Measurability implies continuity for solutions of functional equations - even with few variables

Summary. We prove that - under certain conditions - measurable solutions $f$ of the functional equation $f(x)=h(x,y,f(g_{1}(x,y)),\ldots,f(g_{n}(x,y))),\quad(x,y)\in D \subset \mathbb{R}^{s} \times \mathbb{R}^{l}$ are continuous, even if $1\le l\le s$. As a tool we introduce new classes of functions which - roughly speaking - interpolate between continuous and Lebesgue measurable functions. Connection between these classes are also investigated.     

Presentations of the first homotopy groups of the unitary groups

We describe explicit presentations of all stable and the first nonstable homotopy groups of the unitary groups. In particular, for each n 2 we supply n homotopic maps that each represent the (n - 1)!-th power of a suitable generator of _2n SU(n) _n!. The product of these n commuting maps is the constant map to the identity matrix.     

A $\Gamma$-convergence result for doubling metric measures and associated perimeters

Abstract. In this paper we study the notion of perimeter associated with doubling metric measures or strongly weights. We prove that the metric perimeter in the sense of L. Ambrosio and M. Miranda jr. coincides with the metric Minkowski content and can be obtained also as a -limit of Modica-Mortola type degenerate integral functionals. Received: 27 August 2001 / Accepted: 29 November 2001 / Published online: 10 June 2002 Investigation supported by University of Bologna, funds for selected research topics and by GNAMPA of INdAM, Italy. The authors are very grateful to Luigi Ambrosio and Francesco Serra Cassano for making their preprints available to them, for listening with patience and for many unvaluable suggestions.     

Harmonicity and gauge transformations in dimension 3

Let (M, ) be a contact manifold. Consider a particular class of gauge transformations for the contact form . In this note we study the harmonicity of the identity map of the manifold M, of dimension three, endowed with the Webster metric g and with another metric $\widetilde{g}$ obtained from g after a gauge transformation.     

Combings of groups and the grammar of reparameterization

A new construction of combings is used to distinguish between several previously indistinguishable classes of groups associated to the theory of automatic groups and non-positive curvature in group theory. We construct synchronously bounded combings for a class of groups that are neither bicombable nor automatic. The linguistic complexity of these combings is analysed: in many cases the language of words in the combing is an indexed language.     

The effect of concentrating potentials in some singularly perturbed problems

The equation with boundary Dirichlet zero data is considered in a bounded domain . Under the assumption that concentrates, as , round a manifold and that f is a superlinear function, satisfying suitable growth assumptions, the existence of multiple distinct positive solutions is proved. Received: 19 December 2000 / Accepted: 8 May 2001 / Published online: 5 September 2002     

Semilinear elliptic problems and concentration compactness on non-compact Riemannian manifolds

Existence of solution for semilinear problem with the Laplace-Beltrami operator on non-compact Riemannian manifolds with rich symmetries is proved by concentration compactness based on actions of the manifold's isometry group.     

Length spectra and<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-spectra of compact flat manifolds

We compare and contrast various length vs Laplace spectra of compact flat Riemannian manifolds. As a major consequence we produce the first examples of pairs of closed manifolds that are isospectral on p-forms for some p ≠ 0, but have different weak length spectrum. For instance, we give a pair of 4-dimensional manifolds that are isospectral on p-forms for p = 1, 3and we exhibit a length of a closed geodesic that occurs in one manifold but cannot occur in the other. We also exhibit examples of this kind having different injectivity radius and different first eigenvalue of the Laplace spectrum on functions. These results follow from a method that uses integral roots of the Krawtchouk polynomials. We prove a Poisson summation formula relating the p-eigenvalue spectrum with the lengths of closed geodesics. As a consequence we show that the Laplace spectrum on functions determines the lengths of closed geodesics and, by an example, that it does not determine the complex lengths. Furthermore we show that orientability is an audible property for closed flat manifolds. We give a variety of examples, for instance, a pair of manifolds isospectral on functions (resp. Sunada isospectral) with different multiplicities of length of closed geodesies and a pair with the same multiplicities of complex lengths of closed geodesies and not isospectral on p-forms for any p, or else isospectral on p-forms for only one value of p ≠ 0.