Let $M$ be a Riemannian 3-manifold of nonnegative Ricci curvature, Ric $\geq 0.$ We suppose that $M$ is conformally flat and simply connected or more generally that it admits a conformal immersion into the standard 3-sphere. Let $Σ$ be a compact connected and orientable surface immersed in $M$ which is a stable constant mean curvature (CMC) surface or an index one minimal surface. We prove that $Σ$ is homeomorphic either to a sphere or to a torus. Moreover, in case $Σ$ is homeomorphic to a torus, then it is embedded, minimal, conformal to a flat square torus and Ric$(N)=0$ where $N$ is a unit field normal to $Σ.$ The result is sharp, we can perturb the standard metric on the 3-sphere in its conformal class to obtain metrics of nonnegative Ricci curvature admitting minimal tori which are stable as CMC surfaces.
As a consequence, in any 3-sphere of positive Ricci curvature which is conformally flat, the isoperimetric domains are topologically 3-balls. This proves a special case of a conjecture of A. Ros.
In this work, we consider $M=(\mathbb{B}^3_r,\bar{g})$ as the Euclidean three-ball with radius $r$ equipped with the metric $\bar{g}=e^{2h}\left\langle , \right\rangle$ conformal to the Euclidean metric. We show that if a free boundary CMC surface $Σ$ in $M$ satisfies a pinching condition on the length of the traceless second fundamental tensor which involves the support function of $Σ$, the positional conformal vector field $\vec{x}$ and its potential function $σ,$ then either $Σ$ is a disk or $Σ$ is an annulus rotationally symmetric. In a particular case, we construct an example of minimal s…
Motivated by the beautiful theory and the rich applications of harmonic conformal immersions and conformal immersions of constant mean curvature (CMC) surfaces, we study biharmonic conformal immersions of surfaces into a generic 3-manifold. We first derive an invariant equation for such immersions, we then try to answer the question, "what surfaces can be biharmonically conformally immersed into Euclidean 3-space?" We prove that a circular cylinder is the only CMC surface that can be biharmonically conformally immersed into a Euclidean 3-space; We obtain a classification of biharmonic conforma…
We extend the Lyapunov-Schmidt analysis of outlying stable CMC spheres in the work of S. Brendle and the second-named author to the "far-off-center" regime and to include general Schwarzschild asymptotics. We obtain sharp existence and non-existence results for large stable CMC spheres that depend very delicately on the behavior of scalar curvature at infinity.
A short proof of the Caratheodory conjecture about index of an isolated umbilic on the convex 2-dimensional sphere is suggested. The argument is based on the study of geodesic lines near cone-type singularity of a metric induced by holomorphic quadratic differentials.
Constrained Willmore surfaces are critical points of the Willmore functional under conformal variations. As shown in [5] one can associate to any conformally immersed constrained Willmore torus f a compact Riemann surface Σ, such that f can be reconstructed in terms of algebraic data on Σ. Particularly interesting examples of constrained Willmore tori are the tori with constant mean curvature (CMC) in a 3-dimensional space form. It is shown in [14] and in [16] that the spectral curves of these tori are hyperelliptic. In this paper we show under mild conditions that a constrained Willmore torus…
In this paper we consider the uniqueness problem of the constant mean curvature spheres in asymptotically flat 3-manifolds. We require the metric have the form g_{ij}=δ_{ij}+h_{ij} with h_{ij}=O_{4}(r^{-1}) and R=O(r^{-3-τ}),τ>0. We do not require the metric to be close to Schwarzschild metric in any sense or to satisfy RT conditions. We prove that, when the mass is not 0, stable CMC spheres that separate a certain compact part from infinity satisfy the radius pinching estimate r_{1}\leq Cr_{0} , which in many cases is critical to prove the uniqueness of the CMC spheres. As applications of thi…
This paper gives a new proof that maximal, globally hyperbolic, flat spacetimes of dimension $n\geq 3$ with compact Cauchy hypersurfaces are globally foliated by Cauchy hypersurfaces of constant mean curvature, and that such spacetimes admit a globally defined constant mean curvature time function precisely when they are causally incomplete. The proof, which is based on using the level sets of the cosmological time function as barriers, is conceptually simple and will provide the basis for future work on constant mean curvature time functions in general constant curvature spacetimes, as well f…
This paper continues the investigation of constant mean curvature (CMC) time functions in maximal globally hyperbolic spatially compact spacetimes of constant sectional curvature, which was started in math.DG/0604486. In that paper, the case of flat spacetimes was considered, and in the present paper, the remaining cases of negative curvature (i.e. anti-de Sitter) spacetimes and postitive curvature (i.e. de Sitter) spacetimes is dealt with. As in the flat case, the existence of CMC time functions is obtained by using the level sets of the cosmological time function as barriers. A major part of…
Constant mean curvature surfaces in $S^3$ can be studied via their associated family of flat connections. In the case of tori this approach has led to a deep understanding of the moduli space of all CMC tori. For compact CMC surfaces of higher genus the theory is far more involved due to the non abelian nature of their fundamental group. In this paper we extend the spectral curve theory for tori developed in \cite{Hi, PiSt} and for genus $2$ surfaces \cite{He3} to CMC surfaces in $S^3$ of genus $g=k\cdot l$ with commuting $\mathbb Z_{k+1}$ and $\mathbb Z_{l+1}$ symmetries. We determine their a…
We classify the harmonic morphisms with one-dimensional fibres (1) from real-analytic conformally-flat Riemannian manifolds of dimension at least four, and (2) between conformally-flat Riemannian manifolds of dimensions at least three.
CMC surfaces in spheres are investigated under the extra condition of biharmonicity. From the work of Miyata, especially in the flat case, we give a complete description of such immersions and show that for any $h\in (0,1)$ there exist CMC proper-biharmonic planes and cylinders in $\sn^5$ with $|H|=h$, while a necessary and sufficient condition on $h$ is found for the existence of CMC proper-biharmonic tori in $\sn^5$.
We show that locally conformally flat quasi-Einstein manifolds are globally conformally equivalent to a space form or locally isometric to a $pp$-wave or a warped product.
We prove that any conformally flat submanifold with flat normal bundle in a conformally flat Riemannian manifold is locally holonomic, that is, admits a principal coordinate system. As one of the consequences of this fact, it is shown that the Ribaucour transformation can be used to construct an associated large family of immersions with induced conformal metrics holonomic with respect to the same coordinate system.
This article classifies closed G2-structures such that the induced metric is conformally flat. It is shown that any closed G2-structure with conformally flat metric is locally equivalent to one of three explicit examples. In particular, it follows from the classification that any closed G2-structure inducing a metric that is both conformally flat and complete must be equivalent to the flat G2-structure on $\mathbb{R}^7.$
Minimal and CMC surfaces in $S^3$ can be treated via their associated family of flat $\SL(2,\C)$-connections. In this the paper we parametrize the moduli space of flat $\SL(2,\C)$-connections on the Lawson minimal surface of genus 2 which are equivariant with respect to certain symmetries of Lawson's geometric construction. The parametrization uses Hitchin's abelianization procedure to write such connections explicitly in terms of flat line bundles on a complex 1-dimensional torus. This description is used to develop a spectral curve theory for the Lawson surface. This theory applies as well t…
Let $(M, g)$ be a complete Riemannian $3$-manifold that is asymptotic to Schwarzschild with positive mass and whose scalar curvature vanishes. We \textsl{unconditionally} characterize the large, embedded stable constant mean curvature spheres in $(M, g)$.
In the paper there are described new examples of conformally flat three dimensional almost cosymplectic manifolds. All these manifolds form a class which was completely characterized.
The object of the present paper is to study 3-dimensional conformally flat quasi-Para-Sasakian manifolds. First, the necessary and sufficient conditions are provided for 3-dimensional quasi-Para-Sasakian manifolds to be conformally flat. Next, a characterization of 3-dimensional conformally flat quasi-Para-Sasakian manifold with \b{eta}=const. is given.
We give global restrictions on the possible boundaries of compact, orientable, locally conformally flat manifolds of dimension $4k$ in terms of integrality of eta invariants.
Conformally flat pseudo-Riemannian manifolds with generalized Ricci recurrent, $(GR)_n$ structure are completely classified in this short report. A conformally flat generalized Ricci recurrent pseudo-Riemannian manifold is shown to be either a de Sitter space or an anti-de Sitter space. In particular, a conformally flat generalized Ricci recurrent spacetime must be either a de Sitter spacetime or an anti-de Sitter spacetime.
We consider four dimensional conformally flat homogeneous pseudo Riemannian manifolds. According to forms (Seger types) of the Ricci operator, we provide a full classification of four dimensional pseudo Riemannian conformally flat homogeneous Ricci solitons.
In this paper, we classify n-dimensional (n>2) complete noncompact locally conformally flat gradient steady solitons. In particular, we prove that a complete noncompact non-flat conformally flat gradient steady Ricci soliton is, up to scaling, the Bryant soliton.
In a recent paper Jorge and Mercuri proved that the image of Gauss map of a complete non flat minimal surfaces in R3 with finite total curvature omits at most 2 points. In this work we follow their idea and prove 3a similar result for CMC-1 with finite total curvature in H and CMC-1 faces with finite type and regular ends in S31.
In this paper we prove that any complete locally conformally flat quasi-Einstein manifold of dimension $n\geq 3$ is locally a warped product with $(n-1)$-dimensional fibers of constant curvature. This result includes also the case of locally conformally flat gradient Ricci solitons.
In this paper we study the invariant Walker structures over the conformally flat four-dimensional homogeneous manifolds according to the Seger types of the Ricci operator.
We define a partition of the space of projectively flat metrics in three classes according to the sign of the Chern scalar curvature; we prove that the class of negative projectively flat metrics is empty, and that the class of positive projectively flat metrics consists precisely of locally conformally flat-Kähler metrics on Hopf manifolds, explicitly characterized by Vaisman. Finally, we review the properties of zero projectively flat metrics. As applications, we refine a list of possible projectively flat metrics by Li, Yau, and Zheng; moreover we prove that projectively flat astheno-Kähler…
We study a fully nonlinear flow for conformal metrics. The long-time existence and the sequential convergence of flow are established for locally conformally flat manifolds. As an application, we solve the $\sk$-Yamabe problem for locally conformal flat manifolds when $k \neq n/2$.
We show that any locally conformally flat ancient solution to the Ricci flow must be rotationally symmetric. As a by-product, we prove that any locally conformally flat Ricci soliton is a gradient soliton in the shrinking and steady cases as well as in the expanding case, provided the soliton has nonnegative curvature.
The local classification of conformally flat Lorentzian manifolds with special holonomy groups is obtained. The corresponding local metrics are certain extensions of Riemannian spaces of constant sectional curvature to Walker metrics.
We show that under some non-degeneracy assumption the only submersive harmonic morphism on a conformally flat $3-$sphere is the Hopf fibration. The proof involves an appropriate use the Chern-Simons functional.
Biharmonic hypersurfaces in a generic conformally flat space are studied in this paper. The equation of such hypersurfaces is derived and is used to determine the conformally flat metric $f^{-2}δ_{ij}$ on the Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^{m+1}$ so that a minimal hypersurface $M^m\longrightarrow (\mathbb{R}^{m+1}, δ_{ij})$ in a Euclidean space becomes a biharmonic hypersurface $M^m\longrightarrow (\mathbb{R}^{m+1}, f^{-2}δ_{ij})$ in the conformally flat space. Our examples include all biharmonic hypersurfaces found in [Ou1] and [OT] as special cases.
In this paper, we study generic conformally flat hypersurfaces in the Euclidean $4$-space $\mathbb{R}^4$ using the framework of Möbius geometry. First, we classify locally the generic conformally flat hypersurfaces with closed Möbius form under the Möbius transformation group of $\mathbb{R}^4$. Such examples come from cones, cylinders, or rotational hypersurfaces over the surfaces with constant Gaussian curvature in $3$-spheres, Euclidean $3$-spaces, or hyperbolic $3$-spaces, respectively. Second, we investigate the global behavior of the generic conformally flat hypersurface and give some int…
The local structure of half conformally flat gradient Ricci almost solitons is investigated, showing that they are locally conformally flat in a neighborhood of any point where the gradient of the potential function is non-null. In opposition, if the gradient of the potential function is null, then the soliton is a steady traceless $κ$-Einstein soliton and is realized on the cotangent bundle of an affine surface.
We provide classification results for and examples of half conformally flat generalized quasi Einstein manifolds of signature $(2,2)$. This analysis leads to a natural equation in affine geometry called the affine quasi-Einstein equation that we explore in further detail.
We show that complete conformally flat manifolds of dimension n>2 with nonnegative Ricci curvature enjoy nice rigidity properties: they are either flat, or locally isometric to a product of a sphere and a line, or are globally conformally equivalent to flat space or to a spherical spaceform. This extends previous works by Q.-M. Cheng, M.H. Noronha, B.-L. Chen and X.-P. Zhu, and S. Zhu.
Inspired by the work of F. Hang and X. Wang and partial results by S. Raulot, we prove a scalar curvature rigitidy result for locally conformally flat manifolds with boundary in the spirit of the well-known Min-Oo conjecture.
Through the study of some elliptic and parabolic fully nonlinear PDEs, we establish conformal versions of quermassintegral inequality, the Sobolev inequality and the Moser-Trudinger inequality for the geometric quantities associated to the Schouten tensor on locally conformally flat manifolds.
In this paper, we study conformally flat hypersurfaces of dimension $n(\geq 4)$ in $\mathbb{S}^{n+1}$ using the framework of Möbius geometry. First, we classify and explicitly express the conformally flat hypersurfaces of dimension $n(\geq 4)$ with constant Möbius scalar curvature under the Möbius transformation group of $\mathbb{S}^{n+1}$. Second, we prove that if the conformally flat hypersurface with constant Möbius scalar curvature $R$ is compact, then $$R=(n-1)(n-2)r^2, ~~0<r<1,$$ and the compact conformally flat hypersurface is Möbius equivalent to the torus $$\mathbb{ S}^1(\sqrt{1-r^2})…
There is a one-to-one correspondence between associated families of generic conformally flat (local-)hypersurfaces in 4-dimensional space forms and conformally flat 3-metrics with the Guichard condition. In this paper, we study the space of conformally flat 3-metrics with the Guichard condition: for a conformally flat 3-metric with the Guichard condition in the interior of the space, an evolution of orthogonal (local-) Riemannian $2$-metrics with constant Gauss curvature $-1$ is determined; for a $2$-metric belonging to a certain class of orthogonal analytic $2$-metrics with constant Gauss cur…
The problem of conformal transformation and conformal flatness of Finsler spaces has been studied by so many researchers $\left[ 6,16,17,20,21\right] .$ Recently, Prasad et. al $\left[ 19\right] $ have studied three dimensional conformally flat Landsberg and Berwald spaces and have given some important results. The purpose of the present paper is to extend the idea of conformal change to four dimensional Finsler spaces and find the suitable conditions under which a four dimensional conformally flat Landsberg space becomes a Berwald space.
The local structure of 4-dimensional, conformally flat, almost $ε$-Kählerian (i.e., almost pseudo-Kählerian and almost para-Kählerian) manifolds is characterized with the help of left-regular and right-regular paraquaternionic functions. Examples of such structures are discussed.
We provide the classification of locally conformally flat gradient Yamabe solitons with positive sectional curvature. We first show that locally conformally flat gradient Yamabe solitons with positive sectional curvature have to be rotationally symmetric and then give the classification and asymptotic behavior of all radially symmetric gradient Yamabe solitons. We also show that any eternal solutions to the Yamabe flow with positive Ricci curvature and with the scalar curvature attaining an interior space-time maximum must be a steady Yamabe soliton.
It is shown that locally conformally flat Lorentzian gradient Ricci solitons are locally isometric to a Robertson-Walker warped product, if the gradient of the potential function is non null, and to a plane wave, if the gradient of the potential function is null. The latter gradient Ricci solitons are necessarily steady.
The aim of this paper is to verify that the study of generic conformally flat hypersurfaces in 4-dimensional space forms is reduced to a surface theory in the standard 3-sphere. The conformal structure of generic conformally flat (local-)hypersurfaces is characterized as conformally flat (local-)3-metrics with the Guichard condition. Then, there is a certain class of orthogonal analytic (local-)Riemannian 2-metrics with constant Gauss curvature -1 such that any 2-metric of the class gives rise to a one-parameter family of conformally flat 3-metrics with the Guichard condition. In this paper, w…
Our principal goal is to study the Prescribed Curvature Tensor problem in locally conformally flat manifolds. The solution to this problem is given explicitly for the special cases of the tensor R, including a case where the metric g is complete on Rn. Similar problems are considered for locally conformally flat manifolds. As applications of these results we exhibit explicit examples of metrics g, conformal to g they are solutions for this problem.
In this paper by reduction we construct a family of conformally flat Hamiltonian-minimal Lagrangian tori in $\mathbb{CP}^3$ as the image of the composition of the Hopf map $\mathcal{H}: \mathbb{S}^7\to \mathbb{CP}^3$ and a map $ψ:\mathbb{R}^3 \to \mathbb{S}^7$ with certain conditions.
First, we show that a warped product of a line and a fiber manifold is weakly conformally flat and quasi Einstein if and only if the fiber is Einstein. Next, we characterize and classify contact (in particular, $K$-contact) Riemannian manifold satisfying weakly (and doubly weakly) conformally flat and quasi-Einstein ($η$-Einstein) conditions. Finally, we provide local classification and characterization of a semi-Riemannian (including the 4-dimensional spacetime) with harmonic Weyl tensor and a non-homothetic conformal (including closed) vector field, in terms of Petrov types and Bach tensor.
We prove that the conformal immersions of complex two tori into $S^3$ which locally minimize their conformal volume in their conformal class all satisfy some elliptic PDE. We prove that they are either minimal tori, CMC flat tori, elliptic conformally constrained minimal tori or critical point of the area under some fixed conformally congruent area. On the way to establish this result we prove that tori which are critical points of the area for perturbations within a given conformal class and which are degenerate points of the conformal class mapping - i.e. isothermic - are either minimal surf…
In this paper, we first apply an integral identity on Ricci solitons to prove that closed locally conformally flat gradient Ricci solitons are of constant sectional curvature. We then generalize this integral identity to complete noncompact gradient shrinking Ricci solitons, under the conditions that the Ricci curvature is bounded from below and the Riemannian curvature tensor has at most exponential growth. As a consequence of this identity, we classify complete locally conformally flat gradient shrinking Ricci solitons with Ricci curvature bounded from below.
Constant mean curvature (CMC) surfaces in space forms can be described by their associated $\mathbb C^*$-family of flat $SL(2,\mathbb C)$-connections $\nabla^λ$. In this paper we consider the asymptotic behavior (for $λ\to0$) of the gauge equivalence classes of $\nabla^λ$ for compact CMC surfaces of genus $g\geq2.$ We prove (under the assumption of simple umbilics) that the asymptotic behavior of the traces of the monodromy representation of $\nabla^λ$ determines the conformal type as well as the Hopf differential locally in the Teichmüller space.
