General spherically symmetric Finsler metrics with constant Ricci and flag curvature

In this paper, we investigate the flag curvature of a special class of Finsler metrics called general spherically symmetric Finsler metrics, which are defined by a Euclidean metric and two related 1-forms. We find equations to characterize the class of metrics with constant Ricci curvature (tensor) and constant flag curvature. Moreover, we study general spherically symmetric Finsler metrics with the vanishing non-Riemannian quantity χ-curvature. In particular, we construct some new projectively flat Finsler metrics of constant flag curvature.     

Finsler manifolds with nonpositive flag curvature and constant S-curvature

The flag curvature is a natural extension of the sectional curvature in Riemannian geometry, and the S-curvature is a non-Riemannian quantity which vanishes for Riemannian metrics. There are (incomplete) non-Riemannian Finsler metrics on an open subset in Rⁿ with negative flag curvature and constant S-curvature. In this paper, we are going to show a global rigidity theorem that every Finsler metric with negative flag curvature and constant S-curvature must be Riemannian if the manifold is compact. We also study the nonpositive flag curvature case.supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10371138).     

Einstein Finsler metrics and killing vector fields on Riemannian manifolds

We use a Killing form on a Riemannian manifold to construct a class of Finsler metrics. We find equations that characterize Einstein metrics among this class. In particular, we construct a family of Einstein metrics on S ³ with Ric = 2F ², Ric = 0 and Ric = -2F ², respectively. This family of metrics provides an important class of Finsler metrics in dimension three, whose Ricci curvature is a constant, but the flag curvature is not.     

On a class of weakly Einstein Finsler metrics

In this paper we study a special class of Finsler metrics—m-Kropina metrics which are defined by a Riemannian metric and a 1-form. We prove that a weakly Einstein m-Kropina metric must be Einsteinian. Further, we characterize Einstein m-Kropina metrics in very simple conditions under a suitable deformation, and obtain the local structures of m-Kropina metrics which are of constant flag curvature and locally projectively flat with constant flag curvature respectively.     

Matsumoto Metrics of Constant Flag Curvature: A Puny Class of Finsler Metrics with Constant Curvature

The local structure of Finsler metrics of constant flag curvature have been historically mysterious. It is proved that every Matsumoto metric of constant flag curvature on a closed n-dimensional manifold of dimension n ≥ 3 is either Riemannian or locally Minkowskian.     

The explicit construction of Finsler metrics with special curvature properties

The S-curvature is one of most important non-Riemannian quantities in Finsler geometry. It delicately related to Riemannian quantities. This note gives an explicit construction of 3-parameter family of non-locally projectively flat Finsler metrics of non-constant isotropic S-curvature. The necessary and sufficient condition that these Finsler metrics are of constant flag curvature is given.     

A new class of projectively flat Finsler metrics with constant flag curvature K=1

In this paper, we consider a class of Finsler metrics which obtained by Kropina change of the class of generalized m-th root Finsler metrics. We classify projectively flat Finsler metrics in this class of metrics. Then under a condition, we show that every projectively flat Finsler metric in this class with constant flag curvature is locally Minkowskian. Finally, we find necessary and sufficient condition under which this class of metrics be locally dually flat.     

Finsler warped product metrics with special Riemannian curvature properties

One of the fundamental problems in Finsler geometry is to study Finsler metrics of constant(or scalar) curvature. In this paper, we refine and improve Chen-Shen-Zhao equations characterizing Finsler warped product metrics of scalar flag curvature. In particular, we find equations that characterize Finsler warped product metrics of constant flag curvature. Then we improve the Chen-Shen-Zhao result on characterizing Einstein Finsler warped product metrics. As its application we construct explicitly many new warped product Douglas metrics of constant Ricci curvature by using known locally projectively flat spherically symmetric metrics of constant flag curvature.     

Finsler metrics with special curvature properties

In this paper, we discuss the relationship between the flag curvature and some non-Riemannian quantities of Finsler metrics of scalar curvature. In particular, we characterize projectively flat Finsler metrics with isotropic S-curvature.     

On Some Finsler Metrics of Non-positive Constant Flag Curvature

(α, β)-norms on ${\mathbb{R}^N}$ induce Minkowski metrics, and the construction of related homothetic vector fields gives a family of new Finsler metrics of non-positive constant flag curvature for each non-trivial (α, β)-norm. The dimension of this family is at least ${\tfrac{1}{2}(N^2 - N + 4)}$ . In particular, we generalize the Funk metric on the unit ball via navigation representation of the standard Euclidean norm and the radial vector field. Finally, we describe the geodesics of these new Finsler metrics with constant flag curvature.     

Two-dimensional Finsler metrics with constant flag curvature

 We construct infinitely many two-dimensional Finsler metrics on 𝕊² and 𝔻² with non-zero constant flag curvature. They are all not locally projectively flat. Received: 10 October 2001 / Revised version: 15 July 2002     

On some classes of projectively flat Finsler metrics with constant flag curvature

In this paper, we give the equivalent PDEs for projectively flat Finsler metrics with constant flag curvature defined by a Euclidean metric and two 1-forms. Furthermore, we construct some classes of new projectively flat Finsler metrics with constant flag curvature by solving these equivalent PDEs.     

Projectively flat Finsler metrics of constant flag curvature

Finsler metrics on an open subset in with straight geodesics are said to be projective. It is known that the flag curvature of any projective Finsler metric is a scalar function of tangent vectors (the flag curvature must be a constant if it is Riemannian). In this paper, we discuss the classification problem on projective Finsler metrics of constant flag curvature. We express them by a Taylor expansion or an algebraic formula. Many examples constructed in this paper can be used as models in Finsler geometry.

     

Finsler metrics of scalar flag curvature with special non-Riemannian curvature properties

In this paper, we study Finsler metrics of scalar flag curvature. We find that a non-Riemannian quantity is closely related to the flag curvature. We show that the flag curvature is weakly isotropic if and only if this non-Riemannian quantity takes a special form. This will lead to a better understanding on Finsler metrics of scalar flag curvature.      

On Square metrics of scalar flag curvature

In this paper, we study the problem whether a Finsler metric of scalar flag curvature is locally projectively flat. We consider a special class of Finsler metrics — square metrics which are defined by a Riemannian metric and a 1-form on a manifold. We show that in dimension n ≥ 3, any square metric of scalar flag curvature is locally projectively flat.     

On Riemann curvature of singular square metrics

Square metrics is an important class of Finsler metrics. Recently, we introduced a special class of non-regular Finsler metrics called singular square metrics. The main purpose of this paper is to provide a necessary and sufficient condition for singular square metrics to be of constant Ricci or flag curvature when dimension $n\ge 3$.     

一类射影平坦的Finsler度量

本文主要研究由两个Riemann度量和一个1-形式构成的Finsler度量.首先,本文给出这类度量局部射影平坦的等价条件;其次,给出这类度量局部射影平坦且具有常旗曲率的分类情形;最后,构造这类度量局部射影平坦且具有常旗曲率K=-1的例子.     

A new characterization of Finsler metrics with constant flag curvature 1

The purpose of this article is to derive an integral inequality of Ricci curvature with respect to Reeb field in a Finsler space and give a new geometric characterization of Finsler metrics with constant flag curvature 1.     

Reversible Finsler metrics of constant flag curvature

Without the restriction of quadratic form as a Riemannian metric, a Finsler metric $F=F(x,y)$ on a smooth manifold M can be reversible (symmetric in y) or not. Reversible Finsler metrics have different properties from Riemannian metrics though it seems they are very close to Riemannian metrics. Hilbert metric is the famous reversible Finsler metric of negative constant flag curvature in the history, and it is projectively flat. Then it is natural to ask the question how to classify reversible projectively flat Finsler metrics of constant flag curvature and give more new examples? In this paper, we answer the above question by giving the classification when the flag curvature $\mathbf{K}=-1,0,1$ respectively. Especially, for the case when $\mathbf{K}=-1$, we show that the only reversible projectively flat Finsler metrics are just Hilbert metrics. For the case when $\mathbf{K}=1$, we give an algebraic way to construct explicit metric function by solving algebraic equations, such as by solving a quartic equation. When the flag curvature is zero, it is much easier to construct reversible projectively flat Finsler metrics than before.     

The length of a shortest geodesic loop

We give a lower bound for the length of a non-trivial geodesic loop on a simply-connected and compact manifold of even dimension with a non-reversible Finsler metric of positive flag curvature. Harris and Paternain use this estimate in their recent paper to give a geometric characterization of dynamically convex Finsler metrics on the 2-sphere. To cite this article: H.-B. Rademacher, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 346 (2008).