We prove the existence of branched immersed constant mean curvature 2-spheres in an arbitrary Riemannian 3-sphere for almost every prescribed mean curvature, and moreover for all prescribed mean curvatures when the 3-sphere is positively curved. To achieve this, we develop a min-max scheme for a weighted Dirichlet energy functional. There are three main ingredients in our approach: a bi-harmonic approximation procedure to obtain compactness of the new functional, a derivative estimate of the min-max values to gain energy upper bounds for min-max sequences for almost every choice of mean curvature, and a Morse index estimate to obtain another uniform energy bound required to reach the remaining constant mean curvatures in the presence of positive curvature.
We investigate the integral conditions to extend the mean curvature flow in a Riemannian manifold. We prove that the mean curvature flow solution with finite total mean curvature on a finite time interval $[0,T)$ can be extended over time $T$. Moreover, we show that the condition is optimal in some sense.
In this paper we construct smooth Riemannian metrics on the sphere which admit smooth Zoll families of minimal hypersurfaces. This generalizes a theorem of Guillemin for the case of geodesics. The proof uses the Nash-Moser Inverse Function Theorem in the tame maps setting of Hamilton. This answers a question of Yau on perturbations of minimal hypersurfaces in positive Ricci curvature. We also consider the case of the projective space and characterize those metrics on the sphere with minimal equators.
The key condition A3w of Ma, Trudinger and Wang for regularity of optimal transportation maps is implied by the nonnegativity of a pseudo-Riemannian curvature -- which we call cross-curvature -- induced by the transportation cost. For the Riemannian distance squared cost, it is shown that (1) cross-curvature nonnegativity is preserved for products of two manifolds; (2) both A3w and cross-curvature nonnegativity are inherited by Riemannian submersions; and (3) the $n$-dimensional round sphere satisfies cross-curvature nonnegativity. From these results, a large new class of Riemannian manifolds …
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 $\mathbb S^3$.
In this paper we study the solutions of the $Q$-curvature equation on a 4-dimensional Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$ with $\int_MQdV_g=8π^2$, proving some sufficient conditions for the existence.
We establish mean curvature estimate for immersed hypersurface with nonnegative extrinsic scalar curvature in Riemannian manifold $(N^{n+1}, \bar g)$ through regularity study of a degenerate fully nonlinear curvature equation in general Riemannian manifold. The estimate has a direct consequence for the Weyl isometric embedding problem of $(\mathbb S^2, g)$ in $3$-dimensional warped product space $(N^3, \bar g)$. We also discuss isometric embedding problem in spaces with horizon in general relativity, like the Anti-de Sitter-Schwarzschild manifolds and the Reissner-Nordström manifolds.
We introduce a sub-Riemannian analogue of the Bence-Merriman-Osher diffusion driven algorithm and show that it leads to weak solutions of the horizontal mean curvature flow of graphs over sub-Riemannian Carnot groups. The proof follows the nonlinear semi-group theory approach originally introduced by L. C. Evans in the Euclidean setting and is based on new results on the relation between sub-Riemannian heat flows of characteristic functions of subgraphs and the horizontal mean curvature of the corresponding graphs.
Given a 3-dimensional Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$, we prove that if $(Φ_k)$ is a sequence of Willmore spheres (or more generally area-constrained Willmore spheres), having Willmore energy bounded above uniformly strictly by $8 π$, and Hausdorff converging to a point $\bar{p}\in M$, then $Scal(\bar{p})=0$ and $\nabla Scal(\bar{p})=0$ (resp. $\nabla Scal(\bar{p})=0$). Moreover, a suitably rescaled sequence smoothly converges, up to subsequences and reparametrizations, to a round sphere in the euclidean 3-dimensional space. This generalizes previous results of Lamm and Metzger contained in \cite{…
We obtain Harnack estimates for a class of curvature flows in Riemannian manifolds of constant non-negative sectional curvature as well as in the Lorentzian Minkowski and de Sitter spaces. Furthermore, we prove a Harnack estimate with a bonus term for mean curvature flow in locally symmetric Riemannian Einstein manifold of non-negative sectional curvature. Using a concept of "duality" for strictly convex hypersurfaces, we also obtain a new type of inequalities, so-called "pseudo"-Harnack inequalities, for expanding flows in the sphere and in the hyperbolic space.
We construct examples of compact and one-ended constant mean curvature surfaces with large mean curvature in Riemannian manifolds with axial symmetry by gluing together small spheres positioned end-to-end along a geodesic. Such surfaces cannot exist in Euclidean space, but we show that the gradient of the ambient scalar curvature acts as a `friction term' which permits the usual analytic gluing construction to be carried out.
We obtain existence of double bubbles of large and constant mean curvatures in Riemannian manifolds. These arise as perturbations of geodesic standard double bubbles centered at critical points of the ambient scalar curvature and aligned along eigen-vectors of the ambient Ricci tensor. We also obtain general multiplicity results via Lusternik-Schnirelman theory, and extra ones in case of double bubbles whose opposite boundaries have the same mean curvature.
The long-time existence and umbilicity estimates for compact, graphical solutions to expanding curvature flows are deduced in Riemannian warped products of a real interval with a compact fibre. Notably we do not assume the ambient manifold to be rotationally symmetric, nor the radial curvature to converge, nor a lower bound on the ambient sectional curvature. The inverse speeds are given by powers $p\leq 1$ of a curvature function satisfying few common properties.
We consider the problem of conformally deforming a metric to one with a prescribed symmetric function of the eigenvalues of the Ricci tensor, in the case of negative curvature.
We show that a Riemannian foliation on a topological $n$-sphere has leaf dimension 1 or 3 unless n=15 and the Riemannian foliation is given by the fibers of a Riemannian submersion to an 8-dimensional sphere. This allows us to classify Riemannian foliations on round spheres up to metric congruence.
In this article we study a class of prescribed curvature problems on complete noncompact Riemannian manifolds. To be precise, we derive local $C^0$-estimate under an asymptotic condition which is in effect optimal, and prove the existence of complete conformal metrics with prescribed curvature functions. A key ingredient of our strategy is Aviles-McOwen's result or its fully nonlinear version on the existence of complete conformal metrics with prescribed curvature functions on manifolds with boundary.
We prove the existence of metrics with prescribed $Q$-curvature under natural assumptions on the sign of the prescribing function and the background metric. In the dimension four case, we also obtain existence results for curvature forms requiring only restrictions on the Euler characteristic. Moreover, we derive a prescription result for open submanifolds which allow us to conclude that any smooth function on $\mathbb{R}^n$ can be realized as the $Q$-curvature of a Riemannian metric.
Let (X,g) be a metrically complete, simply connected Riemannian manifold with bounded geometry and pinched negative curvature, i.e. there are constants a>b>0 such that -a^2<K<-b^2 for all sectional curvatures K. Here bounded geometry is used in the sense that all covariant derivatives of the Riemannian curvature tensor are bounded and the injectivity radius is uniformly bounded below by a positive constant. We show that there are no superexponentially decaying eigenfunctions of the Laplacian of g. We also show the analogous conclusion for other geometric operators, and prove a theorem with the…
Singular Riemannian Foliations are particular types of foliations on Riemannian manifolds, in which leaves locally stay at a constant distance from each other. Singular Riemannian Foliations in round spheres play a special role, since they provide "infinitesimal information" about general Singular Riemannian Foliations. In this paper we show that Singular Riemannian Foliations in spheres, of dimension at most 3, are orbits of an isometric group action.
In this note we establish the large time non-negativity of the heat kernel for a class of elliptic differential operators on closed, Riemannian manifolds, and apply this result to a problem from conformal differential geometry.
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.,…
We determine the lengths of all closed sub-Riemannian geodesics on the three-sphere. Our methods are elementary and allow us to avoid using explicit formulas for the sub-Riemannian geodesics.
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.
In this paper, we study biharmonic isometric immersions of a surface into and biharmonic Riemannian submersion from 3-dimensional Berger spheres. We obtain a classification of proper biharmonic isometric immersions of a surface with constant mean curvature into Berger 3-spheres. We also give a complete classification of proper biharmonic Hopf tori in Berger 3-sphere. For Riemannian submersions, we prove that a Riemannian submersion from Berger 3-spheres into a surface is biharmonic if and only if it is harmonic.
The unit sphere $\mathbb S^3$ can be identified with the unitary group SU(2). Under this identification the unit sphere can be considered as a non-commutative Lie group. The commutation relations for the vector fields of the corresponding Lie algebra define a 2-step sub-Riemannian manifold. We study sub-Riemannian geodesics on this sub-Riemannian manifold making use of the Hamiltonian formalism and solving the corresponding Hamiltonian system.
We prove that any Riemannian two-sphere with area at most 1 can be continuously mapped onto a tree in a such a way that the topology of fibers is controlled and their length is less than 7.6. This result improves previous estimates and relies on a similar statement for Riemannian two-disks.
In this paper we give bounds for the first eigenvalue of the conformal Laplacian and the Yamabe invariant of a compact Riemannian manifold, by using conditions on the Ricci curvature and the diameter and deduce certain conditions on the manifold to be conformal to a sphere.
The present paper shows that for a given integer k greater than 2 it is possible to construct an at least k-differentiable Riemannian metric on the sphere of a certain dimension such that the cut locus of a point of it becomes a fractal. Moreover, we show that this construction can be extended to the case of Finsler sphere as well.
If $π:M\rightarrow B$ is a Riemannian Submersion and $M$ has positive sectional curvature, O'Neill's Horizontal Curvature Equation shows that $B$ must also have positive curvature. We show there are Riemannian submersions from compact manifolds with positive Ricci curvature to manifolds that have small neighborhoods of (arbitrarily) negative Ricci curvature, but that there are no Riemannian submersions from manifolds with positive Ricci curvature to manifolds with nonpositive Ricci curvature.
We prove the existence of immersed closed curves of constant geodesic curvature in an arbitrary Riemannian 2-sphere for almost every prescribed curvature. To achieve this, we develop a min-max scheme for a weighted length functional.
We prove that Berwald spaces whose flag curvature is nowhere vanishing are in fact Riemannian spaces. This means that any Berwald space with flag curvature bounded below by a positive number must be also Riemannian. This rigidity result shows the importance of non-Riemannian examples when imposing flag curvature bounds on Finsler spaces.
Using representations of Clifford algebras we construct indecomposable singular Riemannian foliations on round spheres, most of which are non-homogeneous. This generalizes the construction of non-homogeneous isoparametric hypersurfaces due to by Ferus, Karcher and Munzner.
We consider a $3$-dimensional differentiable manifold with two circulant structures -- a Riemannian metric and an additional structure, whose third power is the identity. The structure is compatible with the metric such that an isometry is induced in any tangent space of the manifold. Further, we consider an associated metric with the Riemannian metric, which is necessary indefinite. We find equations of a sphere and of a circle, which are given in terms of the associated metric, with respect to the Riemannian metric.
We derive a curvature identity that holds on any 6-dimensional Riemannian manifold, from the Chern-Gauss-Bonnet theorem for a 6-dimensional closed Riemannian manifold. We also introduce some applications of this curvature identity.
The following Theorem is proved: Let M be an n-dimensional (n>2) submanifold of a Riemannian manifold N. Suppose that through each point p of M there exist two (n-1)-dimensional extrinsic spheres of N, which are contained in M in a neighbourhood of p and are tangent to each other at p. Then M is totally geodesic in N or an extrinsic sphere of N.
A contact metric manifold is said to be $H$-contact, if the characteristic vector field is harmonic. We prove that the unit tangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold $M$ equipped with the standard contact metric structure is $H$-contact if and only if $M$ is $2$-stein.
We prove comparison theorems for the sub-Riemannian distortion coefficients appearing in interpolation inequalities. These results, which are equivalent to a sub-Laplacian comparison theorem for the sub-Riemannian distance, are obtained by introducing a suitable notion of sub-Riemannian Bakry-Émery curvature. The model spaces for comparison are variational problems coming from optimal control theory. As an application we establish the sharp measure contraction property for 3-Sasakian manifolds satisfying a suitable curvature bound.
Using a new type of Jacobi field estimate we will prove a duality theorem for singular Riemannian foliations in complete manifolds of nonnegative sectional curvature.
We consider modified scalar curvature functions for Riemannian manifolds equipped with smooth measures. Given a Riemannian submersion whose fiber transport is measure-preserving up to constants, we show that the modified scalar curvature of the base is bounded below in terms of the scalar curvatures of the total space and fibers. We give an application concerning the scalar curvature of a smooth limit space arising in a bounded curvature collapse.
We consider the sub-Riemannian $3$-sphere $(\mathbb{S}^3,g_h)$ obtained by restriction of the Riemannian metric of constant curvature $1$ to the planar distribution orthogonal to the vertical Hopf vector field. It is known that $(\mathbb{S}^3,g_h)$ contains a family of spherical surfaces $\{\mathcal{S}_λ\}_{λ\geq 0}$ with constant mean curvature $λ$. In this work we first prove that the two closed half-spheres of $\mathcal{S}_0$ with boundary $C_0=\{0\}\times\mathbb{S}^1$ minimize the sub-Riemannian area among compact $C^1$ surfaces with the same boundary. We also see that the only $C^2$ solut…
We show that for an isometric immersion of a complete Riemannian manifold into a Riemannian manifold with non-positive curvature, the norm of the mean curvature vector field is square integrable, then it is minimal. This is a partial affirmative answer of the B. Y. Chen's conjecture.
It is proved the existence and uniqueness of graphs with prescribed mean curvature in Riemannian submersions fibered by flow lines of a vertical Killing vector field.
We give a curvature identity derived from the generalized Gauss-Bonnet formula for 4-dimensional compact oriented Riemannian manifolds. We prove that the curvature identity holds on any 4-dimensional Riemannian manifold which is not necessarily compact. We also provide some applications of the identity.
We extend the Lyapunov-Schmidt analysis of outlying stable CMC spheres in the work of S. Brendle and the second-named author to the "far-off-center" regime and to include general Schwarzschild asymptotics. We obtain sharp existence and non-existence results for large stable CMC spheres that depend very delicately on the behavior of scalar curvature at infinity.
We prove that the Euclidean plane is the only Riemannian plane with total curvature and free of conjugate points that satisfies Playfair's version of the parallel postulate.
We prove that complete Riemannian manifolds with polynomial growth and Ricci curvature bounded from below, admit uniform Poincaré inequalities. A global, uniform Poincaré inequality for horospheres in the universal cover of a closed, $n$-dimensional Riemannian manifold with pinched negative sectional curvature follows as a corollary.
In this note we consider versions of both Ricci and sectional curvature pinching for Riemannian manifold with density. In the Ricci curvature case the main result implies a diameter estimate that is new even for compact shrinking Ricci solitons. In the case of sectional curvature we prove a new sphere theorem.
The objet of this paper is the study of variations of a functional whose integrant is the $σ_u$-curvature of closed submanifolds of arbitrary codimension in Riemannian manifolds.
We shall prove the universality of the curvature identity for the 4-dimensional Riemannian manifold using a different method than that used by Gilkey, Park, and Sekigawa \cite{GPS}.
For an arbitrary nondegenerate curve in a pseudo-Riemann\-ian (including Riemannian) 2-manifold, we express the equi-affine curvature with the help of the Frenet (geodesic) curvature of this curve.
We give some rigidity theorems for an n$(\geq4)$-dimensional compact Riemannian manifold with harmonic Weyl curvature, positive scalar curvature and positive constant $σ_2$. Moreover, when $n=4,$ we prove that a 4-dimensional compact locally conformally flat Riemannian manifold with positive scalar curvature and positive constant $σ_2$ is isometric to a quotient of the round $\mathbb{S}^4$.
The main aim of the present work is to obtain some curvature properties of the manifolds from two classes of Riemannian product manifolds. These classes are two basic classes from Naveira classification of Riemannian almost product manifolds.
We prove a family of new Weitzenböck formulas on a Riemannian foliation with totally geodesic leaves. These Weitzenböck formulas are naturally parametrized by the canonical variation of the metric. As a consequence, under natural geometric conditions, the horizontal Laplacian satisfies a generalized curvature dimension inequality. Among other things, this curvature dimension inequality implies Li-Yau estimates for positive solutions of the horizontal heat equation and a sub-Riemannian Bonnet-Myers compactness theorem whose assumptions only rely on the intrinsic geometry of the horizontal distr…
In this paper we study almost complex and almost para-complex Cayley structures on six-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian spheres in the space of purely imaginary octaves of the split Cayley algebra $\mathbf{Ca}'$. It is shown that the Cayley structures are non-integrable, their basic geometric characteristics are calculated. In contrast to the usual Riemann sphere $\mathbb{S}^6$, there exist (integrable) complex structures and para-complex structures on the pseudospheres under consideration.
Let $M^n$ be a complete, non-compact and $C^\infty$-smooth Riemannian manifold with nonnegative sectional curvature. Suppose $\Cal S$ is a soul of $M^n$. Then any distance non-increasing retraction $Ψ: M^n \to \Cal S$ must give rise to a $C^\infty$-smooth Riemannian submersion.
This is a survey of recent results on manifolds with positive curvature from a series of lecture given in Guanajuato, Mexico in 2010. It also contains some hitsorical comments.