We give explicit formulas for the intertwinors on the differential form bundles over $S^{p-1} \times S^{q-1}$ with the standard pseudo-Riemannian metric $g=-g_{{}_{S^{p-1}}}+g_{{}_{S^{q-1}}}$ of signature $(p-1,q-1)$. As a special case, we construct conformally invariant differential operators of all even orders.
We give explicit formulas for the intertwinors on the scalar functions over the product of spheres with the natural pseudo-Riemannian product metric using the spectrum generating technique. As a consequence, this provides another proof of the even order conformally invariant differential operator formulas obtained earlier by T. Branson and the present author.
We show that the action of conformal vector fields on functions on the sphere determines the spectrum of the Laplacian (or the conformal Laplacian), without further input of information. The spectra of intertwining operators (both differential and non-local) with principal part a power of the Laplacian follows as a corollary. An application of the method is the sharp form of Gross' entropy inequality on the sphere. The same method gives the spectrum of the Dirac operator on the sphere, as well as of a continuous family of nonlocal intertwinors, and an infinite family of odd-order differential …
We give explicit formulas for all odd order differential intertwinors on the subbundle of the bundle of spinor-$k$-forms that are annihilated by the Clifford multiplication over the odd dimensional standard sphere. The Dirac and Rarita-Schwinger operators appear in the case of $k=0$ and $k=1$, respectively.
The paper provides a different proof of the result of Brendle-Schoen on the differential sphere theorem. It is shown directly that the invariant cone of curvature operators with positive (or non-negative) complex sectional curvature is preserved by the Ricci flow. This implies, by a result of Böhm-Wilking, that the normalized Ricci flow deforms such a metric to a metric of constant positive curvature. Using earlier work of Yau and Zheng it can be shown that a metric with strictly (pointwise) 1/4-pinched sectional curvature has positive complex sectional curvature. This gives a direct proof of …
We study a class of exceptional minimal surfaces in spheres for which all Hopf differentials are holomorphic. Extending results of Eschenburg and Tribuzy \cite{ET0}, we obtain a description of exceptional surfaces in terms of a set of absolute value type functions, the $a$-invariants, that determine the geometry of the higher order curvature ellipses and satisfy certain Ricci-type conditions. We show that the $a$-invariants determine these surfaces up to a multiparameter family of isometric minimal deformations, where the number of the parameters is precisely the number of non-vanishing Hopf d…
We give a complete classification of Riemannian and Lorentzian surfaces of arbitrary codimension in a pseudo-sphere whose pseudo-spherical Gauss maps are of 1-type or, in particular, harmonic. In some cases a concrete global classification is obtained, while in other cases the solutions are described by an explicit system of partial differential equations.
We consider codimension 2 sphere congruences in pseudo-conformal geometry that are harmonic with respect to the conformal structure of an orthogonal surface. We characterise the orthogonal surfaces of such congruences as either $S$-Willmore surfaces, quasi-umbilical surfaces, constant mean curvature surfaces in 3-dimensional space forms or surfaces of constant lightlike mean curvature in 3-dimensional lightcones. We then investigate Bryant's quartic differential in this context and show that generically this is divergence free if and only if the surface under consideration is either superconfo…
For every proper convex cone $K \subset \mathbb R^3$ there exists a unique complete hyperbolic affine 2-sphere with mean curvature $-1$ which is asymptotic to the boundary of the cone. Two cones are associated if the corresponding affine spheres can be mapped to each other by an orientation-preserving isometry. This equivalence relation is generated by the groups $SL(3,\mathbb R)$ and $S^1$, where the former acts by linear transformations of the ambient space, and the latter by multiplication of the cubic holomorphic differential of the affine sphere by unimodular complex constants. The action…
We construct Yang-Mills connections on SO(n)-bundles over spheres equipped with the Euclidean metric. We use a cohomogeneity one group action on the bundle to reduce the Yang-Mills-equation to a system of ordinary differential equations. The system is shown to have solutions by variational methods, using ideas from harmonic map theory. Examples include Yang-Mills connections on each of the countably many principal SO(6)-bundles over $S^6$, and countably many Yang-Mills connections on $TS^n$ for $n\in\{5,...,9\}$.
We consider the energy functional on the space of sections of a sphere bundle over a Riemannian manifold (M, <,>) equipped with the Sasaki metric and we discuss the characterising condition for critical points. Likewise, we provide a useful method for computing the tension field in some particular situations. Such a method is shown to be adequate for many tensor fields defined on manifolds M equipped with a G-structure compatible with <,>. This leads to the construction of a lot of new examples of differential forms which are harmonic sections or determine a harmonic map from (M,<,>) into its …
In this paper, we obtain several new intrinsic and extrinsic differential sphere theorems via Ricci flow. For intrinsic case, we show that a closed simply connected $n(\ge 4)$-dimensional Riemannian manifold $M$ is diffeomorphic to $S^n$ if one of the following conditions holds pointwisely: $$ (i)\ R_0>\left(1-\frac{24(\sqrt{10}-3)}{n(n-1)}\right)K_{max};\quad \ (ii)\ \frac{Ric^{[4]}}{4(n-1)}>\left(1-\frac{6(\sqrt{10}-3)}{n-1}\right)K_{max}.$$ Here $K_{max}$, $Ric^{[k]}$ and $R_0$ stand for the maximal sectional curvature, the $k$-th weak Ricci curvature and the normalized scalar curvature. Fo…
We present explicit formulas for the spectra of higher spin operators on the subbundle of the bundle of spinor-valued trace free symmetric tensors that are annihilated by the Clifford multiplication over the standard sphere in odd dimension. In even dimensional case, we give the spectra of the square of such operators. The Dirac and Rarita-Schwinger operators are zero-form and one-form cases, respectively. We also give eigenvalue formulas for the conformally invariant differential operators of all odd orders on the subbundle of the bundle of spinor-valued forms that are annihilated by the Clif…
This paper addresses Cheeger and Gromoll's question of which vector bundles admit a complete metric of nonnegative curvature, and relates their question to the issue of which sphere bundles admit a metric of positive curvature. We show that any vector bundle which admits a metric of nonnegative curvature must admit a connection, a tensor, and a metric on the base space which together satisfy a certain differential inequality. On the other hand, a slight sharpening of this condition is sufficient for the associated sphere bundle to admit a metric of positive curvature. Our results sharpen and g…
Our main aim is to present a geometrically meaningful formula for the fundamental solutions to a second order sub-elliptic differential equation and to the heat equation associated with a sub-elliptic operator in the sub-Riemannian geometry on the unit sphere $\mathbb S^3$. Our method is based on the Hamiltonian approach, where the corresponding Hamitonian system is solved with mixed boundary conditions. A closed form of the modified action is given. It is a sub-Riemannian invariant and plays the role of a distance on $\mathbb S^3$.
Let $G$ be the identity component of the isometry group for an arbitrary curved two-point homogeneous space $M$. We consider algebras of $G$-invariant differential operators on bundles of unit spheres over $M$. The generators of this algebra and the corresponding relations for them are found. The connection of these generators with two-body problem on two-point homogeneous spaces is discussed.
In this work, we develop a study involving some nonlinear partial differential equations on spheres and hemispheres, with the zero Neumann boundary condition, which are so-called Brezis-Nirenberg type problems, and we give conditions on which such equations have only constant solutions. We also extend these results for some nonlinear partial differential systems.
Discrete differential geometry aims to develop discrete equivalents of the geometric notions and methods of classical differential geometry. In this survey we discuss the following two fundamental Discretization Principles: the transformation group principle (smooth geometric objects and their discretizations are invariant with respect to the same transformation group) and the consistency principle (discretizations of smooth parametrized geometries can be extended to multidimensional consistent nets). The main concrete geometric problem discussed in this survey is a discretization of curvature…
In this thesis, we study singular pseudo-differential operators defined by groupoids satisfying the Lauter-Nistor condition, by a method parallel to that of manifolds with boundary and edge differential operators. The example of the Bruhat sphere is studied in detail. In particular, we construct an extension to the calculus of uniformly supported pseudo-differential operators that is analogous to the calculus with bounds defined on manifolds with boundary. We derive a Fredholmness criterion for operators on the Bruhat sphere, and prove that their parametrices up to compact operators lie inside…
We prove that the 2-primary $π_{61}$ is zero. As a consequence, the Kervaire invariant element $θ_5$ is contained in the strictly defined 4-fold Toda bracket $\langle 2, θ_4, θ_4, 2\rangle$. Our result has a geometric corollary: the 61-sphere has a unique smooth structure and it is the last odd dimensional case - the only ones are $S^1, S^3, S^5$ and $S^{61}$. Our proof is a computation of homotopy groups of spheres. A major part of this paper is to prove an Adams differential $d_3(D_3) = B_3$. We prove this differential by introducing a new technique based on the algebraic and geometric Kahn-…
We discuss the local differential geometry of convex affine spheres in $\re^3$ and of minimal Lagrangian surfaces in Hermitian symmetric spaces. In each case, there is a natural metric and cubic differential holomorphic with respect to the induced conformal structure: these data come from the Blaschke metric and Pick form for the affine spheres and from the induced metric and second fundamental form for the minimal Lagrangian surfaces. The local geometry, at least for main cases of interest, induces a natural frame whose structure equations arise from the affine Toda system for $\mathfrak a^{(…
We give a complete classification of conformally covariant differential operators between the spaces of $i$-forms on the sphere $S^n$ and $j$-forms on the totally geodesic hypersphere $S^{n-1}$. Moreover, we find explicit formulæ for these new matrix-valued operators in the flat coordinates in terms of basic operators in differential geometry and classical orthogonal polynomials. We also establish matrix-valued factorization identities among all possible combinations of conformally covariant differential operators. The main machinery of the proof is the "F-method" based on the "algebraic Fouri…
Recently, Tsai-Tseng-Yau constructed new invariants of symplectic manifolds: a sequence of Aoo-algebras built of differential forms on the symplectic manifold. We show that these symplectic Aoo-algebras have a simple topological interpretation. Namely, when the cohomology class of the symplectic form is integral, these Aoo-algebras are equivalent to the standard de Rham differential graded algebra on certain odd-dimensional sphere bundles over the symplectic manifold. From this equivalence, we deduce for a closed symplectic manifold that Tsai-Tseng-Yau's symplectic Aoo-algebras satisfy the Cal…
Finite element exterior calculus refers to the development of finite element methods for differential forms, generalizing several earlier finite element spaces of scalar fields and vector fields to arbitrary dimension $n$, arbitrary polynomial degree $r$, and arbitrary differential form degree $k$. The study of finite element exterior calculus began with the $\mathcal P_rΛ^k$ and $\mathcal P_r^-Λ^k$ families of finite element spaces on simplicial triangulations. In their development of these spaces, Arnold, Falk, and Winther rely on a duality relationship between $\mathcal P_rΛ^k$ and $\mathri…
In this paper we show novel underlying connections between fractional powers of the Laplacian on the unit sphere and functions from analytic number theory and differential geometry, like the Hurwitz zeta function and the Minakshisundaram zeta function. Inspired by Minakshisundaram's ideas, we find a precise pointwise description of $(-Δ_{\mathbb{S}^{n-1}})^s u(x)$ in terms of fractional powers of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map on the sphere. The Poisson kernel for the unit ball will be essential for this part of the analysis. On the other hand, by using the heat semigroup on the sphere, addition…
In the paper, some concepts of modern differential geometry are used as a basis to develop an invariant theory of mechanical systems, including systems with gyroscopic forces. An interpretation of systems with gyroscopic forces in the form of flows of a given geodesic curvature is proposed. For illustration, the problem of the motion of a rigid body about a fixed point in an axially symmetric force field is examined. The form of gyroscopic forces of the reduced system is calculated. It is shown that this form is a product of the momentum constant, the volume form of the 2-sphere, and an explic…
Stochastic flows of Stratonovich stochastic differential equations on exotic spheres have been studied. The consequences of the choice of exotic differential structure on stochastic processes taking place on the topological space $S^{m+n+1}$ as state space of the processes have been investigated. More precisely, we have investigated the properties of stochastic processes where the state spaces of the stochastic processes under consideration are $({m+n+1})$-dimensional differentiable manifolds which are homeomorphic but not necessarily diffeomorphic to standard ${(m+n+1)}$-dimensional sphere. T…