability and Boundary Behavior of the Kobayashi Metrics

Uniform stability and localization results for the higher order and singular Kobayashi metrics are established. As an application we obtain the non-tangential weighted limits of these metrics in an h-extendible boundary point of a bounded domain in C ⁿ. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Integrability of invariant geodesic flows on <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-symmetric spaces

In this article, by modifying the argument shift method, we prove Liouville integrability of geodesic flows of normal metrics (invariant Einstein metrics) on the Ledger–Obata n-symmetric spaces K ⁿ /diag(K), where K is a semisimple (respectively, simple) compact Lie group.     

Metrics with nonnegative curvature on {S^2 \times \mathbb{R}^4}

We study nonnegatively curved metrics on S²×\mathbbR⁴{S^2\times\mathbb{R}^4}. First, we prove rigidity theorems for connection metrics; for example, the holonomy group of the normal bundle of the soul must lie in a maximal torus of SO(4). Next, we prove that Wilking’s almost-positively curved metric on S ² × S ³ extends to a nonnegatively curved metric on S²×\mathbbR⁴{S^2\times\mathbb{R}^4} (so that Wilking’s space becomes the distance sphere of radius 1 about the soul). We describe in detail the geometry of this extended metric.     

Compatible metrics and the diagonalizability of nonlocally bi-Hamiltonian systems of hydrodynamic type

We study bi-Hamiltonian systems of hydrodynamic type with nonsingular (semisimple) nonlocal bi-Hamiltonian structures. We prove that all such systems of hydrodynamic type are diagonalizable and that the metrics of the bi-Hamiltonian structure completely determine the complete set of Riemann invariants constructed for any such system. Moreover, we prove that for an arbitrary nonsingular (semisimple) nonlocally bi-Hamiltonian system of hydrodynamic type, there exist local coordinates (Riemann invariants) such that all matrix differential-geometric objects related to this system, namely, the matrix (affinor) V_jⁱ(u) of this system of hydrodynamic type, the metrics g ₁ ^ij(u) and g ₂ ^ij(u), the affinor υ_jⁱ(u) = g ₁ ^is(u)g _2,sj(u), and also the affinors (w _1,n)_jⁱ(u) and (w _2,n)_jⁱ(u) of the nonsingular nonlocal bi-Hamiltonian structure of this system, are diagonal in these special “diagonalizing” local coordinates (Riemann invariants of the system). The proof is a natural corollary of the general results of our previously developed theories of compatible metrics and of nonlocal bi-Hamiltonian structures; we briefly review the necessary notions and results in those two theories.     

Rigidity for Nonnegatively Curved Metrics on S 2 × R3

We address the question: how large is the family of complete metricswith nonnegative sectional curvature on S ² × R³? We classify theconnection metrics, and give several examples of nonconnection metrics.We provide evidence that the family is small by proving some rigidityresults for metrics more general than connection metrics.

     

Pants Decompositions of Random Surfaces

Our goal is to show, in two different contexts, that “random” surfaces have large pants decompositions. First we show that there are hyperbolic surfaces of genus g for which any pants decomposition requires curves of total length at least g ^7/6−ε . Moreover, we prove that this bound holds for most metrics in the moduli space of hyperbolic metrics equipped with the Weil–Petersson volume form. We then consider surfaces obtained by randomly gluing euclidean triangles (with unit side length) together and show that these surfaces have the same property.     

Extremal <Emphasis Type="Italic">G</Emphasis>-invariant eigenvalues of the Laplacian of <Emphasis Type="Italic">G</Emphasis>-invariant metrics

The study of extremal properties of the spectrum often involves restricting the metrics under consideration. Motivated by the work of Abreu and Freitas in the case of the sphere S ² endowed with S ¹-invariant metrics, we consider the subsequence of the spectrum of a Riemannian manifold M which corresponds to metrics and functions invariant under the action of a compact Lie group G. If G has dimension at least 1, we show that the functional λ _k ^G admits no extremal metric under volume-preserving G-invariant deformations. If, moreover, M has dimension at least three, then the functional is unbounded when restricted to any conformal class of G-invariant metrics of fixed volume. As a special case of this, we can consider the standard O(n)-action on S ⁿ ; however, if we also require the metric to be induced by an embedding of S ⁿ in , we get an optimal upper bound on .      

Seiberg–Witten Invariants of Nonsimple Type and Einstein Metrics

We study the behavior of the moduli space of solutions to theSeiberg–Witten equations under a conformal change in the metric of aKähler surface (M,g). If the canonical line bundle K _M is ofpositive degree, we prove there is only one (up to gauge) solution tothe equations associated to any conformal metric to g. We use this, toconstruct examples of four dimensional manifolds withSpin ^c -structures, whose moduli spaces of solutions to theSeiberg–Witten equations, represent a nontrivial bordism class ofpositive dimension, i.e. the Spin ^c -structures are not inducedby almost complex structures. As an application, we show the existenceof infinitely many nonhomeomorphic compact oriented 4-manifolds withfree fundamental group and predetermined Euler characteristic andsignature that do not carry Einstein metrics.     

A Concentration‐Collapse Decomposition for L2 Flow Singularities

We exhibit a concentration‐collapse decomposition of singularities of fourth‐order curvature flows, including the L² curvature flow and Calabi flow, in dimensions n ≤ 4. The proof requires the development of several new a priori estimates. First, we develop a smoothing result for initial metrics with small energy and a volume growth lower bound, in the vein of Perelman's pseudo locality result. Next, we generalize our technique from prior work to exhibit local smoothing estimates for the L² flow in the presence of a curvature‐related bound. A final key ingredient is a new local ?‐regularity result for L² critical metrics with possibly nonconstant scalar curvature. Applications of these results include new compactness and diffeomorphism‐finiteness theorems for smooth compact 4‐manifolds satisfying the necessary and effectively minimal hypotheses of L² curvature pinching and a volume‐noncollapsing condition. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ricci curvature, minimal volumes, and Seiberg-Witten theory

We derive new, sharp lower bounds for certain curvature functionals on the space of Riemannian metrics of a smooth compact 4-manifold with non-trivial Seiberg-Witten invariants. These allow one, for example, to exactly compute the infimum of the L ²-norm of Ricci curvature for any complex surface of general type. We are also able to show that the standard metric on any complex-hyperbolic 4-manifold minimizes volume among all metrics satisfying a point-wise lower bound on sectional curvature plus suitable multiples of the scalar curvature. These estimates also imply new non-existence results for Einstein metrics. Oblatum 14-III-2000 & 8-II-2001?Published online: 4 May 2001