Heat flow of harmonic maps from noncompact manifolds

The global existence of the heat flow for harmonic maps from noncompact manifolds is considered. When L^m norm of the gradient of initial data is small, the existence of a global solution is proved.     

Complete noncompact manifolds with harmonic curvature

Let (M ⁿ , g) be an n-dimensional complete noncompact Riemannian manifold with harmonic curvature and positive Sobolev constant. In this paper, by employing an elliptic estimation method, we show that (M ⁿ , g) is a space form if it has sufficiently small L ^n/2-norms of trace-free curvature tensor and nonnegative scalar curvature. Moreover, we get a gap theorem for (M ⁿ , g) with positive scalar curvature.     

Stable harmonic maps from pinched manifolds

This work was supported by Max-Planck-Institut für Mathematik in Bonn     

On harmonic maps from stochastically complete manifolds

The main purpose of this article is to generalize a theorem about the size of minimal submanifolds in Euclidean spaces. In fact, we state and prove a non-existence theorem about harmonic maps from a stochastically complete manifold into a cone type domain. The proof is based on a generalized version of the maximum principle applied to the Lapalace-Beltrami operator on Riemannian manifolds. Received: 2 August 2007, Revised: 14 April 2008     

Rigidity of noncompact complete manifolds with harmonic curvature

Let (M, g) be a noncompact complete n-manifold with harmonic curvature and positive Sobolev constant. Assume that the L ₂ norms of the traceless Ricci curvature are finite. We prove that (M, g) is Einstein if n ?? 5 and the L _n/2 norms of the Weyl curvature and traceless Ricci curvature are small enough.     

The existence of harmonic maps from Finsler manifolds to Riemannian manifolds

In this paper,we consider the existence of harmonic maps from a Finsler man-ifold and study the characterisation of harmonic maps,in the spirit of lshihara.Using heatequation method we show that any map from a compact Finsler manifold M to a com-pact Riemannian manifold with non-positive sectional curvature can be deformed into aharmonic map which has minimum energy in its homotopy class.     

The existence of harmonic maps from Finsler manifolds of Riemannian manifolds

In this paper,we consider the existence of harmonic maps from a Finsler manifold and study the characterisation of harmonic maps,in the spirit of Ishihara.Using heat quation method we show that any map from a compact Finsler manifold M to a compact Riemannian manifold with non-positive sectional curvature can be deformed into a harmonic map which has minimum energy in its homotopy class.     

The rigidity theorem for harmonic maps from Berwald manifolds

In this paper, we can prove that any non‐degenerate strongly harmonic map ? from a compact Berwald manifold with nonnegative general Ricci curvature to a Landsberg manifold with non‐positive flag curvature must be totally geodesic, which generalizes the result of Eells and Sampson ([2]).     

On weakly harmonic maps from Finsler to Riemannian manifolds

We prove global C0,α$C^{0,\alpha }$-estimates for harmonic maps from Finsler manifolds into regular balls of Riemannian target manifolds generalizing results of Giaquinta, Hildebrandt, and Hildebrandt, Jost and Widman from Riemannian to Finsler domains. As consequences we obtain a Liouville theorem for entire harmonic maps on simple Finsler manifolds, and an existence theorem for harmonic maps from Finsler manifolds into regular balls of a Riemannian target.     

Hermitian harmonic maps from complete manifolds into convex balls

In this paper, we prove the existence and uniqueness of Hermitian harmonic maps from complete Hermitian manifolds into convex balls.     

Regularity of minimizing harmonic maps into ellipsoids

In this paper, we study harmonic maps into ellipsoids and generalize some interesting results on harmonic maps into spheres of R. Schoen and K. Uhlenbeck.     

Nodal domains and growth of harmonic functions on noncompact manifolds

Harmonic functions are studied on complete Riemannian manifolds. A decay estimate is given for bounded harmonic functions of variable sign. For unbounded harmonic functions of variable sign, relations are derived between growth properties and nodal domains. On Riemannian manifolds of nonnegative Ricci curvature, it has been conjectured that harmonic functions, having at most a given order of polynomial growth, must form a finite dimensional vector space. This conjecture is established in certain special cases.     

Holomorphic maps into Grassmann manifolds (harmonic maps into Grassmann manifolds III)

Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry - A well-known Calabi’s rigidity theorem on holomorphic isometric immersions into the complex projective space is generalized to the case that the...     

On harmonic maps between generalized flag manifolds

The theory of harmonic maps has been developed since the 1960's (see [2]). In recent years, some authors discussed the harmonicity of “homogeneous” maps between Riemannian homogeneous spaces using the theory of Lie groups. LetG andG′ be compact Lie groups,H andH′ their closed subgroups respectively. Assume that a homomorphism θ:G→G′ mapsH intoH′; then there exists an induced mapf _θ:G/H→G′/H′. M.A. Guest gave a necessary and sufficient condition for such a map to be harmonic, whenG/H andG′/H′ are generalized flag manifolds,H=T is a maximal torus andG′ is a unitary group; and he gave some interesting examples (see [3]). We generalize his results to the case of general generalized flag manifoldsG/H, i.e.H is a centralizer of a torus, and give some new examples of harmonic maps. Supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and K.C. Wong Education Foundation (in Hong Kong).     

Jost maps, ball-homogeneous and harmonic manifolds

Given a real number ε>0, small enough, an associated Jost map J_ε between two Riemannian manifolds is defined. Then we prove that connected Riemannian manifolds for which the center of mass of each small geodesic ball is the center of the ball (i.e. for which the identity is a J_ε map) are ball-homogeneous. In the analytic case we characterize such manifolds in terms of the Euclidean Laplacian and we show that they have constant scalar curvature. Under some restriction on the Ricci curvature we prove that Riemannian analytic manifolds for which the center of mass of each small geodesic ball is the center of the ball are locally and weakly harmonic.     

Axially symmetric harmonic maps minimizing a relaxed energy

Here we obtain various results on the class of axially symmetric harmonic maps from B ³ to S ². We find some new classes of non-minimizing harmonic maps exhibiting unusual singular behavior. Optimal partial regularity estimates are obtained for mappings which minimize, among axially symmetric maps, various relaxed energies which have been studied in [4]and [11].