Harmonic maps with singular boundary value from complex hyperbolic spaces into rank one symmetric spaces

In this paper we consider the Dirichlet problem at infinity of proper harmonic maps from noncompact complex hyperbolic space to a rank one symmetric space N of noncompact type with singular boundary data . Under some conditions on f, we show that the Dirichlet problem at infinity admits a harmonic map which assumes the boundary data f continuously. Received: March 11, 1999 / Accepted April 23, 1999     

Harmonic maps into loop spaces of compact Lie groups

We study harmonic maps from Riemann surfaces M to the loop spaces ΩG of compact Lie groups G, using the twistor approach. Harmonic maps into loop spaces are of special interest because of their relation to the Yang-Mills equations on ℝ⁴. __________ Translated from Sovremennaya Matematika. Fundamental’nye Napravleniya (Contemporary Mathematics. Fundamental Directions), Vol. 16, Differential and Functional Differential Equations. Part 2, 2006.     

Harmonic maps into loop spaces of compact Lie groups

We study harmonic maps from Riemann surfaces M to the loop spaces ΩG of compact Lie groups G, using the twistor approach. We conjecture that harmonic maps of the Riemann sphere ℂℙ¹ into ΩG are related to Yang-Mills G-fields on ℝ⁴. This work was partly supported by the RFBR (Grant Nos. 04-01-00236, 06-02-04012), by the program of Support of Scientific Schools (Grant No. 1542.2003.1), and by the Scientific Program of RAS “Nonlinear Dynamics”     

Harmonic maps into loop spaces eliminate of compact Lie groups

We study harmonic maps from Riemann surfaces M to the loop spacesΩG of compact Lie groups G,using the twistor approach.We conjecture that harmonic maps of the Riemann sphere CP~1 intoΩG are related to Yang-Mills G-fields on R~4.     

Quantitative gradient estimates for harmonic maps into singular spaces

In this paper, we show the Yau’s gradient estimate for harmonic maps into a metric space (X, d_X) with curvature bounded above by a constant κ (κ ? 0) in the sense of Alexandrov. As a direct application, it gives some Liouville theorems for such harmonic maps. This extends the works of Cheng (1980) and Choi (1982) to harmonic maps into singular spaces.

     

Harmonic maps with fixed singular sets

Suppose Ω is a smooth domain in R^m,N is a compact smooth Riemannian manifold, andZ is a fixed compact subset of Ω having finite (m − 3)-dimensional Minkowski content (e.g.,Z ism − 3 rectifiable). We consider various spaces of harmonic mapsu: Ω →N that have a singular setZ and controlled behavior nearZ. We study the structure of such spacesH and questions of existence, uniqueness, stability, and minimality under perturbation. In caseZ = 0,H is a Banach manifold locally diffeomorphic to a submanifold of the product of the boundary data space with a finite-dimensional space of Jacobi fields with controlled singular behavior. In this smooth case, the projection ofu εH tou |ϖΩ is Fredholm of index 0. R. H.’s research partially supported by the National Science Foundation.     

The quasi-isometry classification of rank one lattices

Let X be a symmetric space—other than the hyperbolic plane—of strictly negative sectional curvature. Let G be the isometry group of X. We show that any quasi-isometry between non-uniform lattices in G is equivalent to (the restriction of) a group element of G which commensurates one lattice to the other. This result has the following corollaries:

1. Two non-uniform lattices in G are quasi-isometric if and only if they are commensurable.
2. Let Γ be a finitely generated group which is quasi-isometric to a non-uniform lattice in G. Then Γ is a finite extension of a non-uniform lattice in G.
3. A non-uniform lattice in G is arithmetic if and only if it has infinite index in its quasi-isometry group.

     

The minimal entropy conjecture for nonuniform rank one lattices

The Besson–Courtois–Gallot theorem is proven for noncompact finite volume Riemannian manifolds. In particular, no bounded geometry assumptions are made. This proves the minimal entropy conjecture for nonuniform rank one lattices. This research was partially supported by an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship. Received: June 2004; Revision: January 2006; Accepted: March 2006     

Bounded cohomology of lattices in higher rank Lie groups

We prove that the natural map H_b ²(Γ)?H²(Γ) from bounded to usual cohomology is injective if Γ is an irreducible cocompact lattice in a higher rank Lie group. This result holds also for nontrivial unitary coefficients, and implies finiteness results for Γ: the stable commutator length vanishes and any C¹–action on the circle is almost trivial. We introduce the continuous bounded cohomology of a locally compact group and prove our statements by relating H_b ^•(Γ) to the continuous bounded cohomology of the ambient group with coefficients in some induction module. Received July 14, 1998 / final version received January 7, 1999     

Isoperimetric inequalities for lattices in semisimple lie groups of rank 2

LetG be a connected semisimple Lie group with finite center. Let be an irreducible non-uniform lattice inG. We show that if the real rank ofG is 2, then the Dehn (or filling) function of is exponential.     

Cusp closing in rank one symmetric spaces

We investigate conditions under which cusps of pinched negative curvature can be closed as manifolds or orbifolds with nonpositive sectional curvature. We show that all cusps of complex hyperbolic type can be closed in this way whereas cusps of quaternionic or Cayley hyperbolic type cannot be closed. For cusps of real hyperbolic type we derive necessary and sufficient closing conditions. In this context we prove that a noncompact finite volume quotient of a rank one symmetric space can be approximated in the Gromov Hausdorff topology by closed orbifolds with nonpositive curvature if and only if it is real or complex hyperbolic. Using cusp closing methods we obtain new examples of real analytic manifolds of nonpositive sectional curvature and rank one containing flats. By the same methods we get an explicit resolution of the singularities in the Baily–Borel resp.Siu–Yau compactification of finite volume quotients of the complex hyperbolic space. Oblatum 2-IX-1994 & 7-VIII-1995     

Cusp closing in rank one symmetric spaces

We investigate conditions under which cusps of pinched negative curvature can be closed as manifolds or orbifolds with nonpositive sectional curvature. We show that all cusps of complex hyperbolic type can be closed in this way whereas cusps of quaternionic or Cayley hyperbolic type cannot be closed. For cusps of real hyperbolic type we derive necessary and sufficient closing conditions. In this context we prove that a noncompact finite volume quotient of a rank one symmetric space can be approximated in the Gromov Hausdorff topology by closed orbifolds with nonpositive curvature if and only if it is real or complex hyperbolic. Using cusp closing methods we obtain new examples of real analytic manifolds of nonpositive sectional curvature and rank one containing flats. By the same methods we get an explicit resolution of the singularities in the Baily-Borel resp. Siu-Yau compactification of finite volume quotients of the complex hyperbolic space.Oblatum 2-IX-1994 & 7-VIII-1995     

Quasi-isometric rigidity of nonuniform lattices in higher rank symmetric spaces

We compute the quasi-isometry group of an irreducible nonuniform lattice in a semisimple Lie group with finite center and no rank one factors, and show that any two such lattices are quasi-isometric if and only if they are commensurable up to conjugation.

     

Representations of complex hyperbolic lattices into rank 2 classical Lie groups of Hermitian type

Let Г be a torsion-free uniform lattice of SU(m, 1), m > 1. Let G be either SU(p, 2) with p ≥ 2, ${{\rm Sp}(2,\mathbb {R})}Let Г be a torsion-free uniform lattice of SU(m, 1), m > 1. Let G be either SU(p, 2) with p ≥ 2, or SO(p, 2) with p ≥ 3. The symmetric spaces associated to these G’s are the classical bounded symmetric domains of rank 2, with the exceptions of SO*(8)/U(4) and SO*(10)/U(5). Using the correspondence between representations of fundamental groups of K?hler manifolds and Higgs bundles we study representations of the lattice Г into G. We prove that the Toledo invariant associated to such a representation satisfies a Milnor-Wood type inequality and that in case of equality necessarily G = SU(p, 2) with p ≥ 2m and the representation is reductive, faithful, discrete, and stabilizes a copy of complex hyperbolic space (of maximal possible induced holomorphic sectional curvature) holomorphically and totally geodesically embedded in the Hermitian symmetric space SU(p, 2)/S(U(p) × U(2)), on which it acts cocompactly.