In Lorentz-Minkowski space, we prove that the conjugate surface of a maximal graph over a convex domain is also a graph. We provide three proofs of this result that show a suitable correspondence between maximal surfaces in Lorentz-Minkowski space and minimal surfaces in Euclidean space.
Several characterizations of umbilic points of submanifolds in arbitrary Riemannian and Lorentzian manifolds are given. As a consequence, we obtain new characterizations of spheres in the Euclidean space and of hyperbolic spaces in the Lorentz-Minkowski space. We also prove the Lorentzian version of a classical result by Cartan.
We prove that the conformal group of a closed, simply connected, real analytic Lorentzian manifold is compact. D'Ambra proved in 1988 that the isometry group of such a manifold is compact. Our result implies the Lorentzian Lichnerowicz Conjecture for real analytic Lorentzian manifolds with finite fundamental group. Third version includes corrections and clarifications, particularly in section 6.
We introduce a version of Aubry-Mather theory for the length functional of causal curves in compact Lorentzian manifolds. Results include the existence of maximal invariant measures, calibrations and calibrated curves. We prove two versions of the Mather's graph theorem. A class of examples, the Lorentzian Hedlund examples, shows the optimality of the obtained results.
In this paper we establish some parabolicity criteria for maximal surfaces immersed into a Lorentzian product space of the form $M^2\times\mathbb{R}_1$, where $M^2$ is a connected Riemannian surface with non-negative Gaussian curvature and $M^2\times\mathbb{R}_1$ is endowed with the Lorentzian product metric $<,>=<,>_M-dt^2$. In particular, and as an application of our main result, we deduce that every maximal graph over a starlike domain $Ω\subseteq M$ is parabolic. This allows us to give an alternative proof of the non-parametric version of the Calabi-Bernstein result for entire maximal grap…
In this article we introduce a notion of normalized angle for Lorentzian pre-length spaces. This concept allows us to prove some equivalences to the definition of timelike curvature bounds from below for Lorentzian pre-length spaces. Specifically, we establish some comparison theorems known as the local Lorentzian version of the Toponogov theorem and the Alexandrov convexity property. Finally, as an application we obtain a first variation Formula for non-negatively curved globally hyperbolic Lorentzian length spaces.
Let S be a compact surface of genus >1, and g be a metric on S of constant curvature K\in\{-1,0,1\} with conical singularities of negative singular curvature. When K=1 we add the condition that the lengths of the contractible geodesics are >2π. We prove that there exists a convex polyhedral surface P in the Lorentzian space-form of curvature K and a group G of isometries of this space such that the induced metric on the quotient P/G is isometric to (S,g). Moreover, the pair (P,G) is unique (up to global isometries) among a particular class of convex polyhedra, namely Fuchsian polyhedra. This e…
Lorentzian versions of classical Riemannian volume comparison theorems by Gunther, Bishop and Bishop-Gromov, are stated for suitable natural subsets of general semi-Riemannian manifolds. The problem is more subtle in the Bishop-Gromov case, which is extensively discussed. For the general semi-Riemannian case, a local version of the Gunther and Bishop theorems is given and applied.
Motivated by the classical Euler elastic curves, David A. Singer posed in 1999 the problem of determining a plane curve whose curvature is given in terms of its position. We propound the same question in Lorentz-Minkowski plane, focusing on spacelike and timelike curves. In this article, we study those curves in $\mathbb{L}^2$ whose curvature depends on the Lorentzian pseudodistance from the origin, and those ones whose curvature depends on the Lorentzian pseudodistance through the horizontal or vertical geodesic to a fixed lightlike geodesic. Making use of the notions of geometric angular mom…
We prove several geometric theorems using tools from the theory of convex optimization. In the Riemannian setting, we prove the max flow-min cut theorem for boundary regions, applied recently to develop a "bit-thread" interpretation of holographic entanglement entropies. We also prove various properties of the max flow and min cut, including respective nesting properties. In the Lorentzian setting, we prove the analogous min flow-max cut theorem, which states that the volume of a maximal slice equals the flux of a minimal flow, where a flow is defined as a divergenceless timelike vector field …
In this paper we establish new Calabi-Bernstein results for maximal surfaces immersed into a Lorentzian product space of the form $M^2\times\mathbb{R}_1$, where $M^2$ is a connected Riemannian surface and $M^2\times\mathbb{R}_1$ is endowed with the Lorentzian metric $<,>=<,>_{M}-dt^2$. In particular, when $M$ is a Riemannian surface with non-negative Gaussian curvature $K_M$, we prove that any complete maximal surface in $M^2\times\mathbb{R}_1$ must be totally geodesic. Besides, if $M$ is non-flat we conclude that it must be a slice $M\times\{t_0\}$, $t_0\in\mathbb{R}$ (here by "complete" it i…
The harmonic oscillator as a distinguished dynamical system can be defined not only on the Euclidean plane but also on the sphere and on the hyperbolic plane, and more generally on any configuration space with constant curvature and with a metric of any signature, either Riemannian (definite positive) or Lorentzian (indefinite). In this paper we study the main properties of these `curved' harmonic oscillators simultaneously on any such configuration space, using a Cayley-Klein (CK) type approach, with two free parameters $\ki, \kii$ which altogether correspond to the possible values for curvat…
We formulate and prove the Lorentzian version of the positive mass theorems with arbitrary negative cosmological constant for asymptotically AdS spacetimes. This work is the continuation of the second author's recent work on the positive mass theorem on asymptotically hyperbolic 3-manifolds.