Short separating geodesics for multiply connected domains

We consider the following questions: given a hyperbolic plane domain and a separation of its complement into two disjoint closed sets each of which contains at least two points, what is the shortest closed hyperbolic geodesic which separates these sets and is it a simple closed curve? We show that a shortest geodesic always exists although in general it may not be simple. However, one can also always find a shortest simple curve and we call such a geodesic a meridian of the domain. We prove that, although they are not in general uniquely defined, if one of the sets of the separation of the complement is connected, then they are unique and are also the shortest possible geodesics which separate the complement in this fashion.     

An invariant of multiply connected manifolds

The conditions under which a multiply connected open manifold has the homotopic type of a finite complex are studied. Examples are analyzed.Translated from Matematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 155–164, August, 1968.     

Closed geodesics and holonomies for Kleinian manifolds

For a rank one Lie group G and a Zariski dense and geometrically finite subgroup \({\Gamma}\) of G, we establish the joint equidistribution of closed geodesics and their holonomy classes for the associated locally symmetric space. Our result is given in a quantitative form for geometrically finite real hyperbolic manifolds whose critical exponents are big enough. In the case when \({G={\rm PSL}_2 (\mathbb{C})}\) , our results imply the equidistribution of eigenvalues of elements of Γ in the complex plane. When \({\Gamma}\) is a lattice, the equidistribution of holonomies was proved by Sarnak and Wakayama in 1999 using the Selberg trace formula.     

Closed geodesics in homology classes on hyperbolic manifolds with cusps

On a class of hyperbolic manifolds with infinite volume, we give an asymptotic estimate for the number of closed geodesics in a given homology class. We show that, in certain cases, the existence of parabolic transformations in the fundamental group Γ of these manifolds has an effect on this estimate. This happens when the Hausdorff dimension of the limit set of Γ is less than 3/2. The geometrical meaning of this critical value remains to be understood.     

Closed geodesics on orbifolds

In this paper, we try to generalize to the case of compact Riemannian orbifolds Q some classical results about the existence of closed geodesics of positive length on compact Riemannian manifolds M. We shall also consider the problem of the existence of infinitely many geometrically distinct closed geodesics.In the classical case the solution of those problems involve the consideration of the homotopy groups of M and the homology properties of the free loop space on M (Morse theory). Those notions have their analogue in the case of orbifolds. The main part of this paper will be to recall those notions and to show how the classical techniques can be adapted to the case of orbifolds.     

Closed geodesics on Finsler spheres

In this paper, we prove that for every Finsler n-sphere (S ⁿ ,?F) all of whose prime closed geodesics are non-degenerate with reversibility λ and flag curvature K satisfying ${\left(\frac{\lambda}{\lambda+1}\right)^2 < K \le 1,}$ there exist ${2[\frac{n+1}{2}]-1}$ prime closed geodesics; moreover, there exist ${2[\frac{n}{2}]-1}$ non-hyperbolic prime closed geodesics provided the number of prime closed geodesics is finite.     

Periodic magnetic geodesics on Heisenberg manifolds

Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry - We study the dynamics of magnetic flows on Heisenberg groups, investigating the extent to which properties of the underlying Riemannian geometry are...     

Closed geodesics and volume growth of open manifolds with sectional curvature bounded from below

In this paper, the relationship between the existence of closed geodesics and the volume growth of complete noncompact Riemannian manifolds is studied. First the authors prove a diffeomorphic result of such an n-m2nifold with nonnegative sectional curvature, which improves Marenich-Toponogov＇s theorem. As an application, a rigidity theorem is obtained for nonnegatively curved open manifold which contains a clesed geodesic. Next the authors prove a theorem about the nonexistence of closed geodesics for Riemannian manifolds with sectional curvature bounded from below by a negative constant.     

Closed geodesics on pairs of pants

We study the non-simple closed geodesics of the Riemann surfaces of signature (0, 3). In the aim of classifying them, we define one parameter: the number of strings. We show that for a given number of strings, a minimal geodesic exists; we then give its representation and its length which depends on the boundary geodesics.     

Closed geodesics in compact nilmanifolds

We study the density of closed geodesics property on 2-step nilmanifolds Γ\N, where N is a simply connected 2-step nilpotent Lie group with a left invariant Riemannian metric and Lie algebra ?, and Γ is a lattice in N. We show the density of closedgeodesics property holds for quotients of singular, simply connected, 2-step nilpotent Lie groups N which are constructed using irreducible representations of the compact Lie group SU(2). Received: 8 November 2000 / Revised version: 9 April 2001     

Closed geodesics on positively curved Finsler spheres

In this paper, we prove that for every Finsler n-sphere (Sn,F) for n?3 with reversibility λ and flag curvature K satisfying , either there exist infinitely many prime closed geodesics or there exists one elliptic closed geodesic whose linearized Poincaré map has at least one eigenvalue which is of the form exp(πiμ) with an irrational μ. Furthermore, there always exist three prime closed geodesics on any (S³,F) satisfying the above pinching condition.     

Riemannian flag manifolds with homogeneous geodesics

A geodesic in a Riemannian homogeneous manifold is called a homogeneous geodesic if it is an orbit of a one-parameter subgroup of the Lie group . We investigate -invariant metrics with homogeneous geodesics (i.e., such that all geodesics are homogeneous) when is a flag manifold, that is, an adjoint orbit of a compact semisimple Lie group . We use an important invariant of a flag manifold , its -root system, to give a simple necessary condition that admits a non-standard -invariant metric with homogeneous geodesics. Hence, the problem reduces substantially to the study of a short list of prospective flag manifolds. A common feature of these spaces is that their isotropy representation has two irreducible components. We prove that among all flag manifolds of a simple Lie group , only the manifold of complex structures in , and the complex projective space admit a non-naturally reductive invariant metric with homogeneous geodesics. In all other cases the only -invariant metric with homogeneous geodesics is the metric which is homothetic to the standard metric (i.e., the metric associated to the negative of the Killing form of the Lie algebra of ). According to F. Podestà and G.Thorbergsson (2003), these manifolds are the only non-Hermitian symmetric flag manifolds with coisotropic action of the stabilizer.

     

Torsion and closed geodesics on complex hyperbolic manifolds

Summary LetX be a compact complex manifold covered by complex hyperbolicn-space with the induced metric. Each stable horocycle has a cocomplex structure preserved by the geodesic flow. To a closed geodesic one can thus associate a piece of the Poincaré map with a holomorphic fixed point. The resulting Atiyah-Bott fixed point indices, together with the length and multiplicity of as a periodic orbit, determine the contribution of to certain zeta functionsR _p(z), 0pn. From the leading coefficient ofR _p atZ=0 and the Hodge numbersh ^ij (X) we calculate the Ray-Singer -torsionT _p (X). This indicates that the known connections between torsion and the dynamical features of closed orbits continue to hold in the holomorphic category.Corresponding results hold for the -torsion of a flat unitary bundle, extending certain formulas of Ray and Singer to the casen>1.Partially supported by the Sloan Foundation and the National Science Foundation