Can quantum effects due to a massless conformally coupled field avoid gravitational singularities?

Using quantum corrections from massless fields conformally coupled to gravity, we study the possibility of avoiding singularities that appear in the flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker model. We assume that the universe contains a barotropic perfect fluid with the state equation p = ωρ, where p is the pressure and ρ is the energy density. We study the dynamics of the model for all values of the parameter ω and also for all values of the conformal anomaly coefficients α and β. We show that singularities can be avoided only in the case where α > 0 and β < 0. To obtain an expanding Friedmann universe at late times with ω > −1 (only a one-parameter family of solutions, but no a general solution, has this behavior at late times), the initial conditions of the nonsingular solutions at early times must be chosen very exactly. These nonsingular solutions consist of a general solution (a two-parameter family) exiting the contracting de Sitter phase and a one-parameter family exiting the contracting Friedmann phase. On the other hand, for ω < −1 (a phantom field), the problem of avoiding singularities is more involved because if we consider an expanding Friedmann phase at early times, then in addition to fine-tuning the initial conditions, we must also fine-tune the parameters α and β to obtain a behavior without future singularities: only a oneparameter family of solutions follows a contracting Friedmann phase at late times, and only a particular solution behaves like a contracting de Sitter universe. The other solutions have future singularities.     

The global dynamics of a class of vector fields in ℝ<Superscript>3</Superscript>

In this paper, we find a bridge connecting a class of vector fields in ℝ³ with the planar vector fields and give a criterion of the existence of closed orbits, heteroclinic orbits and homoclinic orbits of a class of vector fields in ℝ³. All the possible nonwandering sets of this class of vector fields fall into three classes: (i) singularities; (ii) closed orbits; (iii) graphs of unions of singularities and the trajectories connecting them. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the boundedness of the vector fields are also obtained.     

Maximal multihomogeneity of algebraic hypersurface singularities

From the degree zero part of the logarithmic vector fields along analgebraic hypersurface singularity we identify the maximal multihomogeneity of a defining equation in form of a maximal algebraic torus in the embedded automorphism group. We show that all such maximal tori are conjugate and in one–to–one correspondence to maximal tori in the linear jet of the embedded automorphism group. These results are motivated by Kyoji Saito’s characterization of quasihomogeneity for isolated hypersurface singularities [Saito in Invent. Math. 14, 123–142 (1971)] and extend previous work with Granger and Schulze [Compos. Math. 142(3), 765–778 (2006), Theorem 5.4] and of Hauser and Müller [Nagoya Math. J. 113, 181–186 (1989), Theorem 4].     

On the string-theoretic Euler number of a class of absolutely isolated singularities

An explicit computation of the so-called string-theoretic E-function of a normal complex variety X with at most log-terminal singularities can be achieved by constructing one snc-desingularization of X, accompanied with the intersection graph of the exceptional prime divisors, and with the precise knowledge of their structure. In the present paper, it is shown that this is feasible for the case in which X is the underlying space of a class of absolutely isolated singularities (including both usual ? _n -singularities and Fermat singularities of arbitrary dimension). As byproduct of the exact evaluation of lim, for this class of singularities, one gets counterexamples to a conjecture of Batyrev concerning the boundedness of the string-theoretic index. Finally, the string-theoretic Euler number is also computed for global complete intersections in ℙ_ℂ ^N with prescribed singularities of the above type. Received: 2 January 2001 / Revised version: 22 May 2001     

On the equi-normalizable deformations of singularities of complex plane curves

We study a specific class of deformations of curve singularities: the case when the singular point splits to several ones, such that the total δ invariant is preserved. These are also known as equi-normalizable or equi-generic deformations. We restrict primarily to the deformations of singularities with smooth branches. A natural invariant of the singular type is introduced: the dual graph. It imposes severe restrictions on the possible collisions/deformations. And allows to prove some bounds on the variation of classical invariants in equi-normalizable families. We consider in details deformations of ordinary multiple point, the deformations of a singularity into the collections of ordinary multiple points and deformations of the type x ^p  + y ^pk into the collections of A _k ’s. The research was constantly supported by the Skirball postdoctoral fellowship of the Center of Advanced Studies in Mathematics (Mathematics Department of Ben Gurion University, Israel). Part of the work was done in Mathematische Forschungsinsitute Oberwolfach, during the author’s stay as an OWL-fellow. Some results were published in the preprint [17].     

Eversive maps of bounded convex domains in ℂ n+1

A duality principle, relating the geometry of the Kobayashi metric with the CR geometry of the boundaries of smoothly bounded, strongly convex domains in ℂ ⁿ⁺¹ is established. A characterization of the holomorphic Jacobi vector fields of those domains is also given.     

Stability of the Reeb vector field of H-contact manifolds

It is well known that a Hopf vector field on the unit sphere S ²ⁿ⁺¹ is the Reeb vector field of a natural Sasakian structure on S ²ⁿ⁺¹. A contact metric manifold whose Reeb vector field ξ is a harmonic vector field is called an H-contact manifold. Sasakian and K-contact manifolds, generalized (k, μ)-spaces and contact metric three-manifolds with ξ strongly normal, are H-contact manifolds. In this paper we study, in dimension three, the stability with respect to the energy of the Reeb vector field ξ for such special classes of H-contact manifolds (and with respect to the volume when ξ is also minimal) in terms of Webster scalar curvature. Finally, we extend for the Reeb vector field of a compact K-contact (2n+1)-manifold the obtained results for the Hopf vector fields to minimize the energy functional with mean curvature correction. Supported by funds of the University of Lecce and M.I.U.R.(PRIN).     

Thom polynomials, symmetries and incidences of singularities

As an application of the generalized Pontryagin-Thom construction [RSz] here we introduce a new method to compute cohomological obstructions of removing singularities — i.e. Thom polynomials [T]. With the aid of this method we compute some sample results, such as the Thom polynomials associated to all stable singularities of codimension ≤8 between equal dimensional manifolds, and some other Thom polynomials associated to singularities of maps N ⁿ ?P ^n+k for k>0. We also give an application by reproving a weak form of the multiple point formulas of Herbert and Ronga ([H], [Ro2]). As a byproduct of the theory we define the incidence class of singularities, which — the author believes — may turn to be an interesting, useful and simple tool to study incidences of singularities. Oblatum 4-II-1999 & 19-VII-2000?Published online: 30 October 2000     

Imposing Singular Points and Many Nodes to Curves on Surfaces

 Let S be a smooth projective surface. Here we study the conditions imposed to curves of a fixed very ample linear system by a general union of types of singularities τ when most of connected components of τ are ordinary double points. This problem is related to the existence of “good” families of curves on S with prescribed singularities, most of them being nodes, and to the regularity of their Hilbert scheme.     

Imposing Singular Points and Many Nodes to Curves on Surfaces

 Let S be a smooth projective surface. Here we study the conditions imposed to curves of a fixed very ample linear system by a general union of types of singularities τ when most of connected components of τ are ordinary double points. This problem is related to the existence of “good” families of curves on S with prescribed singularities, most of them being nodes, and to the regularity of their Hilbert scheme. Received 6 July 2000; in revised form 16 June 2001     

Semicontinuity of Solution Mappings of Parametric Generalized Vector Equilibrium Problems

In this paper, we study the ε-generalized vector equilibrium problem (ε-GVEP) and the ε-extended vector equilibrium problem (ε-EVEP), which can be regarded as approximate problems to the generalized vector equilibrium problems (GVEP). Existence results for ε-GVEP and ε-EVEP are established. We investigate also the continuity of the solution mappings of ε-GVEP and ε-EVEP. In particular, two results concerning the lower semicontinuity of the solution mappings of ε-GVEP and ε-EVEP are presented. This research was partially supported by Grant NSC 95-2811-M-110-010.     

Remarks on the generic rank of a CR mapping

We study germs of smooth CR mappings between embedded real hypersurfaces in complex spaces of the same dimension. In particular, we are interested in the generic rank of such mappings. IfH:M →M′ is a CR map between two hypersurfacesM andM′, we prove that ifM′ does not contain any germ of a holomorphic manifold then eitherH is constant or the generic rank ofH is odd. We also prove that if there is no formal holomorphic vector field tangent toM, then eitherH is constant or genericallyH is a local diffeomorphism. It follows, as a special case, that ifM andM′ are of D-finite type (in the sense of D’Angelo) thenH is either constant or is generically a local diffeomorphism. Supported by NSF Grant DMS 8901268.     

Variation homological diagrams,¶and corner singularities

We describe the general homological framework (the variation arrays and variation homological diagrams) in which can be studied hypersurface isolated singularities as well as boundary singularities and corner singularities from the point of view of duality. We then show that any corner singularity is extension, in a sense which is defined, of the corner singularities of less dimension on which it is built. This framework is also used to rewrite Thom–Sebastiani type properties for isolated singularities and to establish them for boundary singularities. Received: 27 June 2000 / Revised version: 18 October 2000     

Volume-preserving Fields and Reeb Fields on 3-manifolds

Volume-preserving field X on a 3-manifold is the one that satisfies LxΩ = 0 for some volume Ω. The Reeb vector field of a contact form is of volume-preserving, but not conversely. On the basis of Geiges-Gonzalo＇s parallelization results, we obtain a volume-preserving sphere, which is a triple of everywhere linearly independent vector fields such that all their linear combinations with constant coefficients are volume-preserving fields. From many aspects, we discuss the distinction between volume-preserving fields and Reeb-like fields. We establish a duality between volume-preserving fields and h-closed 2-forms to understand such distinction. We also give two kinds of non-Reeb-like but volume-preserving vector fields to display such distinction.     

C ∞ regularity of solutions of an equation of Levi’s type in R 2 n +1

We study the regularity of the solutions u of a class of P.D.E., whose prototype is the prescribed Levi curvature equation in ℝ^{2 n +1}. It is a second-order quasilinear equation whose characteristic matrix is positive semidefinite and has vanishing determinant at every point and for every function u∈C ². If the Levi curvature never vanishes, we represent the operator ℒ associated with the Levi equation as a sum of squares of non-linear vector fields which are linearly independent at every point. By using a freezing method we first study the regularity properties of the solutions of a linear operator, which has the same structure as ℒ. Then we apply these results to the classical solutions of the equation, and prove their C ^∞ regularity. Received: October 10, 1998; in final form: March 5, 1999?Published online: May 10, 2001     

A variational theory for monotone vector fields

Monotone vector fields were introduced almost 40 years ago as nonlinear extensions of positive definite linear operators, but also as natural extensions of gradients of convex potentials. These vector fields are not always derived from potentials in the classical sense, and as such they are not always amenable to the standard methods of the calculus of variations. We describe here how the selfdual variational calculus, developed recently by the author, provides a variational approach to PDEs and evolution equations driven by maximal monotone operators. To any such vector field T on a reflexive Banach space X, one can associate a convex selfdual Lagrangian L _T on the phase space X × X ^* that can be seen as a “potential” for T, in the sense that the problem of inverting T reduces to minimizing a convex energy functional derived from L _T . This variational approach to maximal monotone operators allows their theory to be analyzed with the full range of methods—computational or not—that are available for variational settings. Standard convex analysis (on phase space) can then be used to establish many old and new results concerned with the identification, superposition, and resolution of such vector fields. Dedicated to Felix Browder on his 80th birthday     

Adaption allows efficient integration of functions with unknown singularities

We study numerical integration for functions f with singularities. Nonadaptive methods are inefficient in this case, and we show that the problem can be efficiently solved by adaptive quadratures at cost similar to that for functions with no singularities. Consider first a class of functions whose derivatives of order up to r are continuous and uniformly bounded for any but one singular point. We propose adaptive quadratures Q*_n, each using at most n function values, whose worst case errors are proportional to n^−r. On the other hand, the worst case error of nonadaptive methods does not converge faster than n⁻¹. These worst case results do not extend to the case of functions with two or more singularities; however, adaption shows its power even for such functions in the asymptotic setting. That is, let F^∞_r be the class of r-smooth functions with arbitrary (but finite) number of singularities. Then a generalization of Q*_n yields adaptive quadratures Q**_n such that |I(f)−Q**_n(f)|=O(n^−r) for any f ∈ F^∞_r. In addition, we show that for any sequence of nonadaptive methods there are `many' functions in F^∞_r for which the errors converge no faster than n⁻¹. Results of numerical experiments are also presented. The authors were partially supported, respectively, by the State Committee for Scientific Research of Poland under Project 1 P03A 03928 and by the National Science Foundation under Grant CCR-0095709.