Curvature and distance function from a manifold

This paper is concerned with the relations between the differential invariants of a smooth manifold embedded in the Euclidean space and the square of the distance function from the manifold. In particular, we are interested in curvature invariants like the mean curvature vector and the second fundamental form. We find that these invariants can be computed in a very simple way using the third order derivatives of the squared distance function. Moreover, we study a general class of functionals depending on the derivatives up to a given order γ of the squared distance function and we find an algorithm for the computation of the Euler equation. Our class of functionals includes as particular cases the well-known area functional (γ = 2), the integral of the square of the quadratic norm of the second fundamental form (γ = 3), and the Willmore functional.     

Length minimizing geodesics and the length spectrum of Riemannian two-step nilmanifolds

In the first part of this article, we prove an explicit lower bound on the distance to the cut point of an arbitrary geodesic in a simply connected two-step nilpotent Lie group G with a lieft invariant metric. As a result, we obtaine a lower bound on the injectivity radius of a simply connected two-step nilpotent Lie group with a left invariant metric. We use this lower bound to determine the form of certain length minimizing geodesics from the identity to elements in the center of G. We also give an example of a two-step nilpotent Lie group G such that along most geodesics in this group, the cut point and the first conjugate point do not coincide. In the second part of this article, we examine the relation between the Laplace spectrum and the length spectrum on nilmanifolds by showing that a method developed by Gordon and Wilson for constructing families of isospectral two-step nilmanifolds necessarily yields manifolds with the same length spectrum. As a consequence, all known methods for constructing families of isospectral two-step nilmanifolds necessarily yield manifolds with the same length spectrum. In memory of Robert Brooks     

Manifolds whose curvature operator has constant eigenvalues at the basepoint

Osserman conjectured that if the curvature operatorR of a Riemannian manifoldM has constant eigenvalues, thenM is locally a rank-1 symmetric space or is flat. The pointwise question is considerably more complicated. We present examples of Riemannian manifolds so thatR has constant eigenvalues at the basepoint, butR is not the curvature operator of a rank-1 symmetric space. Research partially supported by the NSF and IHES.     

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.     

Asymptotic expansions of the zeta-determinants of Dirac Laplacians on a compact manifold with boundary

In this article we discuss the asymptotic expansions of the zeta-determinants of Dirac Laplacians on a compact manifold with boundary when the boundary part is stretched. In [12] the author studied the same question under the assumption of no existence of L² - and extended L² -solutions of Dirac operators when the boundary part is stretched to infinite length. Therefore, the results in this article generalize those in [12]. Using the main results we obtain the formula describing the ratio of two zeta-determinants of Dirac Laplacians with the APS boundary conditions associated with two unitary involutions σ₁ and σ₂ on ker B satisfying Gσ_i = -σ_i G. We also prove the adiabatic decomposition formulas for the zeta-determinants of Dirac Laplacians on a closed manifold when the Dirichlet or the APS boundary condition is imposed on partitioned manifolds, which generalize the results in [10] and [11].     

Some existence and nonexistence theorems for compact graphs of constant mean curvature with boundary in parallel planes

Given H≥0 and bounded convex curves α₁, ...,⇌_n, α in the plane z=0 bounding domains D₁, …, D_n, D, respectively, with if i ∈ j and with D_i ⊂ D, we obtain several results proving the existence of a constanth depending only on H and on the geometry of the curves α_i, α such that the Dirichlet problem for the constant mean curvature H equation: where may accept or not a solution.     

Existence and uniqueness of complete constant mean curvature surfaces at infinity ofH 3

A set of conditions are given, each equivalent to the constancy of mean curvature of a surface in H ³.It is shown that analogs of these equivalences exist for surfaces in S _∞ ² ,the bounding ideal sphere of H ³,leading to a notion of constant mean curvature at infinity of H ³.A parametrization of all complete constant mean curvature surfaces at infinity of H ³ is given by holomorphic quadratic differentials on Ĉ,C, and D.     

Isoscattering deformations for complete manifolds of negative curvature

We construct continuous families of nonisometric metrics on simply connected manifolds of dimension n ≥ 9which have the same scattering phase, the same resolvent resonances, and strictly negative sectional curvatures. This situation contrasts sharply with the case of compact manifolds of negative curvature, where Guillemin/Kazhdan, Min-Oo, and Croke/Sharafutdinov showed that there are no nontrivial isospectral deformations of such metrics.     

Continuous families of Riemannian manifolds, Isospectral on functions but not on 1-forms

The purpose of this paper is to present the first continuous families of Riemannian manifolds that are isospectral on functions but not on 1-forms, and, simultaneously, the first continuous families of Riemannian manifolds with the same marked length spectrum but not the same 1-form spectrum. Examples of isospectral manifolds that are not isospectral on forms are sparse, as most examples of isospectral manifolds can be explained by Sunada’s method or its generalizations, hence are strongly isospectral. The examples here are three-step Riemannian nilmanifolds, arising from a general method for constructing isospectral Riemannian nilmanifolds previously presented by the author. Gordon and Wilson constructed the first examples of nontrivial isospectral deformations, continuous families of Riemannian nilmanifolds. Isospectral manifolds constructed using the Gordon-Wilson method, a generalized Sunada method, are strongly isospectral and must have the same marked length spectrum. Conversely, Ouyang and Pesce independently showed that all isospectral deformations of two-step nilmanifolds must arise from the Gordon-Wilson method, and Eberlein showed that all pairs of two-step nilmanifolds with the same marked length spectrum must come from the Gordon-Wilson method. To the memory of Hubert Pesce, a valued friend and colleague.     

Regularity of harmonic maps into a static Lorentzian manifold

We study the regularity of harmonic maps from Riemannian manifold into a static Lorentzian manifold. We show that when the domain manifold is two-dimensional, any weakly harmonic map is smooth. We also show that when dimension n of the domain manifold is greater than two, there exists a weakly harmonic map for the Dirichlet problem which is smooth except for a closed set whose (n − 2)-dimensional Hausdorff measure is zero.     

Space-time formulation of Harnack inequalities for curvature flows of hypersurfaces

We consider the motion of hypersurfaces in Riemannian manifolds by their curvature vectors. We show that the Harnack quadratic is an affine second fundamental form of the space-time track of the hypersurface. Given a solution to the Ricci flow, we show that with respect to an appropriate metric on space-time, the space-slices evolve by mean curvature flow. This enables us to identify the Harnack quadratic for the mean curvature flow with the trace Harnack quadratic for the Ricci flow.     

The role of the scalar curvature in a nonlinear elliptic problem on Riemannian manifolds

Given (M, g) a smooth compact Riemannian N-manifold, N ≥ 2, we show that positive solutions to the problem

Small excess and Ricci curvature

It is proved that a Riemanniann-manifold with Ricci curvature ≥ (n − 1) and a lower injectivity radius bound is a sphere provided the diameter is sufficiently close to π. The author was partially supported by the NSF and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.     

On a Step 2(k + 1) sub-Riemannian manifold

We compute the sub-Riemannian distance for a Step 2(k + 1) sub-Riemannian manifold from the origin to any given point. We characterize the number of sub-Riemannian geodesics between the origin and any other point.     

The isoperimetric problem in complete surfaces of nonnegative curvature

We show that in a complete plane with nonnegative curvature there is a perimeter minimizing set of any given area. This set is a disc whose boundary is a closed embedded curve with constant geodesic curvature.     

Harmonic functions under quasi-isometry

Given a complete Riemannian manifold (M, g) with nonnegative sectional curvature outside a compact subset. Let h be another Riemannian metric which is uniformly equivalent to g. It was shown that the dimension of the space of bounded harmonic functions on (M, h) is finite and is the same as of that under metric g, and the dimension of the space spanned by nonnegative harmonic functions on (M, h) is also finite and is the same as of that under metric g. Moreover, bases were constructed for both spaces on (M, h) and precise estimates were established on the asymptotic behavior at infinity for those basic functions.     

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.     

The Ribaucour transformation for flat Lagrangian submanifolds

We study the Ribaucour transformation for flat Lagrangian submanifolds in complex flat space and complex projective space. As a consequence, we obtain a process to generate a new family of such submanifolds from a given one. Analytically, this provides a method to construct new solutions of the corresponding systems of PDEs from a given one. We also show that such transformation always comes with a permutability formula.     

Estimates for the wave kernel near focal points on compact manifolds

This article deals with analogue statements of the so-called basic Strichartz inequality for certain values of the time variable t on a smooth compact manifold; that is we prove L^q′ → L^q bounds for the modified half-wave operator e^itP P⁻ (n+1)(1/2− 1/q) where for a set of times t which depends on the global behavior of the geodesic flow. Then we give estimates for the blow-up of the bounds as approaching the limit points of this set. In doing this we use facts from differential geometry and the calculus of variations.     

Length spectra and<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-spectra of compact flat manifolds

We compare and contrast various length vs Laplace spectra of compact flat Riemannian manifolds. As a major consequence we produce the first examples of pairs of closed manifolds that are isospectral on p-forms for some p ≠ 0, but have different weak length spectrum. For instance, we give a pair of 4-dimensional manifolds that are isospectral on p-forms for p = 1, 3and we exhibit a length of a closed geodesic that occurs in one manifold but cannot occur in the other. We also exhibit examples of this kind having different injectivity radius and different first eigenvalue of the Laplace spectrum on functions. These results follow from a method that uses integral roots of the Krawtchouk polynomials. We prove a Poisson summation formula relating the p-eigenvalue spectrum with the lengths of closed geodesics. As a consequence we show that the Laplace spectrum on functions determines the lengths of closed geodesics and, by an example, that it does not determine the complex lengths. Furthermore we show that orientability is an audible property for closed flat manifolds. We give a variety of examples, for instance, a pair of manifolds isospectral on functions (resp. Sunada isospectral) with different multiplicities of length of closed geodesies and a pair with the same multiplicities of complex lengths of closed geodesies and not isospectral on p-forms for any p, or else isospectral on p-forms for only one value of p ≠ 0.