This is the first of three papers math.DG/0111326, math.DG/0204343 studying special Lagrangian 3-submanifolds (SL 3-folds) N in C^3 invariant under the U(1)-action (z_1,z_2,z_3) --> (gz_1,g^{-1}z_2,z_3) for unit complex numbers g, using analytic methods. The three papers are surveyed in math.DG/0206016.
Let N be such a U(1)-invariant SL 3-fold. Then |z_1|^2-|z_2|^2=2a on N for some real number a. Locally, N can be written as a kind of graph of functions u,v : R^2 --> R satisfying a nonlinear Cauchy-Riemann equation depending on a, so that u+iv is like a holomorphic function of x+iy. When a is nonzero, u,v are always smooth and N is always nonsingular. But if a=0, there may be points (x,0) where u,v are not differentiable, which correspond to singular points of N.
This paper focusses on the nonsingular case, when a is nonzero. We prove analogues for our nonlinear Cauchy-Riemann equation of well-known results in complex analysis. In particular, we prove existence and uniqueness for solutions of two Dirichlet problems derived from it. This yields existence and uniqueness of a large class of nonsingular U(1)-invariant SL 3-folds in C^3, with two kinds of boundary conditions.
In the sequels we extend these results to the singular case a=0. The next paper math.DG/0111326 proves existence and uniqueness of continuous weak solutions to the two Dirichlet problems when a=0. This gives existence and uniqueness of a large class of singular U(1)-invariant SL 3-folds in C^3, with boundary conditions. The final paper math.DG/0204343 studies the nature of the singularities that arise, and constructs U(1)-invariant special Lagrangian fibrations of open sets in C^3.
Let SO(n) act in the standard way on C^n and extend this action in the usual way to C^{n+1}. It is shown that a nonsingular special Lagrangian submanifold L in C^{n+1} that is invariant under this SO(n)-action intersects the fixed line C in a nonsingular real-analytic arc A (that may be empty). If n>2, then A has no compact component. Conversely, an embedded, noncompact nonsingular real-analytic arc A in C lies in an embedded nonsingular special Lagrangian submanifold that is SO(n)-invariant. The same existence result holds for compact A if n=2. If A is connected, there exist n distinct nonsin…
We derive formulas for the mean curvature of special Lagrangian 3-folds in the general case where the ambient 6-manifold has intrinsic torsion. Consequently, we are able to characterize those SU(3)-structures for which every special Lagrangian 3-fold is a minimal submanifold. In the process, we obtain an obstruction to the local existence of special Lagrangian 3-folds.
This is the second in a series of papers constructing explicit examples of special Lagrangian submanifolds in C^m. The first paper was math.DG/0008021, which studied special Lagrangian m-folds with large symmetry groups. The third is math.DG/0010036, which uses ideas from this paper to construct families of special Lagrangian 3-folds in C^3. This paper describes a construction of special Lagrangian m-folds in C^m which are fibred by (m-1)-submanifolds which are quadrics in Lagrangian planes R^m in C^m. Generically they have only discrete symmetry groups. Some of our examples have been previous…
This is the third in a series of papers constructing explicit examples of special Lagrangian submanifolds in C^m. The previous paper in the series, math.DG/0008155, defined the idea of evolution data, which includes an (m-1)-submanifold P in R^n, and constructed a family of special Lagrangian m-folds N in C^m, which are swept out by the image of P under a 1-parameter family of linear or affine maps phi_t : R^n -> C^m, satisfying a first-order o.d.e. in t. In this paper we use the same idea to construct special Lagrangian 3-folds in C^3. We find a 1-1 correspondence between sets of evolution da…
This paper is a follow-up to an earlier paper math.DG/0410260 on desingularizations of Calabi-Yau 3-folds with a conical singularity. In math.DG/0410260 we study Calabi-Yau 3-folds M_0 with a conical singularity at x modelled on some Calabi-Yau cone V, and construct a desingularization of M_0 by gluing in an Asymptotically Conical (AC) Calabi-Yau 3-fold Y to M_0 at x. In this paper, we shall investigate a similar desingularization problem on special Lagrangian (SL) 3-folds in the corresponding Calabi-Yau 3-folds. More precisely, suppose M_0 is now a Calabi-Yau 3-fold with finitely many conical…
This is the first in a series of papers on special Lagrangian submanifolds in C^m. We study special Lagrangian submanifolds in C^m with large symmetry groups, and give a number of explicit constructions. Our main results concern special Lagrangian cones in C^m invariant under a subgroup G in SU(m) isomorphic to U(1)^{m-2}. By writing the special Lagrangian equation as an o.d.e. in G-orbits and solving the o.d.e., we find a large family of distinct, G-invariant special Lagrangian cones on T^{m-1} in C^m. These examples are interesting as local models for singularities of special Lagrangian subm…
This is the fourth in a series of papers math.DG/0008021, math.DG/0008155, math.DG/0010036 constructing explicit examples of special Lagrangian submanifolds (SL m-folds) in C^m. A submanifold of C^m is ruled if it is fibred by a family of real straight lines in C^m. This paper studies ruled special Lagrangian 3-folds in C^3, giving both general theory and families of examples. Our results are related to previous work of Harvey and Lawson, Borisenko and Bryant. An important class of ruled SL 3-folds is the special Lagrangian cones in C^3. Each ruled SL 3-fold is asymptotic to a unique SL cone. …
In this paper we describe the cohomogeneity one special Lagrangian 3-folds in the cotangent bundle of the 3-sphere, also known in the physics literature as a deformed conifold. Our main result gives a global foliation of the deformed conifold by T^2-invariant special Lagrangian 3-folds, where the generic leaf is topologically T^2 X R. In the limit, these special Lagrangians asymptotically approach a special Lagrangian cone on a torus in the conifold. Using moment map techniques we also recover the family of SO(n)-invariant special Lagrangian n-folds in the cotangent bundle of the n-sphere obta…
This is the sixth in a series of papers constructing examples of special Lagrangian m-folds in C^m. We present a construction of special Lagrangian cones in C^3 involving two commuting o.d.e.s, motivated by the first two papers of the series. Then we generalize it to a construction of non-conical special Lagrangian 3-folds in C^3 involving three commuting o.d.e.s. Now special Lagrangian cones in C^3 are linked to the theory of harmonic maps and integrable systems. Harmonic maps from a Riemann surface into complex projective space CP^n are an integrable system, and can be studied and classified…
This paper extends to dimension 4 the results in the article "Second Order Families of Special Lagrangian 3-folds" by Robert Bryant. We consider the problem of classifying the special Lagrangian 4-folds in C^4 whose fundamental cubic at each point has a nontrivial stabilizer in SO(4). Points on special Lagrangian 4-folds where the SO(4)-stabilizer is nontrivial are the analogs of the umbilical points in the classical theory of surfaces. In proving existence for the families of special Lagrangian 4-folds, we used the method of exterior differential systems in Cartan-Kahler theory. This method i…
This is the third in a series of three papers math.DG/0111324, math.DG/0111326 studying special Lagrangian 3-submanifolds (SL 3-folds) N in C^3 invariant under the U(1)-action (z_1,z_2,z_3) --> (gz_1,g^{-1}z_2,z_3) for unit complex numbers g, using analytic methods. The three papers are surveyed in math.DG/0206016. Let N be such a U(1)-invariant SL 3-fold. Then |z_1|^2-|z_2|^2=2a on N for some real a. Locally, N can be written as a kind of graph of functions u,v : R^2 --> R satisfying a nonlinear Cauchy-Riemann equation depending on a. When a is nonzero, u,v are smooth and N is nonsingular. Bu…
A second order family of special Lagrangian submanifolds of complex m-space is a family characterized by the satisfaction of a set of pointwise conditions on the second fundamental form. For example, the set of ruled special Lagrangian submanifolds of complex 3-space is characterized by a single algebraic equation on the second fundamental form. While the `generic' set of such conditions turns out to be incompatible, i.e., there are no special Lagrangian submanifolds that satisfy them, there are many interesting sets of conditions for which the corresponding family is unexpectedly large. In so…
This is the second of three papers math.DG/0111324, math.DG/0204343 studying special Lagrangian 3-submanifolds (SL 3-folds) N in C^3 invariant under the U(1)-action (z_1,z_2,z_3) --> (gz_1,g^{-1}z_2,z_3) for unit complex numbers g, using analytic methods. The three papers are surveyed in math.DG/0206016. If N is such a 3-fold then |z_1|^2-|z_2|^2=2a on N for some real number a. Locally, N can be written as a kind of graph of functions u,v : R^2 --> R satisfying a nonlinear Cauchy-Riemann equation depending on a, so that u+iv is like a holomorphic function of x+iy. The first paper math.DG/01113…
This is the fourth in a series of five papers math.DG/0211294, math.DG/0211295, math.DG/0302355, math.DG/0303272 studying compact special Lagrangian submanifolds (SL m-folds) X in (almost) Calabi-Yau m-folds M with singularities x_1,...,x_n locally modelled on special Lagrangian cones C_1,...,C_n in C^m with isolated singularities at 0. Readers are advised to begin with the final paper math.DG/0303272 which surveys the series, gives examples, and applies the results to prove some conjectures. The first paper math.DG/0211294 studied the regularity of X near its singular points, and the second m…
This is the third in a series of five papers math.DG/0211294, math.DG/0211295, math.DG/0302356, math.DG/0303272 studying compact special Lagrangian submanifolds (SL m-folds) X in (almost) Calabi-Yau m-folds M with singularities x_1,...,x_n locally modelled on special Lagrangian cones C_1,...,C_n in C^m with isolated singularities at 0. Readers are advised to begin with the final paper math.DG/0303272 which surveys the series, gives examples, and applies the results to prove some conjectures. The first two papers math.DG/0211294, math.DG/0211295 studied the regularity of X near its singular poi…
Having fixed a Kaehler class and the unique corresponding hyperkaehler metric, we prove that all special Lagrangian submanifolds of an irreducible symplectic 4-fold X are bi-Lagrangian and that they are obtained by complex submanifolds via a sort of "hyperkaehler rotation trick"; thus they retain part of the rigidity of complex submanifolds: indeed all special Lagrangian submanifolds of X turn out to be real analytic.
We survey what is known about singularities of special Lagrangian submanifolds (SL m-folds) in (almost) Calabi-Yau manifolds. The bulk of the paper summarizes the author's five papers math.DG/0211294, math.DG/0211295, math.DG/0302355, math.DG/0302356, math.DG/0303272 on SL m-folds X with isolated conical singularities. That is, near each singular point x, X is modelled on an SL cone C in C^m with isolated singularity at 0. We also discuss directions for future research, and give a list of open problems.
Using a hyperKähler rotation on complex structures of a Calabi-Yau 2-fold and rolling of an isotropic 2-submanifold in a symplectic 6-manifold, we construct, by gluing, a natural family of immersed Lagrangian deformations of a branched covering of a special Lagrangian 3-sphere in a Calabi-Yau 3-fold and study how they deviate from being deformable to a family of special Lagrangian deformations by examining in detail Joyce's criteria on this family. The result suggests a potential image-support rigidity of A-branes that wrap around a special Lagrangian 3-sphere in a Calabi-Yau 3-fold, which res…
In this article we obtain a classification of special Lagrangian submanifolds in complex space forms subject to an $SO(2)\rtimes S_3$-symmetry on the second fundamental form. The algebraic structure of this form has been obtained by Marianty Ionel. However, the classification of special Lagrangian submanifolds in $\mathbb{C}^4$ having this $SO(2)\rtimes S_3$ symmetry in that paper is incomplete. In the present paper we give a complete classification of such submanifolds, and extend the classification to special Lagrangian submanifolds of arbitrary complex space forms with $SO(2)\rtimes S_3$-sy…
This is a survey of the author's series of three papers math.DG/0111324, math.DG/0111326, math.DG/0204343 using analysis to investigate special Lagrangian 3-folds (SL 3-folds) in C^3 invariant under the U(1)-action (z_1,z_2,z_3) --> (gz_1,g^{-1}z_2,z_3) for unit complex numbers g, and their sequel math.DG/0011179 on special Lagrangian fibrations and the SYZ Conjecture. We briefly present the main results of these four long papers, giving some explanation and motivation, but no proofs. The aim is to make the results and ideas accessible to String Theorists and others who have an interest in spe…
This paper gives a leisurely introduction to Calabi-Yau manifolds and special Lagrangian submanifolds from the differential geometric point of view, followed by a survey of recent results on singularities of special Lagrangian submanifolds, and their application to the SYZ Conjecture. It is aimed at graduate students in Geometry, String Theorists, and others wishing to learn the subject, and is designed to be fairly self-contained. It is based on lecture courses given at Nordfjordeid, Norway and MSRI, Berkeley in June and July 2001. We introduce Calabi-Yau m-folds via holonomy groups, Kahler g…
We introduce special Lagrangian submanifolds in C^m and in (almost) Calabi-Yau manifolds, and survey recent results on singularities of special Lagrangian submanifolds, and their application to the SYZ Conjecture. The paper is aimed at graduate students in Geometry, String Theorists, and others wishing to learn the subject. Special Lagrangian m-folds in C^m are defined, and ways of constructing them described. 'Almost Calabi-Yau manifolds' (a generalization of Calabi-Yau manifolds useful in special Lagrangian geometry) are introduced, and the deformation theory, obstruction theory, and moduli …
This is the last in a series of five papers math.DG/0211294, math.DG/0211295, math.DG/0302355, math.DG/0302356 studying compact special Lagrangian submanifolds (SL m-folds) X in (almost) Calabi-Yau m-folds M with singularities x_1,...,x_n locally modelled on special Lagrangian cones C_1,...,C_n in C^m with isolated singularities at 0. Readers are advised to begin with this paper. We survey the major results of the previous four papers, giving brief explanations of the proofs. We apply the results to describe the boundary of a moduli space of compact, nonsingular SL m-folds N in M. We prove the…
n this paper we define an invariant of a pair of 6 dimensional symplectic %optional manifold with vanishing 1st Chern class and its Lagrangian submanifold with vanishing Maslov index. This invariant is a function on the set of the path connected components of the bounding cochains (solution of A infinity version of Maurer-Cartan equation of the filtered A infinity algebra associated to the Lagrangian submanifold). In the case when the Lagrangian submanifold is a rational homology sphere, it becomes a numerical invariant. This invariant depends on the choice of almost complex structure. The way…
We attempt to define a new invariant I of (almost) Calabi-Yau 3-folds M, by counting special Lagrangian rational homology 3-spheres N in M in each 3-homology class, with a certain weight w(N) depending on the topology of N. This is motivated by the Gromov-Witten invariants of a symplectic manifold, which count the J-holomorphic curves in each 2-homology class. In order for this invariant to be interesting, it should either be unchanged by deformations of the underlying (almost) Calabi-Yau structure, or else transform according to some rigid set of rules as the periods of the almost Calabi-Yau …
This is the first in a series of five papers math.DG/0211295, math.DG/0302355, math.DG/0302356, math.DG/0303272 studying special Lagrangian submanifolds (SL m-folds) X in (almost) Calabi-Yau m-folds M with singularities x_1,...,x_n locally modelled on special Lagrangian cones C_1,...,C_n in C^m with isolated singularities at 0. Readers are advised to begin with the final paper math.DG/0303272, which surveys the series, gives examples, and applies the results to prove some conjectures. This first paper lays the foundations for the series, giving definitions and proving auxiliary results in symp…
The SYZ Conjecture explains Mirror Symmetry between mirror Calabi-Yau 3-folds M,M' in terms of special Lagrangian fibrations f : M --> B and f' : M' --> B over the same base B, whose fibres are dual 3-tori, except for singular fibres. One of the main problems in proving the SYZ Conjecture (or even in finding the right statement of it) is that the singularities of special Lagrangian 3-folds and fibrations are poorly understood. This paper studies the singularities of special Lagrangian fibrations. Our main rigorous results are the construction of examples of special Lagrangian fibrations on ope…
In this paper we introduce the area of 2-ruled 4-folds in R^n (n=7 or 8), that is, submanifolds M of R^n that admit a fibration over some 2-fold Sigma such that each fibre is an affine 2-plane in R^n. This is motivated by the paper math.DG/0012060 by Joyce on ruled special Lagrangian 3-folds in C^3 and the work of the author in math.DG/0401123 on ruled associative 3-folds in R^7. We say that a 2-ruled 4-fold M is r-framed if we are given an oriented basis for each fibre in a smooth manner, and in such circumstances we may write M in terms of orthogonal smooth maps phi_1,phi_2:Sigma-->S^(n-1) a…
In an earlier paper, we proved that, under certain hypotheses, the moduli space of an asymptotically cylindrical special Lagrangian submanifold with fixed boundary of an asymptotically cylindrical Calabi-Yau 3-fold is a smooth manifold. Here we prove the analogous result for an asymptotically cylindrical special Lagrangian submanifold with moving boundary.
This is the second in a series of five papers math.DG/0211294, math.DG/0302355, math.DG/0302356, math.DG/0303272 studying special Lagrangian submanifolds (SL m-folds) X in (almost) Calabi-Yau m-folds M with singularities x_1,...,x_n locally modelled on special Lagrangian cones C_1,...,C_n in C^m with isolated singularities at 0. Readers are advised to begin with the final paper math.DG/0303272 which surveys the series, gives examples, and proves some conjectures. In this paper we study the deformation theory of compact SL m-folds X in M with conical singularities. We define the moduli space M_…
Given an asymptotically cylindrical special Lagrangian submanifold L in an asymptotically cylindrical Calabi-Yau 3-fold X, we determine conditions on a decay rate gamma which make the moduli space of (local) special Lagrangian deformations of L in X a smooth manifold and show that it has dimension equal to the dimension of the image of H^1_{cs}(L,R) in H^1(L,R) under the natural inclusion map.
Our main results are: (1) The complex a Lagrangian points of a non-complex Lagrangian $2n$-dimensional submanifold $F:M\ra N$, immersed with parallel mean curvature and with equal Kaehler angles into a Kaehler-Einstein manifold $(N,J,g)$ of complex dimension $2n$, are zeros of finite order of $\sin^2θ$ and $\cos^2θ$ respectively, where $θ$ is the common $J$-Kaelher angle. (2) If $M$ is a Cayley submanifold of a Calabi-Yau (CY) manifold $N$ of complex dimension 4, then $\bigwedge^2_+NM$ is naturally isomorphic to $\bigwedge^2_+TM$. (3) If $N$ is Ricci-flat (not necessarily CY) and $M$ is a Cayl…
The purpose of this paper is to give an application of the gluing theorem for special Lagrangian submanifolds of a Calabi-Yau 3-fold. We proved a gluing theorem before to smooth a codimension-two singularity of a particular special Lagrangian submanifold. In this paper we will show that this theorem can be applied to more general cases where different special Lagrangians are intersecting and gives a way of constructing new special Lagrangian submanifolds. As an example we will show that a smooth special Lagrangian submanifold can be obtained from five copies of RP^3 intersecting pairwise in a …
The Gibbons-Hawking ansatz provides a large family of circle-invariant hyperkaehler 4-manifolds, and thus Calabi-Yau 2-folds. In this setting, we prove versions of the Thomas conjecture on existence of special Lagrangian representatives of Hamiltonian isotopy classes of Lagrangians, and the Thomas-Yau conjecture on long-time existence of the Lagrangian mean curvature flow. We also make observations concerning closed geodesics, curve shortening flow and minimal surfaces.
We study the decomposability of a Lagrangian homology class on a K3 surface into a sum of classes represented by special Lagrangian submanifolds, and develop criteria for it in terms of lattice theory. As a result, we prove the decomposability on an arbitrary K3 surface with respect to the Kähler classes in dense subsets of the Kähler cone. Using the same technique, we show that the Kähler classes on a K3 surface which admit a special Lagrangian fibration form a dense subset also. This implies that there are infinitely many special Lagrangian 3-tori in any log Calabi-Yau 3-fold.
The purpose of this paper is to prove a gluing theorem for a given special Lagrangian submanifold of a Calabi-Yau 3-fold. The proof will be an adaption of the gluing techniques in J-holomorphic curve theory. It is a well known procedure in geometric analysis to construct new solutions to a given nonlinear partial differential equation by gluing known solutions. First an approximate solution is constructed and then using analytic methods it is perturbed to a real solution. In this paper the gluing theorem will be used for smoothing a singularity of a special Lagrangian submanifold. In particula…
Every closed, oriented, real analytic Riemannian 3-manifold can be isometrically embedded as a special Lagrangian submanifold of a Calabi-Yau 3-fold, even as the real locus of an antiholomorphic, isometric involution. Every closed, oriented, real analytic Riemannian 4-manifold whose bundle of self-dual 2-forms is trivial can be isometrically embedded as a coassociative submanifold in a G_2-manifold, even as the fixed locus of an anti-G_2 involution. These results, when coupled with McLean's analysis of the moduli spaces of such calibrated submanifolds, yield a plentiful supply of examples of c…
We prove two main results: (a) Suppose $L$ is a closed, embedded, exact special Lagrangian $m$-fold in ${\mathbb C}^m$ for $m\ge 3$ asymptotic at infinity to the union $Π_1\cupΠ_2$ of two transverse special Lagrangian planes $Π_1,Π_2$ in ${\mathbb C}^m$. Then $L$ is one of the explicit 'Lawlor neck' family of examples found by Lawlor (Invent. math. 95, 1989). (b) Suppose $L$ is a closed, embedded, exact Lagrangian mean curvature flow expander in ${\mathbb C}^m$ for $m\ge 3$ asymptotic at infinity to the union $Π_1\cupΠ_2$ of two transverse Lagrangian planes $Π_1,Π_2$ in ${\mathbb C}^m$. Then $…
Special Legendrian Integral Cycles in $S^5$ are the links of the tangent cones to Special Lagrangian integer multiplicity rectifiable currents in Calabi-Yau 3-folds. We show that such Special Legendrian Cycles are smooth except possibly at isolated points.
We generalize Calabi-Yau 3-folds from the special Lagrangian perspective. More precisely, we study SU(3)-structures which admit as "nice" a local special Lagrangian geometry as the flat $\mathbf{C}^3$ or a Calabi-Yau structure does. The underlying almost complex structure may not be integrable. Such SU(3)-structures are called {\it admissible}. Among these, we are particularly interested in a subclass of SU(3)-structures called {\it nearly Calabi-Yau}. We discuss the local generalities of admissible SU(3)-structures and nearly Calabi-Yau structures in Cartan's sense. Examples of nearly Calabi-…
