It is well known that isotopic metrics of positive scalar curvature are concordant. Whether or not the converse holds is an open question, at least in dimensions greater than four. We show that for a particular type of concordance, constructed using the surgery techniques of Gromov and Lawson, this converse holds in the case of closed simply connected manifolds of dimension at least five.
We use the cobordism category constructed in arXiv:1703.01047 to the study the homotopy type of the space of positive scalar curvature metrics on a spin manifold of dimension > 4. Our methods give an alternative proof and extension of a recent theorem of Botvinnik, Ebert, and Randal-Williams from arXiv:1411.7408.
Using Banchoff's discrete Morse Theory, in tandem with Bloch's result on the strong connection between the former and Forman's Morse Theory, and our own previous algorithm based on the later, we show that there exists a curvature-based, efficient Persistent Homology scheme for networks and hypernetworks. We also broaden the proposed method to include more general types of networks, by using Bloch's extension of Banchoff's work. Moreover, we show the connection between defect and Forman's Ricci curvature that exists in the combinatorial setting, thus explaining previous empirical results showin…
We complete the theoretical framework required for the construction of a Morse homology theory for certain types of forced mean curvature flows. The main result of this paper describes the asymptotic behaviour of these flows as the forcing term tends to infinity in a certain manner. This result allows the Morse homology to be explicitely calculated, and will permit us to show in forthcoming work that, for a large family of smooth positive functions, $F$, defined over a $(d+1)$-dimensional flat torus, there exist at least $2^{d+1}$ distinct, locally strictly convex, Alexandrov-embedded hypersph…
In this paper, we study the prescribed $Q$-curvature problem on closed four-dimensional Riemannian manifolds when the total integral of the $Q$-curvature is a positive integer multiple of the one of the four-dimensional round sphere. This problem has a variational structure with a lack of compactness. Using some topological tools of the theory of "critical points at infinity" combined with a refined blow-up analysis and some dynamical arguments, we identify the accumulations points of all noncompact flow lines of a pseudogradient flow, the so called critical points at infinity of the associate…
Morse resolution of mean curvature flows with cylindrical singularities
Department of Mathematics, UC Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校数学系）；Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick（华威大学数学研究所）；Department of Mathematics, Yale University（耶鲁大学数学系）
Let $M^n$ be a closed manifold of almost nonnegative sectional curvature and nonzero first de Rham cohomology group. For any $[θ] \in H^1_{dR}(M^n), [θ] \neq 0$, we show that the Morse- Novikov cohomology group $H^p(M^n, θ)$ vanishes for any $p$. A similar result holds for a closed manifold of almost nonnegative Ricci curvature under the additional assumption that its curvature operator is uniformly bounded from below.
We discuss the Morse estimates for the curvature of several metrics on Semple weighted projective bundle over a projective variety. Following Demailly works on holomorphic Morse inequalities we show an analogue of his results along the Green-Griffiths conjecture for invariant jets.
We show that in a closed 3-manifold with a generic metric of positive Ricci curvature, there are minimal surfaces of arbitrary large Morse index, which partially confirms a conjecture by F. Marques and A. Neves. We prove this by analyzing the lamination structure of the limit of minimal surfaces with bounded Morse index.
We study the resonant prescribed T-curvature problem on a compact 4-dimensional Riemannian manifold with boundary. We derive sharp energy and gradient estimates of the associated Euler-Lagrange functional to characterize the critical points at infinity of the associated variational problem under a non-degeneracy on a naturally associated Hamiltonian function. Using this, we derive a Morse type lemma around the critical points at infinity. Using the Morse lemma at infinity, we prove new existence results of Morse theoretical type. Combining the Morse lemma at infinity and the Liouville version …
Positive scalar curvature on products of noncompact manifolds
School of Mathematics and Statistics, Lanzhou University（兰州大学数学与统计学院）；Department of Mathematical Sciences, Tsinghua University（清华大学数学科学系）；Texas A&M University（德克萨斯农工大学）
Consider a compact Lie group $G$ and a closed Lie subgroup $H<G$. Let $\mathcal M$ be the set of $G$-invariant Riemannian metrics on the homogeneous space $M=G/H$. By studying variational properties of the scalar curvature functional on $\mathcal M$, we obtain an existence theorem for solutions to the prescribed Ricci curvature problem on $M$. To illustrate the applicability of this result, we explore cases where $M$ is a generalised Wallach space and a generalised flag manifold.
The Bianchi identities for bosonic fluxes in supergravity can receive higher derivative quantum and string corrections, the most well known being that of Heterotic theory $d H = \tfrac{1}{4}α'(\text{tr } F^2 - \text{tr } R^2)$. Less studied are the modifications at order $R^4$ that may arise, for example, in the Bianchi identity for the seven-form flux of M theory compactifications. We argue that such corrections appear to be incompatible with the exceptional generalised geometry description of the lower order supergravity, and seem to imply a gauge algebra for the bosonic potentials that cann…
For any compact Lie group $G$ and closed, smooth Riemannian manifold $(X,g)$ of dimension $d\geq 2$, we extend a result due to Uhlenbeck (1985) that gives existence of a flat connection on a principal $G$-bundle over $X$ supporting a connection with $L^p$-small curvature, when $p>d/2$, to the case of a connection with $L^{d/2}$-small curvature. We prove an optimal Lojasiewicz-Simon gradient inequality for abstract Morse-Bott functions on Banach manifolds, generalizing an earlier result due to the author and Maridakis in arXiv:1510.03817. We apply this result to prove the optimal Lojasiewicz-Si…
Given a compact four-dimensional Riemannian manifold $(M, g)$ with boundary, we study the problem of existence of Riemannian metrics on $M$ conformal to $g$ with prescribed $Q$-curvature in the interior $\mathring{M}$ of $M$, and zero $T$-curvature and mean curvature on the boundary $\partial M$ of $M$. This geometric problem is equivalent to solving a fourth-order elliptic boundary value problem (BVP) involving the Paneitz operator with boundary conditions of Chang-Qing and Neumann operators. The corresponding BVP has a variational formulation but the corresponding variational problem, in the…
This paper builds on the theory of generalised functions begun in [1]. The Colombeau theory of generalised scalar fields on manifolds is extended to a nonlinear theory of generalised tensor fields which is diffeomorphism invariant and has the sheaf property. The generalised Lie derivative for generalised tensor fields is introduced and it is shown that this commutes with the embedding of distributional tensor fields. It is also shown that the covariant derivative of generalised tensor fields commutes with the embedding at the level of association. The concept of generalised metric is introduce…
Given a compact 3-manifold N without boundary, we prove that for a bumpy metric of positive scalar curvature the space of minimal surfaces having a uniform upper bound on the Morse index is always finite unless the manifold itself contains an embedded minimal RP^2. In particular, we derive a generic finiteness result whenever N does not contain a copy of RP^3 in its prime decomposition. We discuss the obstructions to any further generalization of such a result. When the metric g is required to be (scalar positive and) strongly bumpy (meaning that all closed, immersed minimal surfaces do not ha…
Existence of disks with prescribed mean curvature and contact angle in arbitrary codimension
School of Mathematics and Statistics, Shaanxi Normal University（陕西师范大学数学与统计学院）；School of Mathematical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学数学科学学院）
In this paper, we study the shape of the min-max minimal hypersurface produced by Almgren-Pitts-Schoen-Simon \cite{AF62, AF65, P81, SS81} in a Riemannian manifold $(M^{n+1}, g)$ of positive Ricci curvature for all dimensions. The min-max hypersurface has a singular set of Hausdorff codimension $7$. We characterize the Morse index, area and multiplicity of this singular min-max hypersurface. In particular, we show that the min-max hypersurface is either orientable and has Morse index one, or is a double cover of a non-orientable stable minimal hypersurface. As an essential technical tool, we pr…
In this paper, we consider the problem of prescribing scalar curvature on n-sphere. Assume that the candidate curvature function $f$, which is allowed to change sign, satisfies some kind of Morse index or symmetry condition. By studying the well-known scalar curvature flow, we are able to prove that the flow converges to a metric with the prescribed function $f$ as its scalar curvature.
We present a rigidity theorem for the action of the mapping class group $π_0(\mathrm{Diff}(M))$ on the space $\mathcal{R}^+(M)$ of metrics of positive scalar curvature for high dimensional manifolds $M$. This result is applicable to a great number of cases, for example to simply connected $6$-manifolds and high dimensional spheres. Our proof is fairly direct, using results from parametrised Morse theory, the $2$-index theorem and computations on certain metrics on the sphere. We also give a non-triviality criterion and a classification of the action for simply connected $7$-dimensional $\mathr…
The Allen-Cahn equation is a semilinear PDE which is deeply linked to the theory of minimal hypersurfaces via a singular limit. We prove curvature estimates and strong sheet separation estimates for stable solutions (building on recent work of Wang-Wei) of the Allen-Cahn equation on a 3-manifold. Using these, we are able to show for generic metrics on a 3-manifold, minimal surfaces arising from Allen-Cahn solutions with bounded energy and bounded Morse index are two-sided and occur with multiplicity one and the expected Morse index. This confirms, in the Allen-Cahn setting, a strong form of th…
This is the second of two papers, in which we study the problem of prescribing Webster scalar curvature on the CR sphere as a given function f. Using the Webster scalar curvature flow, we prove an existence result under suitable assumptions on the Morse indices of f.
We use a min-max procedure on the Allen-Cahn energy functional to construct geodesics on closed, 2-dimensional Riemannian manifolds, as motivated by the work of Guaraco. Borrowing classical blowup and curvature estimates from geometric analysis, as well as novel Allen-Cahn curvature estimates due to Wang-Wei, we manage to study the fine structure of potential singular points at the diffuse level, and show that the problem reduces to that of understanding "entire" singularity models constructed by del Pino-Kowalczyk-Pacard with Morse index 1. The argument is completed by a Morse index estimate …
The study of minimal surfaces has a long history, due to the important applications. Given a fixed boundary, one wants to minimise the surface area: this can be used, for example, to minimise the area of the roof of a building. Similarly, looking for constant mean curvature (CMC) provides us with many interesting applications in physics: one of the easiest examples are soap bubbles. In this work however we occupy ourselves with minimal and constant mean curvature surfaces in the three-dimensional sphere $S^3$ and its dual space $Σ^3$. In Chapter 1 we give a brief overview of the tools of Riema…
Suppose that $S^n$ is given a generic Riemannian metric with sectional curvatures which satisfy a suitable pinching condition formulated in terms of complex sectional curvatures. This pinching condition is satisfied by manifolds whose real sectional curvatures $K_r(σ)$ satisfy $$1/2 < K_r(σ) \leq 1.$$ Then the number of minimal two spheres of Morse index $λ$, for $n-2 \leq λ\leq 2n-5$, is at least $p_{3}(λ-n+2)$, where $p_{3}(k)$ is the number of $k$-cells in the Schubert cell decomposition for $G_3({\mathbb R}^{n+1})$.
We prove that, for a generic set of smooth prescription functions $h$ on a closed ambient manifold, there always exists a nontrivial, smooth, closed hypersurface of prescribed mean curvature $h$. The solution is either an embedded minimal hypersurface with integer multiplicity, or a non-minimal almost embedded hypersurface of multiplicity one. More precisely, we show that our previous min-max theory, developed for constant mean curvature hypersurfaces, can be extended to construct min-max prescribed mean curvature hypersurfaces for certain classes of prescription function, including smooth Mor…
