We prove the simultaneous (k,n-k)-systolic freedom, for a pair of adjacent integers k smaller than n/2, of a simply connected n-manifold X. Our construction, related to recent results of I. Babenko, is concentrated in a neighborhood of suitable k-dimensional submanifolds of X. We employ calibration by differential forms supported in such neighborhoods, to provide lower bounds for the (n-k)-systoles. Meanwhile, the k-systoles are controlled from below by the monotonicity formula combined with the bounded geometry of the construction in a neighborhood of suitable (n-k+1)-dimensional submanifolds, in spite of the vanishing of the global injectivity radius. The construction is geometric, with the algebraic topology ingredient reduced to Poincare duality and Thom's theorem on representing multiples of homology classes by submanifolds. The present result is different from the proof, in collaboration with A. Suciu, and relying on rational homotopy theory, of the k-systolic freedom of X. Our results concerning systolic freedom contrast with the existence of stable systolic inequalities, studied in joint work with V. Bangert.
This is an expository essay about systolic geometry. It describes a central theorem in the subject and why the proof is difficult. Then it discusses different metaphors which suggest ways to approach the problem. The metaphors connect the systolic inequality to minimal surfaces, topological dimension, scalar curvature, and hyperbolic geometry.
Given a hyperelliptic Klein surface, we construct companion Klein bottles. Bavard's short loops on companion bottles are studied in relation to the surface to improve an inequality of Gromov's in systolic geometry.
In my masters thesis I prove a square root bound on the distance of homological codes that come from two dimensional surfaces, as a result of the systolic inequality. I also give a detailed version of M.H. Freedman's proof that due to systolic freedom, this bound does not hold in higher dimensions.
Our aim is to give a friendly introduction for students to systolic inequalities. We will stress the relationships between the classical formulation for Riemannian metrics and more recent developments related to symplectic measurements and the Viterbo conjecture. This will give us a perfect excuse to introduce the reader to some important ideas in Riemannian and symplectic geometry.
Given a closed manifold M, we prove the upper bound of (n+d)/2 for the length of a product of systoles that can form a curvature-free lower bound for the total volume of M, in the spirit of M. Gromov's systolic inequalities. Here n is the dimension of M, while d is the is the cohomological dimension of its fundamental group. We apply this upper bound to show that, in the case of a 4-manifold, the Lusternik--Schnirelmann category is an upper bound for such length. Furthermore we prove a systolic inequality on a manifold M with b_1(M)=2 in the presence of a nontrivial self-linking class of the t…
The first paper in systolic geometry was published by Loewner's student P. M. Pu over half a century ago. Pu proved an inequality relating the systole and the area of an arbitrary metric on the real projective plane. We prove a stronger version of Pu's systolic inequality with a remainder term.
We show that the geometry of a Riemannian manifold (M,g) is sensitive to the apparently purely homotopy-theoretic invariant of M known as the Lusternik-Schnirelmann category, denoted cat_{LS}(M). Here we introduce a Riemannian analogue of cat_{LS}(M), called the systolic category of M. It is denoted cat_{sys}(M), and defined in terms of the existence of systolic inequalities satisfied by every metric g, as initiated by C. Loewner and later developed by M. Gromov. We compare the two categories. In all our examples, the inequality cat_{sys}(M) \le cat_{LS}(M) is satisfied, which typically turns …
Multiplicative relations in the cohomology ring of a manifold impose constraints upon its stable systoles. Given a compact Riemannian manifold (X,g), its real homology H_*(X,R) is naturally endowed with the stable norm. Briefly, if h\in H_k(X,R) then the stable norm of h is the infimum of the Riemannian k-volumes of real cycles representing h. The stable k-systole is the minimum of the stable norm over nonzero elements in the lattice of integral classes in H_k(X,R). Relying on results from the geometry of numbers due to W. Banaszczyk, and extending work by M. Gromov and J. Hebda, we prove metr…
The results of this paper have been greatly superseded by those in the paper "Contact geometry and isosystolic inequalities" (arXiv:1109.4253) by the same authors.
Let $Σ$ be a connected closed three-manifold, and let $t_Σ$ be the order of the torsion subgroup of $H_1(Σ;\mathbb Z)$. For a contact form $α$ on $Σ$, we denote by $\mathrm{Volume}(α)$ the contact volume of $α$, and by $T_{\min}(α)$ and $T_{\max}(α)$ the minimal period and the maximal period of prime periodic orbits of the Reeb flow of $α$ respectively. We say that $α$ is Zoll if its Reeb flow generates a free $S^1$-action on $Σ$. We prove that every Zoll contact form $α_*$ on $Σ$ admits a $C^3$-neighbourhood $\mathcal U$ in the space of contact forms such that \[ t_ΣT_{\min}(α)^2\leq \mathrm{…
In 1972, Marcel Berger defined a metric invariant that captures the `size' of k-dimensional homology of a Riemannian manifold. This invariant came to be called the k-dimensional SYSTOLE. He asked if the systoles can be constrained by the volume, in the spirit of the 1949 theorem of C. Loewner. We construct metrics, inspired by M. Gromov's 1993 example, which give a negative answer for large classes of manifolds, for the product of systoles in a pair of complementary dimensions. An obstruction (restriction on k modulo 4) to constructing further examples by our methods seems to reside in the fre…
A long-standing open problem in systolic geometry asks whether a Riemannian metric on the real projective space whose volume equals that of the canonical metric, but is not isometric to it, must necessarily carry a periodic geodesic of length smaller than π. A contact-geometric reformulation of systolic geometry and the use of canonical perturbation theory allow us to solve a parametric version of this problem. Namely, we show that if g_s is a smooth volume-preserving deformation of the canonical metric and at s=0 the deformation is not tangent to all orders to trivial deformations (i.e., to d…
We describe a family of calibrations arising naturally on a hyperkähler manifold $M$. These calibrations calibrate the holomorphic Lagrangian, holomorphic isotropic and holomorphic coisotropic subvarieties. When $M$ is an HKT (hyperkaehler with torsion) manifold with holonomy $SL(n, {\Bbb H})$, we construct another family of calibrations $Φ_i$, which calibrates holomorphic Lagrangian and holomorphic coisotropic subvarieties. The calibrations $Φ_i$ are (generally speaking) not parallel with respect to any torsion-free connection on $M$.
We show that the properties of Lagrangian mean curvature flow are a special case of a more general phenomenon, concerning couplings between geometric flows of the ambient space and of totally real submanifolds. Both flows are driven by ambient Ricci curvature or, in the non-Kähler case, by its analogues. To this end we explore the geometry of totally real submanifolds, defining (i) a new geometric flow in terms of the ambient canonical bundle, (ii) a modified volume functional which takes into account the totally real condition. We discuss short-time existence for our flow and show it couples …
This is a companion note of [Zhaa] (arXiv:1501.01836) where the extension of local calibration pairs of smooth submanifolds is discussed. Here we emphasize on the case of singular submanifolds. More precisely, we study when a calibration pair around the singular set of a submanifold can extend to a local calibration pair about the entire submanifold. Based upon [Zhab] (arXiv:1501.04681) several examples of particular interests under the view of calibrated geometry are considered.
