We address the problem of integrability of the sub-Riemannian mean curvature of an embedded hypersurface around isolated characteristic points. The main contribution of this note is the introduction of a concept of mildly degenerate characteristic point for a smooth surface of the Heisenberg group, in a neighborhood of which the sub-Riemannian mean curvature is integrable (with respect to the perimeter measure induced by the Euclidean structure). As a consequence we partially answer to a question posed by Danielli-Garofalo-Nhieu in [Danielli D., Garofalo N., Nhieu D.M., Proc. Amer. Math. Soc., 2012], proving that the mean curvature of a real-analytic surface with discrete characteristic set is locally integrable.
Involutivity is a well known necessary condition for integrability of smooth tangent distributions. We show that this condition is still necessary for integrability with Sobolev surfaces. We specialize our study to the left invariant horizontal distribution of the first Heisenberg group $\H^1$. Here we answer a question raised in a paper by Z.M.Balogh, R.Hoefer-Isenegger, J.T.Tyson.
Minimal surfaces in the sub-Riemannian Heisenberg group can be constructed by means of a Riemannian approximation scheme, as limit of Riemannian minimal surfaces. We study the regularity of Lipschitz, non-characteristic minimal surfaces which arise as such limits. Our main results are a-priori estimates on the solutions of the approximating Riemannian PDE and the ensuing $C^{\infty}$ regularity of the sub-Riemannian minimal surface along its Legendrian foliation.
Given a smooth 2-dimensional Riemannian or pseudo-Riemannian manifold $(M, \boldsymbol{g})$ and an ambient 3-dimensional Riemannian or pseudo-Riemannian manifold $(N, \boldsymbol{h})$, one can ask under what circumstances does the exterior differential system $\mathcal{I}$ for the isometric embedding $M\hookrightarrow N$ have particularly nice solvability properties. In this paper we give a classification of all $2$-metrics $\boldsymbol{g}$ whose local isometric embedding system into flat Riemannian or pseudo-Riemannian 3-manifolds $(N, \boldsymbol{h})$ is Darboux integrable. As an illustratio…
We study the uniqueness of generalized $p$-minimal surfaces in the Heisenberg group. The generalized $p$-area of a graph defined by $u$ reads $\int |\nabla u+\vec{F}| + Hu$. If $u$ and $v$ are two minimizers for the generalized $p$-area satisfying the same Dirichlet boundary condition, then we can only get $N_{\vec{F}}(u)$ $=$ $N_{\vec{F}}(v)$ (on the nonsingular set) where $N_{\vec{F}}(w)$ $:=$ $\frac{\nabla w+\vec{F}}{|\nabla w+\vec{F}|}.$ To conclude $u$ $=$ $v$ (or $\nabla u$ $=$ $\nabla v)$, it is not straightforward as in the Riemannian case, but requires some special argument in general…
We provide the first known family of examples of integrable homogeneous sub-Riemannian structures admitting strictly abnormal geodesics. These examples were obtained through the analysis of the equivalence problem for sub-Riemannian Engel structures. We formulate a criterion of strict abnormality in terms of structure functions of a canonical frame on a sub-Riemannian Engel manifold as well as estimates on conjugate times.
The nonlinear equations describing all the nonsingular pencils of metrics of constant Riemannian curvature are derived and the integrability of these nonlinear equations by the method of inverse scattering problem is proved. It is proved that all the nonsingular pairs of compatible metrics of constant Riemannian curvature are described by special integrable reductions of nonlinear equations defining orthogonal curvilinear coordinate systems in the spaces of constant curvature.
We study constant mean curvature graphs in the Riemannian 3-dimensional Heisenberg spaces ${\cal H}={\cal H}(τ)$. Each such ${\cal H}$ is the total space of a Riemannian submersion onto the Euclidean plane $\mathbb{R}^2$ with geodesic fibers the orbits of a Killing field. We prove the existence and uniqueness of CMC graphs in ${\cal H}$ with respect to the Riemannian submersion over certain domains $Ω\subset\mathbb{R}^2$ taking on prescribed boundary values.
In this note we prove that the Heisenberg group with a left-invariant pseudo-Riemannian metric admits a completely integrable totally geodesic distribution of codimension 1. This is on the contrary to the Riemannian case, as it was proved by T. Hangan.
We use a Riemannnian approximation scheme to define a notion of $\textit{sub-Riemannian Gaussian curvature}$ for a Euclidean $C^{2}$-smooth surface in the Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}$ away from characteristic points, and a notion of $\textit{sub-Riemannian signed geodesic curvature}$ for Euclidean $C^{2}$-smooth curves on surfaces. These results are then used to prove a Heisenberg version of the Gauss-Bonnet theorem. An application to Steiner's formula for the Carnot-Carathéodory distance in $\mathbb{H}$ is provided.
We prove a version of Gauss-Bonnet theorem in sub-Riemannian Heisenberg space $H^1$. The sub-Riemannian distance makes $H^1$ a metric space and consenquently with a spherical Hausdorff measure. Using this measure, we define a Gaussian curvature at points of a surface S where the sub-Riemannian distribution is transverse to the tangent space of S. If all points of S have this property, we prove a Gauss-Bonnet formula and for compact surfaces (which are topologically a torus) we obtain $\int_S K = 0$.
We construct a pair of compact, eight-dimensional, two-step Riemannian nilmanifolds $M$ and $M'$ which are isospectral for the Laplace operator on functions and such that $M$ has completely integrable geodesic flow in the sense of Liouville, while $M'$ has not. Moreover, for both manifolds we analyze the structure of the submanifolds of the unit tangent bundle given by to maximal continuous families of closed geodesics with generic velocity fields. The structure of these submanifolds turns out to reflect the above (non)integrability properties. On the other hand, their dimension is larger than…
In this paper we provide examples of maps from almost complex domains into pseudo-Riemannian symmetric targets, which are pluriharmonic and not integrable, i.e. do not admit an associated family. More precisely, for one class of examples the source has a non-integrable complex structure, like for instance a nearly Kaehler structure and the target is a Riemannian symmetric space and for the other class the source is a complex manifold and the target is a pseudo-Riemannian symmetric space. These examples show, that a former result on the existence of associated families is sharp.
We discuss the integrability of rank 2 sub-Riemannian structures on low-dimensional manifolds, and then prove that some structures of that type in dimension 6, 7 and 8 have a lot of symmetry but no integrals polynomial in momenta of low degrees, except for those coming from the Killing fields and the Hamiltonian, thus indicating non-integrability of the corresponding geodesic flows.
The notion of $Γ$-symmetric space is a natural generalization of the classical notion of symmetric space based on $\z_2$-grading of Lie algebras. In our case, we consider homogeneous spaces $G/H$ such that the Lie algebra $\g$ of $G$ admits a $Γ$-grading where $Γ$ is a finite abelian group. In this work we study Riemannian metrics and Lorentzian metrics on the Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}_3$ adapted to the symmetries of a $Γ$-symmetric structure on $\mathbb{H}_3$. We prove that the classification of $\z_2^2$-symmetric Riemannian and Lorentzian metrics on $\mathbb{H}_3$ corresponds to the class…
An almost Golden Riemannian structure $(φ,g)$ on a manifold is given by a tensor field $φ$ of type (1,1) satisfying the Golden section relation $φ^{2}=φ+1$, and a pure Riemannian metric $g$, i.e., a metric satisfying $g(φX,Y)=g(X,φY)$. We study connections adapted to such a structure, finding two of them, the first canonical and the well adapted, which measure the integrability of $φ$ and the integrability of the $G$-structure corresponding to $(φ,g)$.
The paper is devoted to the large scale geometry of the Heisenberg group $\mathbb H$ equipped with left-invariant Riemannian distances. We prove that two such distances have bounded difference if and only if they are asymptotic, i.e., their ratio goes to one, at infinity. Moreover, we show that for every left-invariant Riemannian distance $d$ on $\mathbb H$ there is a unique subRiemanniann metric $d'$ for which $d-d'$ goes to zero at infinity, and we estimate the rate of convergence. As a first immediate consequence we get that the Riemannian Heisenberg group is at bounded distance from its as…
The notion of $Γ$-symmetric space is a natural generalization of the classical notion of symmetric space based on $\Z_2$-grading of Lie algebras. In our case, we consider homogeneous spaces $G/H$ such that the Lie algebra $\g$ of $G$ admits a $Γ$-grading where $Γ$ is a finite abelian group. In this work we study Riemannian metrics and Lorentzian metrics on the Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}_3$ adapted to the symmetries of a $Γ$-symmetric structure on $\mathbb{H}_3$. We prove that the classification of $\z$-symmetric Riemannian and Lorentzian metrics on $\mathbb{H}_3$ corresponds to the classific…
By adapting a technique of Molchanov, we obtain the heat kernel asymptotics at the sub-Riemannian cut locus, when the cut points are reached by an $r$-dimensional parametric family of optimal geodesics. We apply these results to the bi-Heisenberg group, that is, a nilpotent left-invariant sub-Rieman\-nian structure on $\mathbb{R}^{5}$ depending on two real parameters $α_{1}$ and $α_{2}$. We develop some results about its geodesics and heat kernel associated to its sub-Laplacian and we illuminate some interesting geometric and analytic features appearing when one compares the isotropic ($α_{1}=…
We study heat kernel measures on sub-Riemannian infinite-dimensional Heisenberg-like Lie groups. In particular, we show that Cameron-Martin type quasi-invariance results hold in this subelliptic setting and give $L^p$-estimates for the Radon-Nikodym derivatives. The main ingredient in our proof is a generalized curvature-dimension estimate which holds on approximating finite-dimensional projection groups. Such estimates were first introduced by Baudoin and Garofalo in \cite{BaudoinGarofalo2011}.
Aguilar introduced isotropic almost complex structures $J_{δ, σ}$ on the tangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold $(M, g)$. In this paper, some results will be obtained on the integrability of these structures. These structures with the Liouville 1-form define a class of Riemannian metrics $g_{δ, σ}$ on $T M$ which are a generalization of the Sasaki metric. Moreover, the notion of a harmonic unit vector field is introduced with respect to these metrics like as the Sasaki metric and the necessary and sufficient conditions for a unit vector field to be a harmonic unit vector field are obtained.
This paper aims to define and study currents and slices of currents in the Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}^n$. Currents, depending on their integration properties and on those of their boundaries, can be classified into subspaces and, assuming their support to be compact, we can work with currents of finite mass, define the notion of slices of Heisenberg currents and show some important properties for them. While some such properties are similarly true in Riemannian settings, others carry deep consequences because they do not include the slices of the middle dimension $n$, which opens new challen…
We initiate the study of X-ray tomography on sub-Riemannian manifolds, for which the Heisenberg group exhibits the simplest nontrivial example. With the language of the group Fourier Transform, we prove an operator-valued incarnation of the Fourier Slice Theorem, and apply this new tool to show that a sufficiently regular function on the Heisenberg group is determined by its line integrals over sub-Riemannian geodesics. We also consider the family of taming metrics $g_ε$ approximating the sub-Riemannian metric, and show that the associated X-ray transform is injective for all $ε>0$. This resul…
The classical theory of $G$-structures, which include almost-complex structures, explains the relationship between the curvature of compatible connections and integrability. This note is an effort to understand how the curvature of Riemannian metrics can obstruct the integrability of almost-complex structures. It is shown that certain special complex structures cannot coexist with non-flat constant curvature metrics, and a formal variational realization of these structures is provided. The approach followed here is direct, meaning that it bypasses the classical theory. The idea is to find obst…
This note is about the interplay between the almost-hermitian and Riemannian geometries of a manifold. These geometries can be seen to interact through curvature. The main result is an obstruction equation to the integrability of almost-complex structures orthogonal with respect to Riemannian metrics with constrained sectional curvature. Several geometric consequences ensue, such as a formula for the norm of the Levi-Civita covariant derivative of a hypothetical orthogonal complex structure. Our results lead to a partial recovery of the well-known fact that the round $6$-sphere $S^6$ is not he…
Let $G/K$ be an orbit of the adjoint representation of a compact connected Lie group $G$, $σ$ be an involutive automorphism of $G$ and $\tilde G$ be the Lie group of fixed points of $σ$. We find a sufficient condition for the complete integrability of the geodesic flow of the Riemannian metric on $\tilde G/(\tilde G\cap K)$, which is induced by the bi-invariant Riemannian metric on $\tilde G$. The integrals constructed here are real analytic functions, polynomial in momenta. It is checked that this sufficient condition holds when $G$ is the unitary group $U(n)$ and $σ$ is its automorphism defi…
We consider surfaces of class $C^1$ in the $3$-dimensional sub-Riemannian Heisenberg group ${\mathbb H}^1$. Assuming the surface is area-stationary, i.e., a critical point of the sub-Riemannian perimeter under compactly supported variations, we show that its regular part is foliated by horizontal straight lines. In case the surface is complete and oriented, without singular points, and stable, i.e., a second order minimum of perimeter, we prove that the surface must be a vertical plane. This implies the following Bernstein type result: a complete locally area-minimizing intrinsic graph of a $C…
We show that in the first sub-Riemannian Heisenberg group there are intrinsic graphs of smooth functions that are both critical and stable points of the sub-Riemannian perimeter under compactly supported variations of contact diffeomorphisms, despite the fact that they are not area-minimizing surfaces. In particular, we show that if $f:\mathbb{R}^2\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ is a $C^1$-intrinsic function, and $\nabla^f\nabla^ff=0$, then the first contact variation of the sub-Riemannian area of its intrinsic graph is zero and the second contact variation is positive.
We consider the Carnot-Carathéodory distance $δ_E$ to a closed set $E$ in the sub-Riemannian Heisenberg groups $\mathbb{H}^n$, $n\ge 1$. The $\mathbb{H}$-regularity of $δ_E$ is proved under mild conditions involving a general notion of singular points. In case $E$ is a Euclidean $C^k$ submanifold, $k\ge 2$, we prove that $δ_E$ is $C^k$ out of the singular set. Explicit expressions for the volume of the tubular neighborhood when the boundary of $E$ is of class $C^2$ are obtained, out of the singular set, in terms of the horizontal principal curvatures of $\partial E$ and of the function $\langl…
It is shown that parts of planes, helicoids and hyperbolic paraboloids are the only minimal surfaces ruled by geodesics in the three dimensional Riemannian Heisenberg group. It is also shown that they are the only surfaces in the three dimensional Heisenberg group whose mean curvature is zero with respect to both of the standard Riemannian metric and the standard Lorentzian metric.
We verify if Gausssian curvature of surfaces and normal curvature of curves in surfaces introduced by Diniz-Veloso arXiv:1210.7110 and by Balogh-Tyson-Vecchi arXiv:1604.00180 to prove Gauss-Bonnet theorems in Heisenberg space $\mathbb H^1$ are equal. The authors in arXiv:1604.00180 utilize a limit of Gaussian and normal curvatures defined in the Riemannian approximations scheme $(\mathbb R^3,g_L)$ introduced by Gromov to study sub-Riemannian spaces. They show that these limits exist (unlike the limit of Riemannian surface area form or length form), and they obtain Gauss-Bonnet theorem in $\mat…
In this paper we provide a characterization of intrinsic Lipschitz graphs in the sub-Riemannian Heisenberg groups in terms of their distributional gradients. Moreover, we prove the equivalence of different notions of continuous weak solutions to the equation ϕ_y+ [ϕ^{2}/2]_t=w, where w is a bounded function depending on ϕ.
We give a new characterisation of the unparametrised geodesics, or distinguished curves, for affine, pseudo-Riemannian, conformal, and projective geometry. This is a type of moving incidence relation. The characterisation is used to provide a very general theory and construction of quantities that are necessarily conserved along the curves. The formalism immediately yields explicit formulae for these curve first integrals. The usual role of Killing tensors and conformal Killing tensors is recovered as a special case, but the construction shows that a significantly larger class of equation solu…
We study a family of spheres with constant mean curvature (CMC) in the Riemannian Heisenberg group $H^1$. These spheres are conjectured to be the isoperimetric sets of $H^1$. We prove several results supporting this conjecture. We also focus our attention on the sub-Riemannian limit.
For the purpose of understanding second-order scalar PDEs and their hydrodynamic integrability, we introduce G-structures that are induced on hypersurfaces of the space of symmetric matrices (interpreted as the fiber of second-order jet space) and are defined by non-degenerate scalar second-order-only (Hessian) PDEs in any number of variables. The fiber group is a conformal orthogonal group that acts on the space of independent variables, and it is a subgroup of the conformal orthogonal group for a semi-Riemannian metric that exists on the PDE. These G-structures are automatically compatible w…
In this paper, we study harmonic Riemannian submersions from 3-dimensional geometries using the ( generalized) integrability data associated to an orthonormal frame natural to a Riemannian submersion. We give complete classifications of harmonic Riemannian submersions from Thurston's 3-dimensional geometries, 3-dimensional BCV spaces and Berger sphere into a surface. We also give some explicit constructions of these harmonic Riemannian submersions.
We discuss the integrability of orthogonal almost complex structures on Riemannian products of even-dimensional round spheres and give a partial answer to the question raised by E. Calabi concerning the existence of complex structures on a product manifold of a round 2-sphere and a round 4-sphere.
We prove the integrability of geodesic flows on the Riemannian g.o. spaces of compact Lie groups, as well as on a related class of Riemannian homogeneous spaces having an additional principal bundle structure.
In the infinite dimensional Heisenberg group, we construct a left invariant weak Riemannian metric that gives a degenerate geodesic distance. The same construction yields a degenerate sub-Riemannian distance. We show how the standard notion of sectional curvature adapts to our framework, but it cannot be defined everywhere and it is unbounded on suitable sequences of planes. The vanishing of the distance precisely occurs along this sequence of planes, so that the degenerate Riemannian distance appears in connection with an unbounded sectional curvature. In the 2005 paper by Michor and Mumford,…
In this note, we obtain the asymptotic estimate for the time derivative of the $Φ$-entropy in terms of the lower bound on the Bakry-Emery $Γ_2$ curvature. In the cases of Hyperbolic space and Heisenberg group, we show that the time derivative of the $Φ$-entropy is non-increasing, and we also get sharp asymptotic bound for the time derivative of the entropy in the Heisenberg group.
We classify all self-dual Einstein four-manifolds invariant under a principal action of the three-dimensional Heisenberg group with non-degenerate orbits. The metrics are explicit and we find, in particular, that the Einstein constant can take any value. Then we study when the corresponding (Riemannian or neutral-signature) metrics are (geodesically) complete. Finally, we exhibit the solutions of non-zero Ricci-curvature as different branches of one-loop deformed universal hypermultiplets in Riemannian and neutral signature.
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.
