Given a surface $M$ and a fixed conformal class $c$ one defines $Λ_k(M,c)$ to be the supremum of the $k$-th nontrivial Laplacian eigenvalue over all metrics $g\in c$ of unit volume. It has been observed by Nadirashvili that the metrics achieving $Λ_k(M,c)$ are closely related to harmonic maps to spheres. In the present paper, we identify $Λ_1(M,c)$ and $Λ_2(M,c)$ with min-max quantities associated to the energy functional for sphere-valued maps. As an application, we obtain several new eigenvalue bounds, including a sharp isoperimetric inequality for the first two Steklov eigenvalues. This characterization also yields an alternative proof of the existence of maximal metrics realizing $Λ_1(M,c)$, $Λ_2(M,c)$ and, moreover, allows us to obtain a regularity theorem for maximal Radon measures satisfying a natural compactness condition.
We establish in this paper an upper bound on the second eigenvalue of n-dimensional spheres in the conformal class of the round sphere. This upper bound holds in all dimensions and is asymptotically sharp as the dimension increases.
The paper is concerned with the maximization of Laplace eigenvalues on surfaces of given volume with a Riemannian metric in a fixed conformal class. A significant progress on this problem has been recently achieved by Nadirashvili-Sire and Petrides using related, though different methods. In particular, it was shown that for a given $k$, the maximum of the $k$-th Laplace eigenvalue in a conformal class on a surface is either attained on a metric which is smooth except possibly at a finite number of conical singularities, or it is attained in the limit while a "bubble tree" is formed on a surfa…
In this note we prove that a special family of Killing potentials on certain Hirzebruch complex surfaces, found by Futaki and Ono, gives rise to new conformally Kähler, Einstein-Maxwell metrics. The correspondent Kähler metrics are ambitoric but they are not given by the Calabi ansatz. This answers in positive questions raised by Futaki-Ono.
It is natural to expect and simple to prove that every conformally flat space possess the maximal number of conformal Killing vector fields (CKVs). On the other hand, it is interesting to ask whether the converse is true. Is conformal flatness a necessary condition for the existence of the maximal number of CKVs? In this review article it is proven that the answer is yes, a space admits the maximal number of CKVs if, and only if, it is conformally flat.
We give a characterization of conformal classes realizing a compact manifold's Yamabe invariant. This characterization is the analogue of an observation of Nadirashvili for metrics realizing the maximal first eigenvalue, and of Fraser and Schoen for metrics realizing the maximal first Steklov eigenvalue.
In this paper, we determine all conformal minimal immersions of 2-spheres in complex Grassmann manifold $G(2,N; \mathbb{C})$ with parallel second fundamental form.
For a surface in 3-sphere, by identifying the conformal round 3-sphere as the projectivized positive light cone in Minkowski 5-spacetime, we use the conformal Gauss map and the conformal transform to construct the associate homogeneous 4-surface in Minkowski 5-spacetime. We then derive the local fundamental theorem for a surface in conformal round 3-sphere from that of the associate 4-surface in Minkowski 5-spacetime. More importantly, following the idea of Fefferman and Graham, we construct local scalar invariants for a surface in conformal round 3-sphere. One distinct feature of our construc…
This paper is devoted to the study of the conformal spectrum (and more precisely the first eigenvalue) of the Laplace-Beltrami operator on a smooth connected compact Riemannian surface without boundary, endowed with a conformal class. We give a constructive proof of a critical metric which is smooth except at some conical singularities and maximizes the first eigenvalue in the conformal class of the background metric. We also prove that the map associating a finite number of eigenvectors of the maximizing $λ_1$ into the sphere is harmonic, establishing a link between conformal spectrum and har…
Geometry of conformal minimal two-spheres immersed in $G(2,6;\mathbb{R})$ is studied in this paper by harmonic maps. We construct a non-homogeneous constant curved minimal two-sphere in $G(2,6;\mathbb{R})$, and give a classification theorem of linearly full conformal minimal immersions of constant curvature from $S^2$ to $G(2,6;\mathbb{R})$, or equivalently, a complex hyperquadric $Q_{4}$, which illustrates minimal two-spheres of constant curvature in $Q_{4}$ are in general not congruent.
We address the problem of second order conformal deformation of spacelike surfaces in compactified Minkowski 4-space. We explain the construction of the exterior differential system of conformal deformations and discuss its general and singular solutions. In particular, we show that isothermic surfaces are singular solutions of the system, which implies that a generic second order deformable surface is not isothermic. This differs from the situation in 3-dimensional conformal geometry, where isothermic surfaces coincide with deformable surfaces.
Let $(M^n,g)$ be a closed Riemannian manifold of dimension $n\ge 3$. Assume $[g]$ is a conformal class for which the Conformal Laplacian $L_g$ has at least two negative eigenvalues. We show the existence of a (generalized) metric that maximizes the second eigenvalue of $L_g$ over all conformal metrics (the first eigenvalue is maximized by the Yamabe metric). We also show that a maximal metric defines either a nodal solution of the Yamabe equation, or a harmonic map to a sphere. Moreover, we construct examples of each possibility.
It was proved by Graham and Witten in 1999 that conformal invariants of submanifolds can be obtained via volume renormalization of minimal surfaces in conformally compact Einstein manifolds. The conformal invariant of a submanifold $Σ$ is contained in the volume expansion of the minimal surface which is asymptotic to $Σ$ when the minimal surface approaches the conformaly infinity. In the paper we give the explicit expression of Graham-Witten's conformal invariant for closed four dimensional submanifolds and find critical points of the conformal invariant in the case of Euclidean ambient spaces…
The main goal of this paper is to show a counterexample to the following conjecture: {\bf Conjecture} [Meeks, Sullivan]: If $f:M\to \mathbb{R}^3$ is a complete proper minimal immersion where $M$ is a Riemannian surface without boundary and with finite genus, then $M$ is parabolic. We have proved: {\bf Theorem:} There exists $χ: D\longrightarrow \mathbb{R}^3$, a conformal proper minimal immersion defined on the unit disk.
The paper develops the Finsler-like geometry on the 1-jet space for the jet conformal Minkowski (JCM) metric, which naturally extends the Minkowski metric in the Chernov-Pavlov framework. To this aim there are determined the nonlinear connection, distinguished (d-) Cartan linear connection, d-torsions and d-curvatures. The field geometrical gravitational and electromagnetic d-models based on the JCM metric are discussed.
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 …
Let $M$ be an open Riemann surface. We prove that every meromorphic function on $M$ is the complex Gauss map of a conformal minimal immersion $M\to\mathbb{R}^3$ which may furthermore be chosen as the real part of a holomorphic null curve $M\to\mathbb{C}^3$. Analogous results are proved for conformal minimal immersions $M\to\mathbb{R}^n$ for any $n>3$. We also show that every conformal minimal immersion $M\to\mathbb{R}^n$ is isotopic through conformal minimal immersions $M\to\mathbb{R}^n$ to a flat one, and we identify the path connected components of the space of all conformal minimal immersio…
In this paper we find approximate solutions of certain Riemann-Hilbert boundary value problems for minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^n$ and null holomorphic curves in $\mathbb{C}^n$ for any $n\ge 3$. With this tool in hand we construct complete conformally immersed minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^n$ which are normalized by any given bordered Riemann surface and have Jordan boundaries. We also furnish complete conformal proper minimal immersions from any given bordered Riemann surface to any smoothly bounded, strictly convex domain of $\mathbb{R}^n$ which extend continuously up to the boundary; f…
A classification scheme of the conformal almost contact metric manifolds with respect to the covariant derivative of the Lee form is given. The subclasses of one basic class and their exact characterizations by the maximal subgroups of the contact conformal group preserving itself are found.
We consider the class of all conformal mappings from a compact Riemann surface into the threedimensional or fourdimensional Euclidean space. A sequence in this class with bounded Willmore functional is shown to have a sequence of conformal transformations of the target space, such that a subsequence of the transformed sequence converges. This implies that there exists a smooth conformal mapping, which minimizes the Willmore functional in this class. For this purpose we extend the quaternionic function theory of Pedit and Pinkall to square integrable Hopf fields. In particular, we proof the Plu…
We prove that if the minors of degree $k$ of a Sobolev map $\mathbb{R}^d \to \mathbb{R}^d$ are smooth then the map is smooth, when $k,d$ are not both even. We use this result to derive a simple, self-contained proof of the famous Liouville theorem for conformal maps, under the weakest possible regularity assumptions, in even dimensions which are not multiple of $4$. This is based on the approach taken by Iwaniec and Martin in [Acta Mathematica, 170(1):29--81, 1993]. We also prove the regularity of $W^{1,d/2}$ conformal maps between Riemannian manifolds, under the additional assumption of conti…
We will show that in the conformal class of the standard metric $g_{S^n}$ on $S^n$, the scaling invariant functional $(μ_g(S^n))^{\frac{2m-n}{n}}\int_{S^n}Q_{2m,g}dμ_g$ maximizes at $g_{S^n}$ when $n$ is odd and $m=\frac{n+1}{2}$ or $\frac{n+3}{2}$. For $n$ odd and $m\geq\frac{n+5}{2}$, $g_{S^n}$ is not stable and the functional has no local maximizer. Here $Q_{2m,g}$ is the $2m$th order $Q $-curvature.
The aim of this work is to adapt the complex analytic methods originating in modern Oka theory to the study of non-orientable conformal minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^n$ for any $n\ge 3$. These methods, which we develop essentially from the first principles, enable us to prove that the space of conformal minimal immersions of a given bordered non-orientable surface to $\mathbb{R}^n$ is a real analytic Banach manifold, obtain approximation results of Runge-Mergelyan type for conformal minimal immersions from non-orientable surfaces, and show general position theorems for non-orientable conform…
In this paper, we show that for every conformal minimal immersion $u:M\to \mathbb{R}^3$ from an open Riemann surface $M$ to $\mathbb{R}^3$ there exists a smooth isotopy $u_t:M\to\mathbb{R}^3$ $(t\in [0,1])$ of conformal minimal immersions, with $u_0=u$, such that $u_1$ is the real part of a holomorphic null curve $M\to \mathbb{C}^3$ (i.e. $u_1$ has vanishing flux). Furthermore, if $u$ is nonflat then $u_1$ can be chosen to have any prescribed flux and to be complete.
