Harmonic bundle solutions of topological-antitopological fusion in para-complex geometry

In this work we introduce the notion of a para-harmonic bundle, i.e. the generalization of a harmonic bundle [C.T. Simpson, Higgs-bundles and local systems, Inst. Hautes Etudes Sci. Publ. Math. 75 (1992) 5-95] to para-complex differential geometry. We show that para-harmonic bundles are solutions of the para-complex version of metric tt^∗-bundles introduced in [L. Schäfer, tt^∗-bundles in para-complex geometry, special para-Kähler manifolds and para-pluriharmonic maps, Differential Geom. Appl. 24 (1) (2006) 60-89]. Further we analyze the correspondence between metric para-tt^∗-bundles of rank 2r over a para-complex manifold M and para-pluriharmonic maps from M into the pseudo-Riemannian symmetric space GL(r,R)/O(p,q), which was shown in [L. Schäfer, tt^∗-bundles in para-complex geometry, special para-Kähler manifolds and para-pluriharmonic maps, Differential Geom. Appl. 24 (1) (2006) 60-89], in the case of a para-harmonic bundle. It is proven, that for para-harmonic bundles the associated para-pluriharmonic maps take values in the totally geodesic subspace GL(r,C)/Uπ(Cr) of GL(2r,R)/O(r,r). This defines a map Φ from para-harmonic bundles over M to para-pluriharmonic maps from M to GL(r,C)/Uπ(Cr). The image of Φ is also characterized in the paper.     

Harmonic maps from closed Riemannian manifolds with positive scalar curvature

It is well known there is no non-constant harmonic map from a closed Riemannian manifold of positive Ricci curvature to a complete Riemannian manifold with non-positive sectional curvature. By reducing the assumption on the Ricci curvature to one on the scalar curvature, such vanishing theorem cannot hold in general. This raises the question: “What information can we obtain from the existence of non-constant harmonic map?” This paper gives answer to this problem; the results obtained are optimal.     

On harmonic tori in compact rank one symmetric spaces

In this paper we prove that, in contrast with the Sn and CPn cases, there are harmonic 2-tori into the quaternionic projective space HPn which are neither of finite type nor of finite uniton number; we also prove that any harmonic 2-torus in a compact Riemannian symmetric space which can be obtained via the twistor construction is of finite type if and only it is constant; in particular, we conclude that any harmonic 2-torus in CPn or Sn which is simultaneously of finite type and of finite uniton number must be constant.     

Stability numbers in K-contact manifolds

The aim of this paper is to study the stability of the characteristic vector field of a compact K-contact manifold with respect to the energy and volume functionals when we consider on the manifold a two-parameter variation of the metric. First of all, we multiply the metric in the direction of the characteristic vector field by a constant and then we change the metric by homotheties. We will study to what extent the results obtained in [V. Borrelli, Stability of the characteristic vector field of a Sasakian manifold, Soochow J. Math. 30 (2004) 283-292. Erratum on the article: Stability of the characteristic vector field of a Sasakian manifold, Soochow J. Math. 32 (2006) 179-180] for Sasakian manifolds are valid for a general K-contact manifold. Finally, as an example, we will study the stability of Hopf vector fields on Berger spheres when we consider homotheties of Berger metrics.     

Harmonic morphisms from the classical non-compact semisimple Lie groups

We construct the first known complex-valued harmonic morphisms from the non-compact Lie groups SLn(R), SU^∗(2n) and Sp(n,R) equipped with their standard Riemannian metrics. We then introduce the notion of a bi-eigenfamily and employ this to construct the first known solutions on the non-compact Riemannian SO^∗(2n), SO(p,q), SU(p,q) and Sp(p,q). Applying a duality principle we then show how to manufacture the first known complex-valued harmonic morphisms from the compact Lie groups SO(n), SU(n) and Sp(n) equipped with semi-Riemannian metrics.     

Harmonic morphisms from the compact semisimple Lie groups and their non-compact duals

In this paper we prove the local existence of complex-valued harmonic morphisms from any compact semisimple Lie group and their non-compact duals. These include all Riemannian symmetric spaces of types II and IV. We produce a variety of concrete harmonic morphisms from the classical compact simple Lie groups SO(n), SU(n), Sp(n) and globally defined solutions on their non-compact duals SO(n,C)/SO(n), SLn(C)/SU(n) and Sp(n,C)/Sp(n).     

Harmonic Hopf constructions and isoparametric gradient maps

This note provides a complete answer to a problem of Ding-Fan-Li on the homotopy classes of harmonic Hopf constructions. Moreover, it gives applications to isoparametric gradient maps.     

Harmonic sections of Riemannian vector bundles, and metrics of Cheeger-Gromoll type

We study harmonic sections of a Riemannian vector bundle E→M when E is equipped with a 2-parameter family of metrics hp,q which includes both the Sasaki and Cheeger-Gromoll metrics. For every k>0 there exists a unique p such that the harmonic sections of the radius-k sphere subbundle are harmonic sections of E with respect to hp,q for all q. In both compact and non-compact cases, Bernstein regions of the (p,q)-plane are identified, where the only harmonic sections of E with respect to hp,q are parallel. Examples are constructed of vector fields which are harmonic sections of E=TM in the case where M is compact and has non-zero Euler characteristic.     

Biharmonic maps, conformal deformations and the Hopf maps

We consider harmonic semi-conformal maps between two Riemannian manifolds. By deforming conformally the codomain metric, we construct new examples of non-harmonic biharmonic maps.     

The structure of singular spaces of dimension 2

In this paper, we study the structure of locally compact metric spaces of Hausdorff dimension 2. If such a space has non-positive curvautre and a local cone structure, then every simple closed curve bounds a conformal disk. On a surface (a topological manifold of dimension 2), a distance function with non-positive curvature and whose metric topology is equivalent to the surface topology gives a structure of a Riemann surface. The construction of conformal disks in these spaces uses minimal surface theory; in particular, the solution of the Plateau Problem in metric spaces of non-positive curvature. Received: 18 November 1997/ Revised versions: 15 January and 7 June 1999     

Harmonic morphisms of warped product type from Einstein manifolds

Weitzenb?ck type identities for harmonic morphisms of warped product type are developed which lead to some necessary conditions for their existence. These necessary conditions are further studied to obtain many nonexistence results for harmonic morphisms of warped product type from Einstein manifolds. Received: 14 March 2006     

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.     

Energy identity for a class of approximate Dirac-harmonic maps from surfaces with boundary

For a sequence of coupled fields $\{({?}_n,{\psi }_n)\}$ from a compact Riemann surface M with smooth boundary to a general compact Riemannian manifold with uniformly bounded energy and satisfying the Dirac-harmonic system up to some uniformly controlled error terms, we show that the energy identity holds during a blow-up process near the boundary. As an application to the heat flow of Dirac-harmonic maps from surfaces with boundary, when such a flow blows up at infinite time, we obtain an energy identity.     

Harmonic maps of bounded symmetric domains

Research supported in part by NNSFC, SFECC and ICTP     

Minimal submanifolds of hyperbolic spaces via harmonic morphisms

In this paper we give a method for constructing complete minimal submanifolds of the hyperbolic spaces H ^m . They are regular fibres of harmonic morphisms from H ^m with values in Riemann surfaces.     

On the volume of unit vector fields on spaces of constant sectional curvature

A unit vector field X on a Riemannian manifold determines a submanifold in the unit tangent bundle. The volume of X is the volume of this submanifold for the induced Sasaki metric. It is known that the parallel fields are the trivial minima. In this paper, we obtain a lower bound for the volume in terms of the integrals of the 2i-symmetric functions of the second fundamental form of the orthogonal distribution to the field X. In the spheres ${\textbf {S}}^{2k+1}$, this lower bound is independent of X. Consequently, the volume of a unit vector field on an odd-sphere is always greater than the volume of the radial field. The main theorem on volumes is applied also to hyperbolic compact spaces, giving a non-trivial lower bound of the volume of unit fields.     

Classification of homogeneous almost cosymplectic three-manifolds

The purpose of this paper is to classify all simply connected homogeneous almost cosymplectic three-manifolds. We show that each such three-manifold is either a Lie group G equipped with a left invariant almost cosymplectic structure or a Riemannian product of type R×N, where N is a Kähler surface of constant curvature. Moreover, we find that the Reeb vector field of any homogeneous almost cosymplectic three-manifold, except one case, defines a harmonic map.