Adapted complex structures in a neighborhood of an isotropic embedding

Let (X, ω) be a symplectic manifold and ι: M ? X an isotropic embedding, ι*ω = 0. The isotropie embedding theorem gives a local normal form of X in a neighborhood of M, in particular a natural potential α of ω, ?dα = ω. Now, given certain geometrical structures on M and on the symplectic normal bundle of M, in particular inducing a natural energy momentum function H in a neighborhood of M, we construct a natural complex structure J in a neighborhood of M satisfying certain initial conditions associated to the given initial data along M and satisfying the equation (in J): d^c H = α. This generalizes a theorem of Guillemin-Stenzel and Lempert-Szöke in the Lagrangean case.     

An exotic sphere with positive curvature almost everywhere

In this article we show that there is an exotic sphere with positive sectional curvature almost everywhere. In 1974 Gromoll and Meyer found a metric of nonnegative sectional on an exotic 7-sphere. They showed that the metric has positive curvature at a point and asserted, without proof, that the metric has positive sectional curvature almost everywhere [4]. We will show here that this assertion is wrong. In fact, the Gromoll-Meyer sphere has zero curvatures on an open set of points. Never the less, its metric can be perturbed to one that has positive curvature almost everywhere.     

Sharp stability results for almost conformal maps in even dimensions

Let Ω, ⊂R ⁿ and n ≥ 4 be even. We show that if a sequence {u^j} in W^1,n/2(Ω;R ⁿ) is almost conformal in the sense that dist (∇u^j,R ⁺SO(n)) converges strongly to 0 in L^n/2 and if u^j converges weakly to u in W^1,n/2, then u is conformal and ∇u^j → ∇u strongly in L _loc ^q for all 1 < -q < n/2. It is known that this conclusion fails if n/2 is replaced by any smaller exponent p. We also prove the existence of a quasiconvex function f(A) that satisfies 0 ≤ f(A) ≤ C (1 + |A|^n/2) and vanishes exactly onR ⁺ SO(n). The proof of these results involves the Iwaniec-Martin characterization of conformal maps, the weak continuity and biting convergence of Jacobians, and the weak-L¹ estimates for Hodge decompositions.     

On the number of singularities for the obstacle problem in two dimensions

We study the obstacle problem in two dimensions. On the one hand we improve a result of L.A. Caffarelli and N.M. Rivière: we state that every connected component of the interior of the coincidence set has at most N ₀ singular points, where N ₀ is only dependent on some geometric constants. Moreover, if the component is small enough, then this component has at most two singular points. On the other hand, we prove in a simple case a conjecture of D.G. Schaeffer on the generic regularity of the free boundary: for a family of obstacle problems in two dimensions continuously indexed by a parameter λ, the free boundary of the solution u_λ is analytic for almost every λ. Finally we present a new monotonicity formula for singular points. Dedicated to Henri Berestycki and Alexis Bonnet.     

On estimates of biharmonic functions on Lipschitz and convex domains

Using Maz ’ya type integral identities with power weights, we obtain new boundary estimates for biharmonic functions on Lipschitz and convex domains in ℝⁿ. Forn ≥ 8, combinedwitharesultin[18], these estimates lead to the solvability of the L^p Dirichlet problem for the biharmonic equation on Lipschitz domains for a new range of p. In the case of convex domains, the estimates allow us to show that the L^p Dirichlet problem is uniquely solvable for any 2 − ε < p < ∞ and n ≥ 4.     

Sharp Sobolev inequalities of second order

Let (M, g) be a smooth compact Riemannian manifold of dimension n≥5, and ₂ ² (M) be the Sobolev space consisting of functions in L²(M) whose derivatives up to the order two are also in L²(M). Thanks to the Sobolev embedding theorem, there exist positive constants A and B such that for any U ∈ H ₂ ² (M),

Partial regularity for a minimum problem with free boundary

Regularity of the free boundary ?{u > 0} of a non-negative minimum u of the functional $\upsilon \mapsto \int\limits_\Omega {\left( {\left| {\nabla \upsilon } \right|^2 + Q^2 \chi _{\left\{ {\upsilon > 0} \right\}} } \right)} $ , where Ω is an open set in ?ⁿ and Q is a strictly positive Hölder-continuous function, is still an open problem for n ≥ 3. By means of a new monotonicity formula we prove that the existence of singularities is equivalent to the existence of an absolute minimum u* such that the graph of u* is a cone with vertex at 0, the free boundary ?{u* > 0} has one and only one singularity, and the set {u* > 0} minimizes the perimeter among all its subsets. This leads to the following partial regularity: there is a maximal dimension k* ≥ 3 such that for n < k* the free boundary ?{u > 0} is locally in Ω a C^1,α-surface, for n = k* the singular set Σ:= ?{u > 0} ? ?_red{u > 0} consists at most of in Ω isolated points, and for n > k* the Hausdorff dimension of the singular set Σ is less than n - k*.     

On the integrability of Mizohata structures on the sphereS 2

This paper deals with the integrability problem for structures on the sphere S² which are elliptic on the upper and lower hemispheres, and which are given by a simple fold on the equator. Criteria for standardness are given. Existence and factorization of first integrals are studied.     

Extension of smooth functions from finitely connected planar domains

Consider the Sobolev space W _∞ ^k (Ω) of functions with bounded kth derivatives defined in a planar domain. We study the problem of extendability of functions from W _∞ ^k (Ω) to the whole ℝ² with preservation of class, i.e., surjectivity of the restriction operator W _∞ ^k (ℝ²) → W _∞ ^k (Ω).     

A remark on unique continuation

In this paper a unique continuation result is proved for differential inequality of second order.     

On proper holomorphic self-maps of generalized complex ellipsoids

The purpose of this paper is to prove that every proper holomorphic self-mapping of a Reinhardt domain Ω in C ⁿ which is a generalization of a complex ellipsoid is biholomorphic. The main novelty of our result is that Ω is a domain in C ⁿ such that it is allowed to have a boundary point at which the Levi determinant has infinite order of vanishing.     

The Levi Monge-Ampère equation: Smooth regularity of strictly Levi convex solutions

We prove smoothness of strictly Levi convex solutions to the Levi equation in several complex variables. This equation is fully non linear and naturally arises in the study of real hypersurfaces in ℂⁿ⁺¹, for n ≥ 2. For a particular choice of the right-hand side, our equation has the meaning of total Levi curvature of a real hypersurface ℂⁿ⁺¹ and it is the analogous of the equation with prescribed Gauss curvature for the complex structure. However, it is degenerate elliptic also if restricted to strictly Levi convex functions. This basic failure does not allow us to use elliptic techniques such in the classical real and complex Monge-Ampère equations. By taking into account the natural geometry of the problem we prove that first order intrinsic derivatives of strictly Levi convex solutions satisfy a good equation. The smoothness of solutions is then achieved by mean of a bootstrap argument in tangent directions to the hypersurface.     

Reflection Ideals and mappings between generic submanifolds in complex space

Results on finite determination and convergence of formal mappings between smooth generic submanifolds in ℂ ^N are established in this article. The finite determination result gibes sufficient conditions to guarantee that a formal map is uniquely determined by its jet, of a preassigned order, at a point. Convergence of formal mappings for real-analytic generic submanifolds under appropriate assumptions is proved, and natural geometric conditions are given to assure that if two germs of such submanifolds are formally equivalent, then, they are necessarily biholomorphically equivalent. It is also shown that if two real-algebraic hypersurfaces in ℂ ^N are biholomorphically equivalent, then, they are algebraically equivalent. All the results are first proved in the more general context of “reflection ideals” associated to formal mappings between formal as well as real-analytic and real-algebraic manifolds.     

The one-phase Hele-Shaw problem with singularities

In this article we analyze viscosity solutions of the one phase Hele-Shaw problem in the plane and the corresponding free boundaries near a singularity. We find, up to order of magnitude, the speed at which the free boundary moves starting from a wedge, cusp, or finger-type singularity. Maximum principle-type arguments play a key role in the analysis.     

Applications of Bruhat decompositions to complex hyperbolic geometry

The double coset space AΛ (n, ℂ) / U (n − 1, 1) is studied, where A consists of the diagonal matrices in GL (n, ℂ). This space naturally arises in the harmonic analysis on the hermitian symmetric space GL (n, ℂ) / U (n − 1, 1). It is shown here that these double cosets also represent a class of basic invariants related to complex hyperbolic geometry. An algebraic parametrization for the double cosets is given and it is shown how this may be used to conveniently compute the geometric invariants.     

The fundamental solution on manifolds with time-dependent metrics

In this article we prove the existence of a fundamental solution for the linear parabolic operator L(u) = (Δ − ∂/∂t − h)u, on a compact n-dimensional manifold M with a time-parameterized family of smooth Riemannian metrics g(t). Δ is the time-dependent Laplacian based on g(t), and h(x, t) is smooth. Uniqueness, positivity, the adjoint property, and the semigroup property hold. We further derive a Harnack inequality for positive solutions of L(u) = 0 on (M, g(t) on a time interval depending on curvature bounds and the dimension of M, and in the special case of Ricci flow, use it to find lower bounds on the fundamental solution of the heat operator in terms of geometric data and an explicit Euclidean type heat kernel.     

Proof of the double bubble curvature conjecture

An area minimizing double bubble in ℝⁿ is given by two (not necessarily connected) regions which have two prescribed n-dimensional volumes whose combined boundary has least (n−1)-dimensional area. The double bubble theorem states that such an area minimizer is necessarily given by a standard double bubble, composed of three spherical caps. This has now been proven for n = 2, 3,4, but is, for general volumes, unknown for n ≥ 5. Here, for arbitrary n, we prove a conjectured lower bound on the mean curvature of a standard double bubble. This provides an alternative line of reasoning for part of the proof of the double bubble theorem in ℝ³, as well as some new component bounds in ℝⁿ.     

Spherical means and the restriction phenomenon

Let Γ be a smooth compact convex planar curve with arc length dm and let dσ=ψ dm where ψ is a cutoff function. For Θ∈SO (2) set σ_Θ(E) = σ(ΘE) for any measurable planar set E. Then, for suitable functions f in ℝ², the inequality.

Wulff clusters inR 2

We give the first existence and regularity results on the cheapest way to enclose and separate planar regions of prescribed areas, where cost is given by a general norm ϕ, thus generalizing the Wulff shape for enclosing a single region. As an example, we classify the cheapest way to enclose and separate two planar regions of prescribed areas for the ℓ¹ norm (“Manhattan metric”) into three distinct types, according to the relative size of the prescribed areas.