Geodesic knots in closed hyperbolic 3-manifolds

We consider the existence of simple closed geodesics or “geodesic knots” in finite volume orientable hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Every such manifold contains at least one geodesic knot by results of Adams, Hass and Scott in (Adams et al. Bull. London Math. Soc. 31: 81–86, 1999). In (Kuhlmann Algebr. Geom. Topol. 6: 2151–2162, 2006) we showed that every cusped orientable hyperbolic 3-manifold in fact contains infinitely many geodesic knots. In this paper we consider the closed manifold case, and show that if a closed orientable hyperbolic 3-manifold satisfies certain geometric and arithmetic conditions, then it contains infinitely many geodesic knots. The conditions on the manifold can be checked computationally, and have been verified for many manifolds in the Hodgson-Weeks census of closed hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Our proof is constructive, and the infinite family of geodesic knots spiral around a short simple closed geodesic in the manifold.      

A Note on Collars of Simple Closed Geodesics

For compact hyperbolic Riemann surfaces, the collar theorem gives a lower bound on the distance between a simple closed geodesic and all other simple closed geodesics that do not intersect the initial geodesic. Here it is shown that there are two possible configurations, and in each configuration there is a natural collar width associated to a simple closed geodesic. If one extends the natural collar of a simple closed geodesic α by ε >0, then the extended collar contains an infinity of simple closed geodesics that do not intersect α.Mathematics Subject Classiffications (2000). primary: 30F45; secondary: 32G07     

On some properties of the shortest curve in a compound domain

We consider a state space domain defined by a regular system of equality and inequality constraints. We study the properties of the shortest curve, that is, the curve that has the minimum length of all smooth curves joining two given points of the domain and lying entirely in the domain. If inequality constraints are absent, then the shortest curve is a geodesic. We show that the shortest curve is a function of the class W _2,∞, derive the equation of the shortest curve, and study some other properties of this curve.     

Collars in Complex and Quaternionic Hyperbolic Manifolds

We use the complex and quaternionic hyperbolic versions of Jørgensen's inequality to construct embedded collars about short, simple, closed geodesics in complex and quaternionic hyperbolic manifolds. In general, the width of these collars depend both on the length of the geodesic and on the rotational part of the group element uniformising it. For complex hyperbolic space we are able to use a lemma of Zagier to give an estimate based only on the length. We show that these canonical collars are disjoint from each other and from canonical cusps. We also calculate the volumes of these collars.     

The Carathéodory topology for multiply connected domains I

We consider the convergence of pointed multiply connected domains in the Carathéodory topology. Behaviour in the limit is largely determined by the properties of the simple closed hyperbolic geodesics which separate components of the complement. Of particular importance are those whose hyperbolic length is as short as possible which we call meridians of the domain. We prove continuity results on convergence of such geodesics for sequences of pointed hyperbolic domains which converge in the Carathéodory topology to another pointed hyperbolic domain. Using these we describe an equivalent condition to Carathéodory convergence which is formulated in terms of Riemann mappings to standard slit domains.     

Consequences of contractible geodesics on surfaces

The geodesic flow of any Riemannian metric on a geodesically convex surface of negative Euler characteristic is shown to be semi-equivalent to that of any hyperbolic metric on a homeomorphic surface for which the boundary (if any) is geodesic. This has interesting corollaries. For example, it implies chaotic dynamics for geodesic flows on a torus with a simple contractible closed geodesic, and for geodesic flows on a sphere with three simple closed geodesics bounding disjoint discs.

     

Blaschke-Type Theorem and Separation of Disjoint Closed Geodesic Convex Sets

In this paper, we deal with analytic and geometrical properties of geodesic convex sets and geodesic paths. We show that Blaschke’s Theorem for convex sets is also true for geodesic convex sets and geodesic paths in a simple polygon. Some geometrical properties of geodesic triangles are presented. Furthermore, separation of geodesic convex sets is shown.     

On causality and closed geodesics of compact Lorentzian manifolds and static spacetimes

Some results related to the causality of compact Lorentzian manifolds are proven: (1) any compact Lorentzian manifold which admits a timelike conformal vector field is totally vicious, and (2) a compact Lorentzian manifold covered regularly by a globally hyperbolic spacetime admits a timelike closed geodesic, if some natural topological assumptions (fulfilled, for example, if one of the conjugacy classes of deck transformations containing a closed timelike curve is finite) hold. As a consequence, any compact Lorentzian manifold conformal to a static spacetime is geodesically connected by causal geodesics, and admits a timelike closed geodesic.     

Topological dynamics of the Weil-Petersson geodesic flow

We prove topological transitivity for the Weil-Petersson geodesic flow for real two-dimensional moduli spaces of hyperbolic structures. Our proof follows a new approach that combines the density of singular unit tangent vectors, the geometry of cusps and convexity properties of negative curvature. We also show that the Weil-Petersson geodesic flow has: horseshoes, invariant sets with positive topological entropy, and that there are infinitely many hyperbolic closed geodesics, whose number grows exponentially in length. Furthermore, we note that the volume entropy is infinite.     

Principal Normal Indicatrices of Closed Space Curves

A theorem due to J. Weiner, which is also proven by B. Solomon, implies that a principal normal indicatrix of a closed space curve with nonvanishing curvature has integrated geodesic curvature zero and contains no subarc with integrated geodesic curvature . We prove that the inverse problem always has solutions if one allows zero and negative curvature of space curves and explain why this not is true if nonvanishing curvature is required. This answers affirmatively an open question asked by W. Fenchel in 1950 under the above assumptions but in general this question is found to be answered to the negative.     

A note on constant geodesic curvature curves on surfaces

In this paper we are concerned with the structure of curves on surfaces whose geodesic curvature is a large constant. We first discuss the relation between closed curves with large constant geodesic curvature and the critical points of Gauss curvature. Then, we consider the case where a curve with large constant geodesic curvature is immersed in a domain which does not contain any critical point of the Gauss curvature.     

Integrable Geodesic Flows on Surfaces

We propose a new condition à{{\aleph}} which enables us to get new results on integrable geodesic flows on closed surfaces. This paper has two parts. In the first, we strengthen Kozlov’s theorem on non-integrability on surfaces of higher genus. In the second, we study integrable geodesic flows on a 2-torus. Our main result for a 2-torus describes the phase portraits of integrable flows. We prove that they are essentially standard outside what we call separatrix chains. The complement to the union of the separatrix chains is C ⁰-foliated by invariant sections of the bundle.     

Partially hyperbolic geodesic flows

We construct a category of examples of partially hyperbolic geodesic flows which are not Anosov, deforming the metric of a compact locally symmetric space of nonconstant negative curvature. Candidates for such an example as the product metric and locally symmetric spaces of nonpositive curvature with rank bigger than one are not partially hyperbolic. We prove that if a metric of nonpositive curvature has a partially hyperbolic geodesic flow, then its rank is one. Other obstructions to partial hyperbolicity of a geodesic flow are also analyzed.     

On the structure of unoriented topological conformal field theories

The action of the mapping class group of the thrice-punctured projective plane on its \(\mathop {\mathrm{GL}}\nolimits (2,{\mathbb {C}})\) character variety produces an algorithm for generating the simple length spectra of quasi-Fuchsian thrice-punctured projective planes. We apply this algorithm to quasi-Fuchsian representations of the corresponding fundamental group to prove: a sharp upper-bound for the length its shortest geodesic, a McShane identity and the surprising result of non-polynomial growth for the number of simple closed geodesic lengths.     

Trajectories for Sasakian magnetic fields on real hypersurfaces of type (B) in a complex hyperbolic space

On a real hypersurface in a Kähler manifold we can consider a natural closed 2-form associated with the almost contact metric structure induced by Kähler structure. We treat trajectories under magnetic fields which are constant multiples of this 2-form. We consider a condition for them to be also curves of order 2 on tubes around totally geodesic real hyperbolic spaces in a complex hyperbolic space.     

Lagrangian non-squeezing and a geometric inequality

We prove that if the unit codisc bundle of a closed Riemannian manifold embeds symplectically into a symplectic cylinder of radius one then the length of the shortest non-trivial closed geodesic is at most half the area of the unit disc.     

Real hypersurfaces foliated by totally real totally geodesic submanifolds

We bridge between submanifold geometry and curve theory. In the first half of this paper we classify real hypersurfaces in a complex projective plane and a complex hyperbolic plane all of whose integral curves γ of the characteristic vector field are totally real circles of the same curvature which is independent of the choice of γ in these planes. In the latter half, we construct real hypersurfaces which are foliated by totally real (Lagrangian) totally geodesic submanifolds in a complex hyperbolic plane, which provide one of the examples obtained in the classification.     

Tubular neighborhoods of totally geodesic hypersurfaces in hyperbolic manifolds

Summary We show that a closed embedded totally geodesic hypersurface in a hyperbolic manifold has a tubular neighborhood whose width only depends on the area of the hypersurface. Namely, we construct a tubular neighborhood function and show that an embedded closed totally geodesic hypersurface in a hyperbolic manifold has a tubular neighborhood whose width only depends on the area of the hypersurface (and hence not on the geometry of the ambient manifold). The implications of this result for volumes of hyperbolic manifolds is discussed. In particular, we show that ifM is a hyperbolic 3-manifold containingn rank two cusps andk disjoint totally geodesic embedded closed surfaces, then the volume ofM is bigger than . We also derive a (hyperbolic) quantitative version of the Klein-Maskit combination theorem (in all dimensions) for free products of fuchsian groups. Using this last result, we construct examples to illustrate the qualitative sharpness of our tubular neighborhood function in dimension three. As an application of our results we give an eigenvalue estimate.Oblatum IX-1992 & 18-VIII-1993Research supported in part by NSF Grant DMS-9207019     

McShane’s identity,using elliptic elements

We introduce a new method to establish McShane’s Identity. Elliptic elements of order two in the Fuchsian group uniformizing the quotient of a fixed once-punctured hyperbolic torus act so as to exclude points as being highest points of geodesics. The highest points of simple closed geodesics are already given as the appropriate complement of the regions excluded by those elements of order two that factor hyperbolic elements whose axis projects to be simple. The widths of the intersection with an appropriate horocycle of the excluded regions sum to give McShane’s value of 1/2. The remaining points on the horocycle are highest points of simple open geodesics, we show that this set has zero Hausdorff dimension.      

Pseudo-geodesics on three-dimensional surfaces and pseudo-geodesic meshes

We present two numerical methods to approximate the shortest path or a geodesic between two points on a three-dimensional parametric surface. The first one consists of minimizing the path length, working in the parameter domain, where the approximation class is composed of Bézier curves. In the second approach, we consider Bézier surfaces and their control net. The numerical implementation is based on finding the shortest path on the successive control net subdivisions. The convergence property of the Bézier net to the surface gives an approximation of the required shortest path. These approximations, also called pseudo-geodesics, are then applied to the creation of pseudo-geodesic meshes. Experimental results are also provided.