Scalar curvature constraints can be studied by means of splitting procedures. The success of this strategy depends on the control we can get on its splitting factors. We introduce canonical so-called minimal splitting factors. They have positive scalar curvature while other properties strongly resemble those of area minimizing hypersurfaces. This includes the presence of Poincare, Sobolev and isoperimetric inequalities and the fact that singular points admit tangent cones but now with positive scalar curvature.
In this paper we study some splitting properties on complete noncompact manifolds with smooth measures when $\infty$-dimensional Bakry-Émery Ricci curvature is bounded from below by some negative constant and spectrum of the weighted Laplacian has a positive lower bound. These results extend the cases of Ricci curvature and $m$-dimensional Bakry-Émery Ricci curvature.
We show that a Riemannian $3$-manifold with non-negative scalar curvature is flat if it contains an area-minimizing cylinder. This scalar-curvature analogue of the classical splitting theorem of J.~Cheeger and D.~Gromollhas been conjectured by D.~Fischer-Colbrie and R.~Schoen and by M.~Cai and G.~Galloway.
In this paper, we generalize topological results known for noncompact manifolds with nonnegative Ricci curvature to spaces with nonnegative $N$-Bakry Émery Ricci curvature. We study the Splitting Theorem and a property called the geodesic loops to infinity property in relation to spaces with nonnegative $N$-Bakry Émery Ricci Curvature. In addition, we show that if $M^n$ is a complete, noncompact Riemannian manifold with nonnegative $N$-Bakry Émery Ricci curvature where $N>n$, then $H_{n-1}(M,\mathbb{Z})$ is $0$.
We investigate the structure of a Finsler manifold of nonnegative weighted Ricci curvature including a straight line, and extend the classical Cheeger-Gromoll-Lichnerowicz splitting theorem. Such a space admits a diffeomorphic, measure-preserving splitting in general. As for a special class of Berwald spaces, we can perform the isometric splitting in the sense that there is a one-parameter family of isometries generated from the gradient vector field of the Busemann function. A Betti number estimate is also given for Berwald spaces.
In Part I of this paper we have seen that any singular compact area minimizer in a positive scalar curvature manifold admits a conformal deformation to some minimal factor geometry that shares many properties with the minimizer, like the Ahlfors regularity, the validity of Poincare inequalities and the presence of tangent cones with positive scalar curvature. In this Part II we show that these geometries admit surgery style arguments eliminating the singular sets.
We formulate extensions of Wilking's Jacobi field splitting theorem to uniformly positive sectional curvature and also to positive and nonnegative intermediate Ricci curvatures.
A splitting theorem for manifolds with spectral nonnegative Ricci curvature and mean-convex boundary
Beijing Jiaotong University（北京交通大学）；Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications（北京国际数学研究中心）；Yau Mathematical Sciences Center, Tsinghua University（清华大学丘成桐数学科学中心）
In this paper we obtain a splitting theorem for the symmetric diffusion operator $Δ_ϕ=Δ-\left<\nablaϕ,\nabla \right>$ and a non-constant $C^3$ function $f$ in a complete Riemannian manifold $M$, under the assumptions that the Ricci curvature associated with $Δ_ϕ$ satisfies ${\rm Ric}_ϕ(\nabla f,\nabla f)\ge 0$, that $|\nabla f|$ attains a maximum at $M$ and that $Δ_ϕ$ is non-decreasing along the orbits of $\nabla f$. The proof uses the general fact that a complete manifold $M$ with a non-constant smooth function $f$ with parallel gradient vector field must be a Riemannian product $M=N\times \m…
We consider Riemannian $n$-manifolds $M$ with nontrivial $κ$-nullity "distribution" of the curvature tensor $R$, namely, the variable rank distribution of tangent subspaces to $M$ where $R$ coincides with the curvature tensor of a space of constant curvature $κ$ ($κ\in\mathbb R$) is nontrivial. We obtain classification theorems under diferent additional assumptions, in terms of low nullity/conullity, controlled scalar curvature or existence of quotients of finite volume. We prove new results, but also revisit previous ones.
We prove a splitting theorem for Riemannian n-manifolds with scalar curvature bounded below by a negative constant and containing certain area-minimising hypersurfaces (Theorem 3). Thus we generalise [25,Theorem 3] by Nunes. This splitting result follows from an area comparison theorem for hypersurfaces with non-positive Sigma-constant (Theorem 4) that generalises [23, Theorem 2]. Finally, we will address the optimality of these comparison and splitting results by explicitly constructing several examples.
Cao's splitting theorem says that for any complete Kähler-Ricci flow $(M,g(t))$ with $t\in [0,T)$, $M$ simply connected and nonnegative bounded holomorphic bisectional curvature, $(M,g(t))$ is holomorphically isometric to $\C^k\times (N,h(t))$ where $(N,h(t))$ is a Kahler-Ricci flow with positive Ricci curvature for $t>0$. In this article, we show that $k=n-r$ where $r$ is the Ricci rank of the initial metric. As a corollary, we also confirm a splitting conjecture of Wu-Zheng when curvature is assumed to be bounded.
We prove a new generalization of the Cheeger-Gromoll splitting theorem where we obtain a warped product splitting under the existence of a line. The curvature condition in our splitting is a curvature dimension inequality of the form $CD(0,1)$. Even though we have to allow warping in our splitting, we are able to recover topological applications. In particular, for a smooth compact Riemannian manifold admitting a density which is $CD(0,1)$, we show that the fundamental group of $M$ is the fundamental group of a compact manifold with nonnegative sectional curvature. If the space is also locally…
In this paper, we have proved a weighted Laplacian comparison of distance function for manifolds with Bakry-Émery curvature bounded from below. Next, we have shown that a gradient $ρ$-Einstein soliton with a bounded integral condition on Ricci curvature splits off a line isometrically. Moreover, using this result, we have established some boundedness conditions on scalar curvature of gradient $ρ$-Einstein soliton.
In this paper, we prove two generalized versions of the Cheeger-Gromoll splitting theorem via the non-negativity of the Bakry-Émery Ricci curavture on complete Riemannian manifolds.
Let $(M,g)$ be a closed oriented Riemannian $3$-manifold and suppose that there is a strongly irreducible Heegaard splitting $H$. We prove that $H$ is either isotopic to a minimal surface of index at most one or isotopic to the stable oriented double cover of a non-orientable minimal surface with a vertical handle attached. In particular, this proves a result conjectured by Rubinstein. Some consequences include the existence in any $\mathbb{R}P^3$ of either a minimal torus or a minimal projective plane with stable universal cover. In the case of positive scalar curvature, it is shown for spher…
It is shown that the determinant line bundle associated to a family of Dirac operators over a closed partitioned manifold has a canonical Hermitian metric with compatible connection whose curvature satisfies an additivity formula with contributions from the families of Dirac operators over the two halves. This curvature form is the natural differential representative which satisifies the same splitting principle as the Chern class of the determinant line bundle.
In this paper we prove an area comparison result for certain totally geodesic surfaces in 3-manifolds with a lower bound on the scalar curvature. This result is a variant of a comparison theorem of Heintze-Karcher for minimal hypersurfaces in manifolds of nonnegative Ricci curvature. Our assumptions on the ambient manifold are weaker but the assumptions on the surface are considerably more restrictive. We then use our comparison theorem to provide a unified proof of various splitting theorems for 3-manifolds with lower bounds on the scalar curvature.
In this paper we provide some local and global splitting results on complete Riemannian manifolds with nonnegative Ricci curvature. We achieve the splitting through the analysis of some pointwise inequalities of Modica type which hold true for every bounded solution to a semilinear Poisson equation. More precisely, we prove that the existence of a nonconstant bounded solution $u$ for which one of the previous inequalities becomes an equality at some point leads to the splitting results as well as to a classification of such a solution $u$.
We analyze Lorentzian spacetimes subject to curvature-dimension bounds using the Bakry-Émery-Ricci tensor. We extend the Hawking-Penrose type singularity theorem and the Lorentzian timelike splitting theorem to synthetic dimensions $N\le 1$, including all negative synthetic dimensions. The rigidity of the timelike splitting reduces to a warped product splitting when $N=1$. We also extend the null splitting theorem of Lorentzian geometry, showing that it holds under a null curvature-dimension bound on the Bakry-Émery-Ricci tensor for all $N\in (-\infty, 2]\cup (n,\infty)$ and for the $N=\infty$…
We consider the Hawking-Penrose singularity theorems and the Lorentzian splitting theorem under the weaker curvature condition of nonnegative Bakry-Emery-Ricci curvature $Ric_f^m$ in timelike directions. We prove that they still hold when $m$ is finite, and when $m$ is infinite, they hold under the additional assumption that $f$ is bounded from above.
We discuss recent results on minimal surfaces and mean curvature flow, focusing on the classification and structure of embedded minimal surfaces and the stable singularities of mean curvature flow. This article is dedicated to Rick Schoen.
We establish a curvature estimate for classical minimal surfaces with total boundary curvature less than 4π. The main application is a bound on the genus of these surfaces depending solely on the geometry of the boundary curve. We also prove that the set of simple closed curves with total curvature less than 4πand which do not bound an orientable compact embedded minimal surface of genus greater than g, for any given g, is open in the C^{2,α} topology.
We investigate complete minimal hypersurfaces in the Euclidean space $% \ {R}^{4}$, with Gauss-Kronecker curvature identically zero. We prove that, if $f:M^{3}\to {R}^{4}$ is a complete minimal hypersurface with Gauss-Kronecker curvature identically zero, nowhere vanishing second fundamental form and scalar curvature bounded from below, then $f(M^{3})$ splits as a Euclidean product $L^{2}\times {R}$, where $L^{2}$ is a complete minimal surface in $ {R}^{3}$ with Gaussian curvature bounded from below.
We construct a complete, embedded minimal surface in euclidean 3-space which has unbounded Gaussian curvature. It has infinite genus, infinitely many catenoidal type ends and one limit end.
We present conditions on the Ricci curvature for complete, oriented, minimal submanifolds of Euclidean space, as well as the standard unit sphere, when the Gauss maps are bounded embeddings.
This paper looks at the splitting problem for globally hyperbolic spacetimes with timelike Ricci curvature bounded below containing a (spacelike, acausal, future causally complete) hypersurface with mean curvature bounded from above. For such spacetimes we show a splitting theorem under the assumption of either the existence of a ray of maximal length or a maximality condition on the volume of Lorentzian distance balls over the hypersurface. The proof of the first case follows work by Andersson, Galloway and Howard and uses their geometric maximum principle for level sets of the (Lorentzian) B…
We show that a compact embedded minimal or constant mean curvature annulus with non-vanishing Gaussian curvature which is tangent to two spheres of same radius or tangent to a sphere and meeting a plane in constant contact angle is rotational.
We establish a nice orthonormal frame field on a closed surface minimally immersed in a unit sphere $S^{n}$, under which the shape operators take very simple forms. Using this frame field, we obtain an interesting property $K+K^{N}=1$ for the Gauss curvature $K$ and the normal curvature $K^{N}$ if the Gauss curvature is positive. Moreover, using this property we obtain the pinching on the intrinsic curvature and normal curvature, the pinching on the normal curvature, respectively.
The goal of this article is to study minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{M}^2 \times \mathbb{R}$ having finite total curvature, where $\mathbb{M}^2$ is a Hadamard manifold. The main result gives a formula to compute the total curvature in terms of topological, geometrical and conformal data of the minimal surface. In particular, we prove the total curvature is an integral multiple of $2π$.
In this paper, we consider complete non-catenoidal minimal surfaces of finite total curvature with two ends. A family of such minimal surfaces with least total absolute curvature is given. Moreover, we obtain a uniqueness theorem for this family from its symmetries.
In this paper we present a local description for complete minimal hypersurfaces in $\mathbb{S}^5$ with zero Gauss-Kronecker curvature, zero $3$-mean curvature and nowhere zero second fundamental form.
We give an estimate of the first eigenvalue of the Laplace operator on a complete noncompact stable minimal hypersurface $M$ in a complete simply connected Riemannian manifold with pinched negative sectional curvature. In the same ambient space, we prove that if a complete minimal hypersurface $M$ has sufficiently small total scalar curvature then $M$ has only one end. We also obtain a vanishing theorem for $L^2$ harmonic 1-forms on minimal hypersurfaces in a Riemannian manifold with sectional curvature bounded below by a negative constant. Moreover we provide sufficient conditions for a minim…
We show that the image of a nonconstant conformal harmonic map $\mathbb C\to \mathbb R^3$, not necessarily proper and possibly with branch points, intersects every properly embedded nonflat minimal surface of bounded curvature in $\mathbb R^3$. The same holds if $\mathbb C$ is replaced by any open conformal surface without nonconstant bounded subharmonic functions.
Laurent Hauswirth and Harold Rosenberg developed the theory of minimal surfaces with finite total curvature in $\H^2\times\R$. They showed that the total curvature of one such a surface must be a non-negative integer multiple of $-2π$. The first examples appearing in this context are vertical geodesic planes and Scherk minimal graphs over ideal polygonal domains. Other non simply-connected examples have been constructed recently. In the present paper, we show that the only complete minimal surfaces in $\H^2\times\R$ of total curvature $-2π$ are Scherk minimal graphs over ideal quadrilaterals. …
In the 3-dimensional Lorentz-Minkowski space we prove that the sign of the Gaussian curvature of any timelike minimal surface is determined by the degeneracy and the orientations of the two null curves that generate the surface. Moreover, we also investigate the behavior of the Gaussian curvature near singular points of a timelike minimal surface which admits some kind of singular points.
We obtain new curvature estimates and Bernstein type results for minimal $n-$submanifolds in $\ir{n+m},\, m\ge 2$ under the condition that the rank of its Gauss map is at most 2. In particular, this applies to minimal surfaces in Euclidean spaces of arbitrary codimension.
We give an estimate of the Gauss curvature for minimal surfaces in ${\mathbb R}^m$ whose Gauss map omits more than $m(m+1)/2$ hyperplanes in ${\mathbb P}^{m-1}({\mathbb C})$.
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.
A submanifold $M^m$ of a Euclidean space $R^{m+p}$ is said to have harmonic mean curvature vector field if $Δ\vec{H}=0$, where $\vec{H}$ is the mean curvature vector field of $M\hookrightarrow R^{m+p}$ and $Δ$ is the rough Laplacian on $M$. There is a conjecture named after Bangyen Chen which states that submanifolds of Euclidean spaces with harmonic mean curvature vector fields are minimal. In this paper we prove that weakly convex hypersurfaces (i.e. hypersurfaces whose principle curvatures are nonnegative) with harmonic mean curvature vector fields in Euclidean spaces are minimal. Furthermo…
We give a partial local description of minimal hypersurfaces $M^3$ with identically zero Gauß-Kronecker curvature function in the unit 4-sphere $\Bbb{S}^4(1)$, without assumption on the compactness of $M^3$.
We construct minimal laminations with prescribed singularities on a line segment using perturbation techniques and PDE methods. In addition to the singular set, the rate of curvature blowup is also prescribable in our construction, and we show that all curvature blowup rates between quadratic and quartic arise. Our result generalizes an earlier result of the author and of Hoffman and White.
We prove a phenomenon of concentration of total curvature for stable minimal surfaces in the product space H^2xR; where H^2 is the hyperbolic plane. Under some geometric conditions on the asymptotic boundary of an oriented stable minimal surface immersed in H^2xR, it has infinite total curvature. In particular, we infer that a minimal graph M in H^2xR whose asymptotic boundary is a graph over an arc of the asymptotic boundary of H^2, different from the asymptotic boundary of the boundary of M, has infinite total curvature. Consequently, if M is a stable minimal surface immersed into H^2xR with…
In this paper, we prove that minimal hypersurfaces when $n\geq 3$ and nonzero constant mean curvature hypersurfaces when $n\geq2$ foliated by spheres in parallel horizontal hyperplanes in ${\mathbb{H}}^n \times \mathbb{R}$ must be rotationally symmetric.
