Conformal deformations of integral pinched 3-manifolds

In this paper we prove that, under an explicit integral pinching assumption between the L²-norm of the Ricci curvature and the L²-norm of the scalar curvature, a closed 3-manifold with positive scalar curvature admits a conformal metric of positive Ricci curvature. In particular, using a result of Hamilton, this implies that the manifold is diffeomorphic to a quotient of S³. The proof of the main result of the paper is based on ideas developed in an article by M. Gursky and J. Viaclovsky.     

Almost hypercomplex pseudo-Hermitian manifolds and a 4-dimensional Lie group with such structure

Almost hypercomplex pseudo-Hermitian manifolds are considered. Isotropic hyper-K?hler manifolds are introduced. A 4-parametric family of 4-dimensional manifolds of this type is constructed on a Lie group. This family is characterized geometrically. The condition a 4-manifold to be isotropic hyper-K?hler is given.      

Light-like CR hypersurfaces of indefinite Kähler manifolds

We study a new class of real hypersurfaces called Light-like CR hypersurfaces, of indefinite Kahler manifolds, and claim several new results of geometrical/physical significance. In particular, we show that our study has a direct relation with the physically important asymptotically flat spacetimes; which further lead to the Twistor theory of Penrose and the Heaven theory of Newman. As the induced connection, on the degenerate hypersurface, may not be a metric connection, we overcome this difficulty by using differential geometric technique and deduce the embedding conditions called Gauss-Codazzi equations. Finally, we find the integrability conditions for all the possible distributions and specialize the embedding conditions when the ambient space is a complex space form. We add to the list of totally umbilical nondegenerate hypersurfaces [16] the totally umbilical light-like cone, in the degenerate case, and prove the nonexistence of totally umbilical light-like CR hypersurfaces in ¯M(c) withc 0 (see Yano and Kon [22] and Tashiro and Tachibana [20] for the nondegenerate case).     

Isotropic ppmc immersions

Isometric immersions with parallel pluri-mean curvature (“ppmc”) in euclidean n-space generalize constant mean curvature (“cmc”) surfaces to higher dimensional Kähler submanifolds. Like cmc surfaces they allow a one-parameter family of isometric deformations rotating the second fundamental form at each point. If these deformations are trivial the ppmc immersions are called isotropic. Our main result drastically restricts the intrinsic geometry of such a submanifold: Locally, it must be a symmetric space or a Riemannian product unless the immersion is holomorphic or a superminimal surface in a sphere. We can give a precise classification if the codimension is less than 7. The main idea of the proof is to show that the tangent holonomy is restricted and to apply the Berger-Simons holonomy theorem.     

Extrinsic homogeneity of parallel submanifolds II

We discuss the question whether a (complete) parallel submanifold M of a Riemannian symmetric space N is an (extrinsically) homogeneous submanifold, i.e. whether there exists a subgroup of the isometries of N which acts transitively on M. In a previous paper, we have discussed this question in case the universal covering space of M is irreducible. It is the subject of this paper to generalize this result to the case when the universal covering space of M has no Euclidian factor.     

Globally minimal homogeneous subspaces in compact homogeneous sympletic spaces

It is a general problem to describe and classify the globally minimal surfaces in homogeneous spaces. The present paper studies and answers the following problem: When is a homogeneous subspace whose isometry group is one of the classical groups, a globally minimal submanifold in a regular orbit of the adjoint representation of a classical group?     

Ricci flat metrics with bidimensional null orbits and non-integrable orthogonal distribution

We study Ricci flat 4-metrics of any signature under the assumption that they allow a Lie algebra of Killing fields with 2-dimensional orbits along which the metric degenerates and whose orthogonal distribution is not integrable. It turns out that locally there is a unique (up to a sign) metric which satisfies the conditions. This metric is of signature (++−−) and, moreover, homogeneous possessing a 6-dimensional symmetry algebra.     

Contact hypersurfaces of Kaehler manifolds

Contact hypersurfaces of a Kaehler manifold have been characterized and classified, assuming the second fundamental form to be Codazzi (in particular, parallel). We have also discussed the special cases when the ambient space is a (i) Calabi-Yau manifold and (ii) a complex space-form.     

Homogeneous Geodesics of Three-Dimensional Unimodular Lorentzian Lie Groups

We consider three-dimensional unimodular Lie groups equipped with a Lorentzian metric and we determine, for all of them, their sets of homogeneous geodesics through a point. Dedicated to the memory of Professor Aldo Cossu Authors supported by funds of M.U.R.S.T., G.N.S.A.G.A. and the University of Lecce.     

Four-dimensional Einstein-like manifolds and curvature homogeneity

The aim of this paper is to classify 4-dimensional Einstein-like manifolds whose Ricci tensor has constant eigenvalues (this being a special kind of curvature homogeneity condition). We give a full classification when the Ricci tensor is of Codazzi type; when the Ricci tensor is cyclic parallel, we classify all such manifolds when not all Ricci curvatures are distinct. In this second case we find a one-parameter family of Riemannian metrics on a Lie groupG as the only possible ones which are irreducible and non-symmetric.     

Stability problems in a theorem of F. Schur

Schur's theorem states that an isotropic Riemannian manifold of dimension greater than two has constant curvature. It is natural to guess that compact almost isotropic Riemannian manifolds of dimension greater than two are close to spaces of almost constant curvature. We take the curvature anisotropy as the discrepancy of the sectional curvatures at a point. The main result of this paper is that Riemannian manifolds in Cheeger's class ℜ(n,d,V,A) withL ₁-small integral anisotropy haveL _p-small change of the sectional curvature over the manifold. We also estimate the deviation of the metric tensor from that of constant curvature in theW _p ² -norm, and prove that compact almost isotropic spaces inherit the differential structure of a space form. These stability results are based on the generalization of Schur' theorem to metric spaces.     

Rigidity and sphere theorem for manifolds with positive Ricci curvature

LetM be a complete Riemannian manifold with Ricci curvature having a positive lower bound. In this paper, we prove some rigidity theorems forM by the existence of a nice minimal hypersurface and a sphere theorem aboutM. We also generalize a Myers theorem stating that there is no closed immersed minimal submanifolds in an open hemisphere to the case that the ambient space is a complete Riemannian manifold withk-th Ricci curvature having a positive lower bound. Supported by the JSPS postdoctoral fellowship and NSF of China     

Twistor fibrations over Hermitian symmetric spaces and harmonic maps

Given a twistor space over a Hermitian symmetric space of compact type we construct a map onto a twistor space over another inner symmetric space of compact type. This map is holomorphic and preserves the superhorizontal distributions. We describe an application to harmonic maps.     

Pseudo-Riemannian 3-manifolds with prescribed distinct constant Ricci eigenvalues

We study three-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian manifolds having distinct constant principal Ricci curvatures. These spaces are described via a system of differential equations, and a simple characterization is proved to hold for the locally homogeneous ones. We then generalize the technique used in [O. Kowalski, F. Prüfer, On Riemannian 3-manifolds with distinct constant Ricci eigenvalues, Math. Ann. 300 (1994) 17-28] for Riemannian manifolds and construct explicitly homogeneous and non-homogeneous pseudo-Riemannian metrics in R³, having the prescribed principal Ricci curvatures.     

Homogeneous two-manifolds with an invariant two-form

We study a 2-dimensional manifold that admits a homogeneous action of a 3-dimensional Lie group G, and has a 2-form invariant under G. We show that such a manifold can be realized as a surface in the affine 3-space, and list such realizations.      

The Gauss map of submanifolds in the Heisenberg group

We obtain criteria for the harmonicity of the Gauss map of submanifolds in the Heisenberg group and consider the examples demonstrating the connection between the harmonicity of this map and the properties of the mean curvature field. Also, we introduce a natural class of cylindrical submanifolds and prove that a constant mean curvature hypersurface with harmonic Gauss map is cylindrical.     

Classification of pinched positive scalar curvature manifolds

Let (Mn,g), n?3, be a smooth closed Riemannian manifold with positive scalar curvature Rg. There exists a positive constant C=C(M,g) defined by mean curvature of Euclidean isometric immersions, which is a geometric invariant, such that Rg?n(n−1)C. In this paper we prove that Rg=n(n−1)C if and only if (Mn,g) is isometric to the Euclidean sphere Sn(C) with constant sectional curvature C. Also, there exists a Riemannian metric g on Mn such that the scalar curvature satisfies the pinched condition

     

Torsion and homogeneity on contact metric three-manifolds

We show that a three-dimensional contact metric manifold is locally homogeneous if and only if it is ball-homogeneous and satisfies the condition ∇_ξτ=2aτϕ, with a constant. Then, we relate the condition ∇_ξτ=0 with the existence of taut contact circles on a compact three-dimensional contact metric manifold. Entrata in Redazione il 20 gennaio 1999. Supported by funds of the University of Lecce and the M.U.R.S.T. Work made within the program of G.N.S.A.G.A.-C.N.R.     

Some Classes of Almost Anti-Hermitian Structures on the Tangent Bundle

In [11] we have considered a family of natural almost anti-Hermitian structures (G, J) on the tangent bundle TM of a Riemannian manifold (M, g), where the semi-Riemannian metric G is a lift of natural type of g to TM, such that the vertical and horizontal distributions VTM, HTM are maximally isotropic and the almost complex structure J is a usual natural lift of g of diagonal type interchanging VTM, HTM (see [5], [15]). We have obtained the conditions under which this almost anti-Hermitian structure belongs to one of the eight classes of anti-Hermitian manifolds obtained in the classification given in [1]. In this paper we consider another semi-Riemannian metric G on TM such that the vertical and horizontal distributions are orthogonal to each other. We study the conditions under which the above almost complex structure J defines, together with G, an almost anti-Hermitian structure on TM. Next, we obtain the conditions under which this structure belongs to one of the eight classes of anti-Hermitian manifolds obtained in the classification in [1].Partially supported by the Grant 100/2003, MECT-CNCSIS, România.     

Lagrangians adapted to submersions and foliations

Lagrangians related to submersions and foliations, which are analogous to Riemannian submersions and Riemannian foliations respectively are studied in the paper. One prove that a bundle-like Lagrangian, a transverse hyperregular Lagrangian, a hyperregular Lagrangian foliated cocycle or a geodesic orthogonal property are equivalent data for a foliation. A conjecture of E. Ghys is proved in a more general setting than that of Finslerian foliations: a foliation that has a transverse positively definite Lagrangian is a Riemannian foliation. One extend also a result of Miernowski and Mozgawa on Finslerian foliations, proving that the natural lift to the normal bundle of a Lagrangian foliation that has a transverse positively definite Lagrangian is a Riemannian foliation.