Almost-Fuchsian manifold is a class of complete hyperbolic three manifolds. Such a three-manifold is a quasi-Fuchsian manifold which contains a closed incompressible minimal surface with principal curvatures everywhere in the range of (-1, 1). In such a manifold, the minimal surface is unique and embedded, hence one can parametrize these hyperbolic three-manifolds by their minimal surfaces. In this paper we obtain estimates on several geometric and analytical quantities of an almost-Fuchsian manifold M in terms of the data on the minimal surface. In particular, we obtain an upper bound for the hyperbolic volume of the convex core of M, and an upper bound on the Hausdor? dimension of the limit set associated to M. We also constructed a quasi-Fuchsian manifold which admits more than one minimal surface, and it does not admit a foliation of closed surfaces of constant mean curvature.
An almost-Fuchsian group is a quasi-Fuchsian group such that the quotient hyperbolic manifold contains a closed incompressible minimal surface with principal curvatures contained in (-1,1). We show that the domain of discontinuity of an almost-Fuchsian group contains many balls of a fixed spherical radius in the visual boundary of hyperbolic 3-space. This yields a necessary condition for a quasi-Fuchsian group to be almost-Fuchsian which involves only conformal geometry. As an application, we prove that there are no doubly-degenerate geometric limits of almost-Fuchsian groups.
We consider the space of all quasifuchsian metrics on the product of a surface with the real line. We show that, in a neighborhood of the submanifold consisting of fuchsian metrics, every non-fuchsian metric is completely determined by the bending data of its convex core.
In this paper, we prove that if a quasi-Fuchsian 3-manifold $M$ contains a simple closed geodesic with complex length $\Lscr=l+iθ$ such that $θ/l\gg{}1$, then it contains at least two minimal surfaces which are incompressible in $M$.
In this paper, we prove that if a quasi-Fuchsian 3-manifold contains a minimal surface whose principle curvature is less than 1, then it admits a foliation such that each leaf is a surface of constant mean curvature. The key method that we use here is volume preserving mean curvature flow.
It is well known that every quasi-Fuchsian manifold admits at least one closed incompressible minimal surface, and at most finitely many of them. In this paper, for any prescribed integer $N>0$, we construct a quasi-Fuchsian manifold which contains at least $2^N$ such minimal surfaces. As a consequence, there exists some simple close Jordan curve on $S^2_\infty$ such that there are at least $2^N$ disk-type complete minimal surface in $\mathbb{H}^3$ sharing this Jordan curve as the asymptotic boundary.
An almost Fuchsian manifold is a quasi-Fuchsian hyperbolic three-manifold that contains a closed incompressible minimal surface with principal curvatures everywhere in the range of (-1,1). In such a hyperbolic three-manifold, the minimal surface is unique and embedded, hence one can parametrize these three-manifolds by their minimal surfaces. We prove that any closed surface which is a graph over any fixed surface of small principal curvatures can be deformed into the minimal surface via the mean curvature flow. We also obtain an upper bound for the hyperbolic volume of the convex core of M, a…
Making use of the dual Bonahon-Schläfli formula, we prove that the dual volume of the convex core of a quasi-Fuchsian manifold $M$ is bounded by an explicit constant, depending only on the topology of $M$, times the Weil-Petersson distance between the hyperbolic structures on the upper and lower boundary components of the convex core of $M$.
A compact Fuchsian manifold with boundary is a hyperbolic 3-manifold homeomorphic to $S_g \times [0; 1]$ such that the boundary component $S_g \times \{ 0\}$ is geodesic. We prove that a compact Fuchsian manifold with convex boundary is uniquely determined by the induced path metric on $S_g \times \{1\}$. We do not put further restrictions on the boundary except convexity.
An almost Fuchsian 3-manifold is a quasi-Fuchsian manifold which contains an incompressible closed minimal surface with principal curvatures in the range of $(-1,1)$. Such a 3-manifold $M$ admits a foliation of parallel surfaces, whose locus in Teichmüller space is represented as a path $γ$, we show that $γ$ joins the conformal structures of the two components of the conformal boundary of $M$. Moreover, we obtain an upper bound for the Teichmüller distance between any two points on $γ$, in particular, the Teichmüller distance between the two components of the conformal boundary of $M$, in term…
We compare critical exponent for quasi-Fuchsian groups acting on the hyperbolic 3-space, $\mathbb{H}^3$, and on invariant disks embedded in $\mathbb{H}^3$. We give a rigidity theorem for all embedded surfaces when the action is Fuchsian and a rigidity theorem for negatively curved surfaces when the action is quasi-Fuchsian.
We consider 3-dimensional hyperbolic cone-manifolds, singular along infinite lines, which are ``convex co-compact'' in a natural sense. We prove an infinitesimal rigidity statement when the angle around the singular lines is less than $π$: any first-order deformation changes either one of those angles or the conformal structure at infinity, with marked points corresponding to the endpoints of the singular lines. Moreover, any small variation of the conformal structure at infinity and of the singular angles can be achieved by a unique small deformation of the cone-manifold structure.
Let $M$ be a quasi-Fuchsian three-manifold that contains a closed incompressible surface with principal curvatures within the range of the unit interval, for a prescribed function $H$ (with mild conditions) on $M$, we construct a closed incompressible surface with mean curvature $H$ . A direct application is the existence of embedded surfaces of prescribed constant mean curvatures with constants in $(-2,2)$.
Motivated by questions in detecting minimal surfaces in hyperbolic manifolds, we study the behavior of geometric flows in complete hyperbolic three-manifolds. In most cases the flows develop singularities in finite time. In this paper, we investigate the mean curvature flow in a class of complete hyperbolic 3-manifolds (Fuchsian manifolds) which are warped products of a closed surface of genus at least two and the real line. In particular, we prove that there exists a large class of closed initial surfaces, as geodesic graphs over the totally geodesic surface $Σ$, such that the mean curvature …
We introduce the notion of an asymptotically Poincaré family of surfaces in an end of a quasi-Fuchsian manifold. We show that any such family gives a foliation of an end by asymptotically parallel convex surfaces, and that the asymptotic behavior of the first and second fundamental forms determines the projective structure at infinity. As an application, we establish a conjecture of Labourie from 1992 regarding constant Gaussian curvature surfaces. We also derive consequences for constant mean curvature surfaces.
We prove that any metric with curvature $\leq -1$ (in the sense of A. D. Alexandrov) on a closed surface of genus $>1$ is isometric to the induced intrinsic metric on a space-like convex surface in a Lorentzian manifold of dimension $(2+1)$ with sectional curvature $-1$. The proof is done by approximation, using a result about isometric immersion of smooth metrics by Labourie--Schlenker.
Donaldon constructed a hyperkähler moduli space $\mathcal{M}$ associated to a closed oriented surface $Σ$ with $\textrm{genus}(Σ) \geq 2$. This embeds naturally into the cotangent bundle $T^*\mathcal{T}(Σ)$ of Teichmüller space or can be identified with the almost-Fuchsian moduli space associated to $Σ$. The later is the moduli space of quasi-Fuchsian threefolds which contain a unique incompressible minimal surface with principal curvatures in $(-1,1)$. Donaldson outlined various remarkable properties of this moduli space for which we provide complete proofs in this paper: On the cotangent-bun…
We study global aspects of the mean curvature flow of non-separating hypersurfaces $S$ in closed manifolds. For instance, if $S$ has non-vanishing mean curvature, we show its level set flow converges smoothly towards an embedded minimal hypersurface $Γ$. We prove a similar result for the flow with surgery in dimension 2. As an application we show the existence of monotone incompressible isotopies in manifolds with negative curvature. Combining this result with min-max theory, we show that quasi-Fuchsian and hyperbolic $3$-manifolds fibered over $\mathrm{S}^1$ admit smooth entire foliations who…
This paper gives a new proof of a result of Geoff Mess that the linear holonomy group of a complete flat Lorentz 3-manifold cannot be cocompact in SO(2,1). The proof uses a signed marked Lorentzian length-spectrum invariant developed by G.Margulis, reinterpreted in terms of deformations of hyperbolic surfaces.
It is known that the almost-Kaehler anti-self-dual metrics on a given 4-manifold sweep out an open subset in the moduli space of anti-self-dual metrics. However, we show here by example that this subset is not generally closed, and so need not sweep out entire connected components in the moduli space. Our construction hinges on an unexpected link between harmonic functions on certain hyperbolic 3-manifolds and self-dual harmonic 2-forms on associated 4-manifolds.
Geometrization theorem, fibered case: Every three-manifold that fibers over the circle admits a geometric decomposition. Double limit theorem: for any sequence of quasi-Fuchsian groups whose controlling pair of conformal structures tends toward a pair of projectively measured laminations that bind the surface, there is a convergent subsequence. This preprint also analyzes the quasi-isometric geometry of quasi-Fuchsian 3-manifolds. This eprint is based on a 1986 preprint, which was refereed and accepted for publication, but which I neglected to correct and return. The referee's corrections have…
The hyperbolic space $ \H^d$ can be defined as a pseudo-sphere in the $(d+1)$ Minkowski space-time. In this paper, a Fuchsian group $Γ$ is a group of linear isometries of the Minkowski space such that $\H^d/Γ$ is a compact manifold. We introduce Fuchsian convex bodies, which are closed convex sets in Minkowski space, globally invariant for the action of a Fuchsian group. A volume can be associated to each Fuchsian convex body, and, if the group is fixed, Minkowski addition behaves well. Then Fuchsian convex bodies can be studied in the same manner as convex bodies of Euclidean space in the cla…
This survey is an introduction to the geometry of co-Minkowksi space, the space of unoriented spacelike hyperplanes of the Minkowski space. Affine deformations of cocompact lattices of hyperbolic isometries act on it, in a way similar to the way that quasi-Fuchsian groups act on hyperbolic space. In particular, there is a convex core. There is also a unique "mean" hypersurface, i.e. with traceless second fundamental form. The mean distance between the mean hypersurface and the lower boundary of the convex core endows the space of affine deformations of a given lattice with an asymmetric norm. …
For a holomorphic vector bundle $E$ over a Hermitian manifold $M$ there are two important notions of curvature positivity, the Griffiths positivity and Nakano positivity. We study the consequence of these positivities and the relevant estimates. If $E$ is Griffiths negative over Kähler manifold, then there is a Kähler metric on its total space $E$, and we calculate the curvature and prove the non-positivity of the curvature along the tautological direction. The Nakano positivity can be formulated as a positivity for the Nakano curvature operator and we give estimate the Nakano curvature operat…
We prove that a representation from the fundamental group of a closed surface of negative Euler characteristic with values in the isometry group of a Riemannian manifold of sectional curvature bounded by -1 can be dominated by a Fuchsian representation. Moreover, we prove that the domination can be made strict, unless the representation is discrete and faithful in restriction to an invariant totally geodesic 2-plane of curvature -1. When applied to representations into PSL(2,R) of non-extremal Euler class, our result is a step forward in understanding the space of closed anti-de Sitter 3-manif…
This paper determines which orientable hyperbolic 3-manifolds contain simple closed geodesics. The Fuchsian group corresponding to the thrice-punctured sphere generates the only example of a complete non-elementary orientable hyperbolic 3-manifold that does not contain a simple closed geodesic. We do not assume that the manifold is geometrically finite or that it has finitely generated fundamental group.
We generalize a well-known existence and uniqueness result for equivariant harmonic maps due to Corlette, Donaldson, and Labourie to a non-compact infinite energy setting and analyze the asymptotic behaviour of the harmonic maps. When the relevant representation is Fuchsian and has hyperbolic monodromy, our construction recovers a family of harmonic maps originally studied by Wolf. We employ these maps to solve a domination problem for representations. In particular, following ideas laid out by Deroin-Tholozan, we prove that any representation from a finitely generated free group to the isomet…
Let $(S,h)$ be a closed hyperbolic surface and $M$ be a quasi-Fuchsian 3-manifold. We consider incompressible maps from $S$ to $M$ that are critical points of an energy functional $F$ which is homogeneous of degree $1$. These "minimizing" maps are solutions of a non-linear elliptic equation, and reminiscent of harmonic maps -- but when the target is Fuchsian, minimizing maps are minimal Lagrangian diffeomorphisms to the totally geodesic surface in $M$. We prove the uniqueness of smooth minimizing maps from $(S,h)$ to $M$ in a given homotopy class. When $(S,h)$ is fixed, smooth minimizing maps …
The work is motivated by a result of Manin, which relates the Arakelov Green function on a compact Riemann surface to configurations of geodesics in a 3-dimensional hyperbolic handlebody with Schottky uniformization, having the Riemann surface as conformal boundary at infinity. A natural question is to what extent the result of Manin can be generalized to cases where, instead of dealing with a single Riemann surface, one has several Riemann surfaces whose union is the boundary of a hyperbolic 3-manifold, uniformized no longer by a Schottky group, but by a Fuchsian, quasi-Fuchsian, or more gene…
A Margulis spacetime is a complete flat Lorentzian 3-manifold M with free fundamental group. Associated to M is a noncompact complete hyperbolic surface S homotopy-equivalent to M. The purpose of this paper is to classify Margulis spacetimes when S is homeomorphic to a one-holed torus. We show that every such M decomposes into polyhedra bounded by crooked planes, corresponding to an ideal triangulation of S. This paper classifies and analyzes the structure of crooked ideal triangles, which play the same role for Margulis spacetimes as ideal triangles play for hyperbolic surfaces. This extends …
Let $Γ$ be a finitely generated group, and let $\op{Rep}(Γ, \SO(2,n))$ be the moduli space of representations of $Γ$ into $\SO(2,n)$ ($n \geq 2$). An element $ρ: Γ\to \SO(2,n)$ of $\op{Rep}(Γ, \SO(2,n))$ is \textit{quasi-Fuchsian} if it is faithful, discrete, preserves an acausal subset in the conformal boundary $\Ein_n$ of the anti-de Sitter space; and if the associated globally hyperbolic anti-de Sitter space is spatially compact - a particular case is the case of \textit{Fuchsian representations}, i.e. composition of a faithfull, discrete and cocompact representation $ρ_f: Γ\to \SO(1,n)$ an…
We rigorously define the Liouville action functional for finitely generated, purely loxodromic quasi-Fuchsian group using homology and cohomology double complexes naturally associated with the group action. We prove that the classical action - the critical point of the Liouville action functional, considered as a function on the quasi-Fuchsian deformation space, is an antiderivative of a 1-form given by the difference of Fuchsian and quasi-Fuchsian projective connections. This result can be considered as global quasi-Fuchsian reciprocity which implies McMullen's quasi-Fuchsian reciprocity. We …
We investigate the maximal solid tubes around short simple geodesics in hyperbolic three-manifolds and how complex length of curves relate to closed, incompressible, least area minimal surfaces. As applications, we prove, there are some closed hyperbolic three-manifolds fibering over the circle which are not foliated by closed incompressible minimal surfaces diffeomorphic to the fiber. We also show, the existence of quasi-Fuchsian manifolds containing arbitrarily many embedded closed incompressible minimal surfaces. Our strategy is to prove main theorems under natural geometric conditions on t…
We use an elliptic differential equation of Tzitzeica type to construct a minimal Lagrangian surface in CH2 from the data of a compact hyperbolic Riemann surface and a small holomorphic cubic differential. The minimal Lagrangian surface is invariant under an SU(2,1) action of the fundamental group. We further parameterise a neighborhood of the R-Fuchsian representations in the representation space by pairs consisting of a point in Teichmuller space and a small cubic differential. By constructing a fundamental domain, we show these representations are complex-hyperbolic quasi-Fuchsian, thus rec…
We use minimal (or CMC) surfaces to describe 3-dimensional hyperbolic, anti-de Sitter, de Sitter or Minkowski manifolds. We consider whether these manifolds admit ``nice'' foliations and explicit metrics, and whether the space of these metrics has a simple description in terms of Teichmüller theory. In the hyperbolic settings both questions have positive answers for a certain subset of the quasi-Fuchsian manifolds: those containing a closed surface with principal curvatures at most 1. We show that this subset is parameterized by an open domain of the cotangent bundle of Teichmüller space. Thes…
Let $(M, \dr M)$ be a 3-manifold with incompressible boundary that admits a convex co-compact hyperbolic metric. We consider the hyperbolic metrics on $M$ such that $\dr M$ looks locally like a hyperideal polyhedron, and we characterize the possible dihedral angles. We find as special cases the results of Bao and Bonahon on hyperideal polyhedra, and those of Rousset on fuchsian hyperideal polyhedra. Our results can also be stated in terms of circle configurations on $\dr M$, they provide an extension of the Koebe theorem on circle packings. The proof uses some elementary properties of the hype…
We prove that the supremum of principal curvatures of a minimal embedded disc in hyperbolic three-space spanning a quasicircle in the boundary at infinity is estimated in a sublinear way by the norm of the quasicircle in the sense of universal Teichmüller space, if the quasicircle is sufficiently close to being the boundary of a totally geodesic plane. As a by-product we prove that there is a universal constant C independent of the genus such that if the Teichmüller distance between the ends of a quasi-Fuchsian manifold $M$ is at most C, then $M$ is almost-Fuchsian. The main ingredients of the…
In this paper we combine our recent work on regular globally hyperbolic maximal anti-de Sitter structures with the classical theory of globally hyperbolic maximal Cauchy-compact anti-de Sitter manifolds in order to define an augmented moduli space. Moreover, we introduce a coordinate system in this space that resembles the complex Fenchel-Nielsen coordinates for hyperbolic quasi-Fuchsian manifolds.
For appropriately values of $H$, we obtain an area estimate for a complete non-compact $H$-surface of finite topology and finite area, embedded in a three-manifold of negative curvature. Moreover, in the case of equality and under additional assumptions, we prove that a neighbourhood of the mean convex side of the surface must be isometric to a hyperbolic Fuchsian manifold. Also, we show by an counter-example that although that area estimate holds for minimal surfaces, one does not have rigidity for equality in this case.
In a previous paper by Deroin-Tholozan, the authors construct a map $\mathbfΨ_ρ$ from the Teichmüller space of $S$ to itself and prove that, when $M$ has sectional curvature $\leq -1$, the image of $\mathbfΨ_ρ$ lies (almost always) in the domain $\mathrm{Dom}(ρ)$ of Fuchsian representations stricly dominating $ρ$. Here we prove that $\mathbfΨ_ρ: \mathrm{Teich}(S) \to \mathrm{Dom}(ρ)$ is a homeomorphism. As a consequence, we are able to describe the topology of the deformation space of anti-de Sitter structures on closed 3-manifolds.
In a paper of Menasco and Reid, it is conjectured that there exist no hyperbolic knots in S^3 for which the complement contains a closed embedded totally geodesic surface. In this note, we show that one can get "as close as possible" to a counter-example. Specifically, we construct a sequence of hyperbolic knots {K_n} with complements containing closed embedded essential surfaces having principal curvatures converging to zero as n tends to infinity. We also construct a family of two-component links for which the complements contain closed embedded totally geodesic surfaces of arbitrarily large…
In this paper, we introduce generalized almost para-contact manifolds and obtain normality conditions in terms of classical tensor fields. We show that such manifolds naturally carry certain Lie bialgebroid/quasi-Lie algebroid structures on them and we relate this new generalized manifolds with classical almost para-contact manifolds. The paper contains several examples.
