We study the action of the group of contact diffeomorphisms on CR deformations of compact three-dimensional CR manifolds. Using anisotropic function spaces and an anisotropic structure on the space of contact diffeomorphisms, we establish the existence of local transverse slices to the action of the contact diffeomorphism group in the neighbourhood of a fixed embeddable strongly pseudoconvex CR structure.
We compute a recently introduced geometric invariant of stricly pseudoconvex CR 3-manifolds for certain circle invariant spherical CR structures on Seifert manifolds. We give applications to the problem of filling the CR manifold by a complex hyperbolic manifold, and more generally by a Kaehler-Einstein or an Einstein metric.
We introduce a new class of lightlike submanifolds, namely, Screen Transversal Cauchy Riemann (STCR)-lightlike submanifolds, of indefinite Kaehler manifolds. We show that this new class is an umbrella of screen transversal lightlike, screen transversal totally real lightlike and CR-lightlike submanifolds. We give a few examples of a STCR lightlike submanifold, investigate the integrability of various distributions, obtain a characterization of such lightlike submanifolds in a complex space form and find new conditions for the induced connection to be a metric connection. Moreover, we investiga…
We relate a recently introduced non-local geometric invariant of compact strictly pseudoconvex Cauchy-Riemann (CR) manifolds of dimension 3 to various eta-invariants in CR geometry: on the one hand a renormalized eta-invariant appearing when considering a sequence of metrics converging to the CR structure by expanding the size of the Reeb field; on the other hand the eta-invariant of the middle degree operator of the contact complex. We then provide explicit computations for a class of examples: transverse circle invariant CR structures on Seifert manifolds. Applications are given to the probl…
The equivalence problem for second order ODEs given modulo point transformations is solved in full analogy with the equivalence problem of nondegenerate 3-dimensional CR structures. This approach enables an analog of the Feffereman metrics to be defined. The conformal class of these (split signature) metrics is well defined by each point equivalence class of second order ODEs. Its conformal curvature is interpreted in terms of the basic point invariants of the corresponding class of ODEs.
The lower-order cr-invariant variational problem for Legendrian curves in the 3-sphere is studied and its Euler-Lagrange equations are deduced. Closed critical curves are investigated. Closed critical curves with non-constant cr-curvature are characterized. We prove that their cr-equivalence classes are in one-to-one correspondence with the rational points of a connected planar domain. A procedure to explicitly build all such curves is described. In addition, a geometrical interpretation of the rational parameters in terms of three phenomenological invariants is given.
Let $\mathrm S^3$ be the unit sphere of $\mathbb C^2$ with its standard Cauchy-Riemann (CR) structure. This paper investigates the CR geometry of curves in $\mathrm S^3$ which are transversal to the contact distribution, using the local CR invariants of $\mathrm S^3$. More specifically, the focus is on the CR geometry of transversal knots. Four global invariants of transversal knots are considered: the phase anomaly, the CR spin, the Maslov index, and the CR self-linking number. The interplay between these invariants and the Bennequin number of a knot are discussed. Next, the simplest CR invar…
We introduce a global Cauchy-Riemann($CR$)-invariant and discuss its behavior on the moduli space of $CR$-structures. We argue that this study is related to the Smale conjecture in 3-topology and the problem of counting complex structures. Furthermore, we propose a contact-analogue of Ray-Singer's analytic torsion. This ``contact torsion'' is expected to be able to distinguish among ``contact lens'' spaces. We also propose the study of a certain kind of monopole equation associated with a contact structure.
In the paper we develop a framework for the alternative way of the study of a local geometry of almost cosymplectic manifolds with Kahlerian leaves. The main idea is to apply the concept of a geometry and analysis of CR manifolds. Locally the almost cosymplectic manifold is modeled on the 'mixed' space RxCn. There is given a complete local description of the underlying almost contact metric structure in the system of local, mixed - real, complex- coordinates. We also introduce a notion of a canonical Hermitian complex connection in the CR structure of a CR almost cosymplectic manifold. As an e…
We show that one can define a spectral curve for the Cauchy-Riemann operator on a punctured elliptic curve if one imposes appropriate boundary conditions. Algebraic curves of the type thus obtained appear as irreducible components of spectral curves of minimal tori with planar ends in R^3. It appears that these curves coincide with the spectral curves of certain elliptic KP solitons as studied by Krichever.
We consider a connection $\nabla^X$ on a complex line bundle over a Riemann surface with boundary $M_0$, with connection 1-form $X$. We show that the Cauchy data space of the connection Laplacian (also called magnetic Laplacian) $L:={\nabla^X}^*\nabla^X + q$, with $q$ a complex valued potential, uniquely determines the connection up to gauge isomorphism, and the potential $q$.
A Sasaki-like almost contact complex Riemannian manifold is defined as an almost contact complex Riemannian manifold which complex cone is a holomorphic complex Riemannian manifold. Explicit compact and non-compact examples are given. A canonical construction producing a Sasaki-like almost contact complex Riemannian manifold from a holomorphic complex Riemannian manifold is presented and called an $S^1$-solvable extension.
We study the existence and regularity of solutions to the Cauchy problem for the inhomogeneous heat equation on compact Riemannian manifolds with conical singularities. We introduce weighted Hölder and Sobolev spaces with discrete asymptotics and we prove existence and maximal regularity of solutions to the Cauchy problem for the inhomogeneous heat equation, when the free term lies in a weighted parabolic Hölder or Sobolev space with discrete asymptotics. This generalizes a result previously obtained by Coriasco, Schrohe, and Seiler (Thm. 7.2 in Math. Z. 244 (2003), 235--269) by different mean…
We consider a contact manifold with a pseudo-Riemannian metric and define a contact vector field intrinsically associated to this pair of structures. We call this new differential invariant the contact Riemannian curl. On a Riemannian manifold, Killing vector fields are those that annihilate the metric; a Killing $1$-form is obtained from a Killing vector field by lowering indices. We show that the contact Riemannian curl vanishes if the metric is of constant curvature and the contact structure is defined by a Killing $1$-form. We also show that the contact Riemannian curl has a strong similar…
A contact metric manifold is said to be $H$-contact, if the characteristic vector field is harmonic. We prove that the unit tangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold $M$ equipped with the standard contact metric structure is $H$-contact if and only if $M$ is $2$-stein.
Fiedler and Mallet-Paret prove a version of the classical Poincaré-Bendixson Theorem for scalar parabolic equations. We prove that a similar result holds for bounded solutions of the non-linear Cauchy-Riemann equations. The latter is an application of an abstract theorem for flows with a(n) (unbounded) discrete Lyapunov function.
We give a self-contained proof of a formula computing the Fredholm index for asymptotically non-degenerate Cauchy-Riemann operators on surfaces with boundary punctures using the method of large antilinear deformations. This method for computing the index was introduced in the case of closed surfaces by Taubes and generalized to the case with interior punctures by Gerig. One novel feature arising from our proof is that the Euler characteristic term in the index formula involves a non-standard weighted count of boundary zeros. We hope that this formulation of the index formula will be useful to …
We study isometries in the contact sub-pseudo-Riemannian geometry. In particular we give an upper bound on the dimension of the isometry group of a general sub-pseudo-Riemannian manifold and prove that the maximal dimension is attained for the left invariant structures on the Heisenberg group.
We construct a canonically defined affine connection in sub-Riemannian contact geometry. Our method mimics that of the Levi-Civita connection in Riemannian geometry. We compare it with the Tanaka-Webster connection in the three-dimensional case.
We investigate contact Lie groups having a left invariant Riemannian or pseudo-Riemannian metric with specific properties such as being bi-invariant, flat, negatively curved, Einstein, etc. We classify some of such contact Lie groups and derive some obstruction results to the existence of left invariant contact structures on Lie groups
We define an ADM-like mass, called p-mass, for an asymptotically flat pseudohermitian manifold. The p-mass for the blow-up of a compact pseudohermitian manifold (with no boundary) is identified with the first nontrivial coefficient in the expansion of the Green function for the CR Laplacian. We deduce an integral formula for the p-mass, and we reduce its positivity to a solution of Kohn's equation. We prove that the p-mass is non-negative for (blow-ups of) compact 3-manifolds of positive Tanaka-Webster class and with non-negative CR Paneitz operator. Under these assumptions, we also characteri…
For certain real hypersurfaces in the projective space, of signature (1,n), we study the filling problem for small deformations of the CR structure (the other signatures being well understood). We characterize the deformations which are fillable, and prove that they have infinite codimension in the set of all CR structures. This result generalizes the cases of the 3-sphere and of signature (1,1) to higher dimension.
We consider local geometry of sub-pseudo-Riemannian structures on contact manifolds. We construct fundamental invariants of the structures and show that the structures give rise to Einstein-Weyl geometries in dimension 3, provided that certain additional conditions are satisfied.
The conjecture of D.Blair says that there are no nonflat Riemannian metrics of nonpositive curvature compatible with a contact structure. We prove this conjecture for a certain class of contact structures on closed 3-dimensional manifolds and construct a local counterexample. We also prove that a hyperbolic metric on $\mathbb{R}^3$ cannot be compatible with any contact structure.
Let $M$ be a compact abstract $CR$ manifold of arbitrary $CR$ codimension. Under certain conditions on the Levi form we prove the infinite dimensionality of some global cohomology groups of $M$.
For a Riemannian $G$-structure, we compute the divergence of the vector field induced by the intrinsic torsion. Applying the Stokes theorem, we obtain the integral formula on a closed oriented Riemannian manifold, which we interpret in certain cases. We focus on almost harmitian and almost contact metric structures.
In this paper we obtain the structure equation of a contact-complex Riemannian submersion and give some applications of this equation in the study of almost cosymplectic manifolds with Kaehler fibres.
There are considered 4-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian spaces with inner products of signature (3,1) and (2,2). The objects of investigation are space-like and time-like hyperspheres in the respective cases. These hypersurfaces are equipped with almost contact B-metric structures. The constructed manifolds are characterized geometrically.
In this paper we consider surfaces of class $C^1$ with continuous prescribed mean curvature in a three-dimensional contact sub-Riemannian manifold and prove that their characteristic curves are of class $C^2$. This regularity result also holds for critical points of the sub-Riemannian perimeter under a volume constraint. All results are valid in the first Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}^1$.
Let $X$ be a CR manifold with transversal, proper CR $G$-action. We show that $X/G$ is a complex space such that the quotient map is a CR map. Moreover the quotient is universal, i.e. every invariant CR map into a complex manifold factorises uniquely over a holomorphic map on $X/G$. We then use this result and complex geometry to proof an embedding theorem for (non-compact) strongly pseudoconvex CR manifolds with transversal $G \rtimes S^1$-action. The methods of the proof are applied to obtain a projective embedding theorem for compact CR manifolds.
We consider a pair of smooth manifolds, which are the counterparts in the even-dimensional and odd-dimensional cases. They are separately an almost complex manifold with Norden metric and an almost contact manifolds with B-metric, respectively. They can be combined as the so-called almost contact complex Riemannian manifold. This paper is a survey with additions of results on differential geometry of canonical-type connections (i.e. metric connections with torsion satisfying a certain algebraic identity) on the considered manifolds.
In this paper a conformal classification of three dimensional left-invariant sub-Riemannian contact structures is carried out; in particular we will prove the following dichotomy: either a structure is locally conformal to the Heisenberg group $\mathbb H_3$, or its conformal classification coincides with the metric one. If a structure is locally conformally flat, then its conformal group is locally isomorphic to $SU(2,1)$.
In this paper we consider a set $E\subsetΩ$ with prescribed mean curvature $f\in C(Ω)$ and Euclidean Lipschitz boundary $\partial E=Σ$ inside a three-dimensional contact sub-Riemannian manifold $M$. We prove that if $Σ$ is locally a regular intrinsic graph, the characteristic curves are of class $C^2$. The result is shape and improves the ones contained in \cite{MR2583494} and \cite{GalRit15}.
We prove that an integral Cauchy-Riemann inequality holds for any pair of smooth functions $(f,h)$ on the 2-sphere $\mathbb{S}^2$, and equality holds iff $f$ and $h$ are related $λ_1$-eigenfunctions. We extend such inequality to 4-tuples of functions, only valid on the $L^2$-orthogonal complement of a suitable nonzero finite dimensional space of functions. As a consequence we prove that 2-spheres are not $Ω$-stable surfaces with parallel mean curvature in $\mathbb{R}^7$ for the associative calibration $Ω$.
This is a sequel to the paper [Oh5] (or ArXiv:math.SG/0206092). The main purpose of the paper is to give the proof of an existence theorem, with energy bounds, of certain pseudo-holomorphic sections of the mapping cylinder that is needed for the proof of nondegeneracy of the homological invariant pseudo-norm which the author has constructed on general symplectic manifolds [Oh4,5]. The existence theorem is also the crux of the author's recent proof of an optimal energy-capacity inequality given in [Oh5]. In this paper, we prove a more general existence result than needed in that we study Floer'…
We prove existence of regions minimizing perimeter under a volume constraint in contact sub-Riemannian manifolds such that their quotient by the group of contact transformations preserving the sub-Riemannian metric is compact.
We consider the horospherical transform and its inversion in 3 examples of hyperboloids. We want to illustrate via these examples the fact that the horospherical inversion formulas can be directly extracted from the classical Radon inversion formula. In a more broad context, this possibility reflects the fact that the harmonic analysis on symmetric spaces (Riemannian as well as pseudo-Riemannian ones) is equivalent (homologous), up to the Abelian Fourier transform, to the similar problem in the flat model. On the technical level it is important that we work not with the usual horospherical tra…
Contact Riemannian manifolds, whose complex structures are not necessarily integrable, are generalization of pseudohermitian manifolds in CR geometry. The Tanaka-Webster-Tanno connection plays the role of the Tanaka-Webster connection of a pseudohermitian manifold. Conformal transformations and the Yamabe problem are also defined naturally in this setting. By constructing the special frames and the normal coordinates on a contact Riemannian manifold, we prove that if the complex structure is not integrable, its Yamabe invariant on a contact Riemannian manifold is always less than the Yamabe in…
Contact Riemannian manifolds, with not necessarily integrable complex structures, are the generalization of pseudohermitian manifolds in CR geometry. The Tanaka-Webster-Tanno connection on such a manifold plays the role of Tanaka-Webster connection in the pseudohermitian case. We prove the contact Riemannian version of the pseudohermitian Bochner-type formula, and generalize the CR Lichnerowicz theorem about the sharp lower bound for the first nonzero eigenvalue of the sub-Laplacian to the contact Riemannnian case.
We study the behavior of the heat kernel of the Hodge Laplacian on a contact manifold endowed with a family of Riemannian metrics that blow-up the directions transverse to the contact distribution. We apply this to analyze the behavior of global spectral invariants such as the eta-invariant and the determinant of the Laplacian. In particular we prove that contact versions of the relative eta-invariant and the relative analytic torsion are equal to their Riemannian analogues and hence topological.
We compare different notions of curvature on contact sub-Riemannian manifolds. In particular we introduce canonical curvatures as the coefficients of the sub-Riemannian Jacobi equation. The main result is that all these coefficients are encoded in the asymptotic expansion of the horizontal derivatives of the sub-Riemannian distance. We explicitly compute their expressions in terms of the standard tensors of contact geometry. As an application of these results, we obtain a sub-Riemannian version of the Bonnet-Myers theorem that applies to any contact manifold.
Recently, the old notion of causal boundary for a spacetime V has been redefined in a consistent way. The computation of this boundary $\partial V$ for a standard conformally stationary spacetime V = R x M, suggests a natural compactification $M_B$ associated to any Riemannian metric on M or, more generally, to any Finslerian one. The corresponding boundary $\partial_B M$ is constructed in terms of Busemann-type functions. Roughly, $\partial_B M$ represents the set of all the directions in M including both, asymptotic and "finite" (or "incomplete") directions. This Busemann boundary $\partial_…
In this paper we study the small time asymptotics for the heat kernel on a sub-Riemannian manifold, using a perturbative approach. We then explicitly compute, in the case of a 3D contact structure, the first two coefficients of the small time asymptotics expansion of the heat kernel on the diagonal, expressing them in terms of the two basic functional invariants $χ$ and $κ$ defined on a 3D contact structure.
We study the sub-Riemannian exponential for contact distributions on manifolds of dimension greater or equal to 5. We compute an approximation of the sub-Riemannian Hamiltonian flow and show that the conjugate time can have multiplicity 2 in this case. We obtain an approximation of the first conjugate locus for small radii and introduce a geometric invariant to show that the metric for contact distributions typically exhibits an original behavior, different from the classical 3-dimensional case. We apply these methods to the case of 5-dimensional contact manifolds. We provide a stability analy…
We prove that a smooth Riemannian manifold admitting an imaginary generalized Killing spinor whose Dirac current satisfies an additional algebraic constraint condition can be embedded as spacelike Cauchy hypersurface in a smooth Lorentzian manifold on which the given spinor extends to a null parallel spinor. This is in contrast to a corresponding Cauchy problem for real generalized Killing spinors into Riemannian manifolds. The construction is based on first order symmetric hyperbolic PDE-methods. In fact, the coupled evolution equations for metric and spinor as considered here extend and gene…
On a Lorentzian manifold the existence of a parallel null vector field implies certain constraint conditions on the induced Riemannian geometry of a space-like hypersurface. We will derive these constraint conditions and, conversely, show that every real analytic Riemannian manifold satisfying the constraint conditions can be extended to a Lorentzian manifold with a parallel null vector field. Similarly, every parallel null spinor on a Lorentzian manifold induces an imaginary generalised Killing spinor on a space-like hypersurface. Then, based on the fact that a parallel spinor field induces a…
