Let f be a smooth map between unit spheres of possibly different dimensions. We prove the global existence and convergence of the mean curvature flow of the graph of f under various conditions. A corollary is that any area-decreasing map between unit spheres (of possibly different dimensions) is homotopic to a constant map.
In this note, we discuss the mean curvature flow of graphs of maps between Riemannian manifolds. Special emphasis will be placed on estimates of the flow as a non-linear parabolic system of differential equations. Several global existence theorems and applications to isotopy problems in geometry and topology will be presented. The results are based on joint works of the author with his collaborators I. Medoš, K. Smoczyk, and M.-P. Tsui.
In this paper, we establish compactness for various geometric curvature energies including integral Menger curvature, and tangent-point repulsive potentials, defined a priori on the class of compact, embedded $m$-dimensional Lipschitz submanifolds in ${\mathbb{R}}^n$. It turns out that due to a smoothing effect any sequence of submanifolds with uniformly bounded energy contains a subsequence converging in $C^1$ to a limit submanifold. This result has two applications. The first one is an isotopy finiteness theorem: there are only finitely many isotopy types of such submanifolds below a given e…
Let $M$ be a Kähler-Einstein surface with positive scalar curvature. If the initial surface is sufficiently close to a holomorphic curve, we show that the mean curvature flow has a global solution and it converges to a holomorphic curve.
Knot theory is the study of isotopy classes of embeddings of the circle $S^1$ into a 3-manifold, specifically $R^3$. The Fáry-Milnor Theorem says that any curve in $R^3$ of total curvature less than $4π$ is unknotted. More generally, a (finite) graph consists of a finite number of edges and vertices. Given a topological type of graphs $Γ$, what limitations on the isotopy class of $Γ$ are implied by a bound on total curvature? What does ``total curvature" mean for a graph? We define a natural notion of net total curvature of a graph $Γ$ in $R^3$, and prove that if $Γ$ is homeomorphic to the $θ$…
In this article, the author provides full details of the proof of the concordance/isotopy problem. The first published proof, [5], accomplished this task only partially since there was an error, see the erratum [6], which damaged the main argument of [5, Theorem 2.9], and, consequently, the proof of [5, Theorem A].
Two positive scalar curvature metrics $g_0$, $g_1$ on a manifold $M$ are psc-isotopic if they are homotopic through metrics of positive scalar curvature. It is well known that if two metrics $g_0$, $g_1$ of positive scalar curvature on a closed compact manifold $M$ are psc-isotopic, then they are psc-concordant: i.e., there exists a metric $\bar{g}$ of positive scalar curvature on the cylinder $M\times I$ which extends the metrics $g_0$ on $M\times {0}$ and $g_1$ on $M\times {1}$ and is a product metric near the boundary. The main result of the paper is that if psc-metrics $g_0$, $g_1$ on $M$ …
We construct infinite families of topologically isotopic but smoothly distinct knotted spheres in many simply connected 4-manifolds that become smoothly isotopic after stabilizing by connected summing with $S^2 \times S^2$, and as a consequence, analogous families of diffeomorphisms and metrics of positive scalar curvature for such 4-manifolds. We also construct families of smoothly distinct links, all of whose corresponding proper sublinks are smoothly isotopic, that become smoothly isotopic after stabilizing.
Given any embedded Lagrangian on a four dimensional compact Calabi-Yau, we find another Lagrangian in the same Hamiltonian isotopy class which develops a finite time singularity under mean curvature flow. This contradicts a weaker version of the Thomas-Yau conjecture regarding long time existence and convergence of Lagrangian mean curvature flow.
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 curvat…
In this paper, we prove convergence of the high codimension mean curvature flow in the sphere to either a round point or a totally geodesic sphere assuming a pinching condition between the norm squared of the second fundamental form and the norm squared of the mean curvature and the background curvature of the sphere. We show that this pinching is sharp for dimension $n\geq 4$ but is not sharp for dimension $n=2,3$. For dimension $n=2$ and codimension $2$, we consider an alternative pinching condition which includes the normal curvature of the normal bundle. Finally, we sharpen the Chern-do Ca…
We prove that two spheres of the same constant mean curvature in an arbitrary homogeneous three-manifold only differ by an ambient isometry, and we determine the values of the mean curvature for which such spheres exist. This gives a complete classification of immersed constant mean curvature spheres in three-dimensional homogeneous manifolds.
In this paper the fractional Q-curvature problem on three dimensional CR sphere is considered. By using the critical points theory at infinity, an existence result is obtained.
It is shown that an equivariant Lagrangian sphere with a positivity condition on its Ricci curvature develops a type-II singularity under the Lagrangian mean curvature flow that rescales to the product of a grim reaper with a flat Lagrangian subspace. In particular this result applies to the Whitney spheres.
We consider the problem of prescribing the scalar curvature and the boundary mean curvature of the standard half three sphere, by deforming conformally its standard metric. Using blow up analysis techniques and minimax arguments, we prove some existence and compactness results.
We study a fractional conformal curvature flow on the standard unit sphere and prove a perturbation result of the fractional Nirenberg problem with fractional exponent $σ\in (1/2,1)$. This extends the result of Chen-Xu (Invent. Math. 187, no. 2, 395-506, 2012) for the scalar curvature flow on the standard unit sphere.
By variational methods, for a kind of Webster scalar curvature problems on the CR sphere with cylindrically symmetric curvature, we construct some multi-peak solutions as the parameter is sufficiently small under certain assumptions. We also obtain the asymptotic behaviors of the solutions.
We study curvature functionals for immersed 2-spheres in a compact, three-dimensional Riemannian manifold M. Under the assumption that the sectional curvature of M is strictly positive, we prove the existence of a smoothly immersed sphere minimizing the L^{2} integral of the second fundamental form. Assuming instead that the sectional curvature is less than or equal to 2, and that there exists a point in M with scalar curvature bigger than 6, we obtain a smooth 2-sphere minimizing the integral of 1/4|H|^{2} +1, where H is the mean curvature vector.
We study metrics on conic 2-spheres when no Einstein metrics exist. In particular, when the curvature of a conic metric is positive, we obtain the best curvature pinching constant. We also show that when this best pinching constant is approached, the conic 2-sphere has an explicit Gromov-Hausdorff limit. This is a generalization of the previous results of Chen-Lin and Bartolucci for 2-spheres with one or two conic points.
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.
In this paper we discuss the stability of geodesic spheres in $\mathbb{S}^{n+1}$ under constrained curvature flows. We prove that under some standard assumptions on the speed and weight functions, the spheres are stable under perturbations that preserve a volume type quantity. This extends results by Escher and Simonett, 1998, and the author, 2015, to a Riemannian manifold setting.
This paper is devoted to the problem of prescribing the scalar curvature under zero boundary conditions. Using dynamical and topological methods involving the study of critical points at infinity of the associated variational problem, we prove some existence results on the standard half sphere.
We prove a rigidity result in the sphere which allows us to generalize a result about smooth convex hypersurfaces in the sphere by Do Carmo-Warner to convex $C^2$-hypersurfaces. We apply these results to prove $C^{1,β}$-convergence of inverse F-curvature flows in the sphere to an equator in \mathbb{S}^{n+1} for embedded, closed, strictly convex initial hypersurfaces. The result holds for large classes of curvature functions including the mean curvature and arbitrary powers of the Gauss curvature. We use this result to prove Alexandrov-Fenchel type inequalities in the sphere.
In this article, we use the recently developed mean curvature flow with surgery for 2 convex hypersurfaces to prove several isotopy existence and finally extrinsic finiteness results (in the spirit of Cheeger's compactness theorem) for the space of 2 convex hypersurfaces in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$.
In this paper, we consider the problem of prescribing the scalar curvature under minimal boundary conditions on the standard four dimensional half sphere. We provide an Euler-Hopf type criterion for a given function to be a scalar curvature to a metric conformal to the standard one. Our proof involves the study of critical points at infinity of the associated variational problem.
We investigate the low-energy behavior of the gradient flow of the $L^2$ norm of the Riemannian curvature on four-manifolds. Specifically, we show long time existence and exponential convergence to a metric of constant sectional curvature when the initial metric has positive Yamabe constant and small initial energy.
We study the problem of prescribing the Paneitz curvature on higher dimensional spheres. Particular attention is paid to the blow-up points, i.e. the critical points at infinity of the corresponding variational problem. Using topological tools and a careful analysis of the gradient flow lines in the neighborhood of such critical points at infinity, we prove some existence results.
We consider the smooth inverse mean curvature flow of strictly convex hypersurfaces with boundary embedded in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1},$ which are perpendicular to the unit sphere from the inside. We prove that the flow hypersurfaces converge to the embedding of a flat disk in the norm of $C^{1,β},$ $β<1.$
In this paper, we are concerned with interactions between isoparametric theory and differential topology. Two foliations are called equivalent if there exists a diffeomorphism between the foliated manifolds mapping leaves to leaves. Using differential topology, we obtain several results towards the classification problem of isoparametric foliations up to equivalence. In particular, we show that each homotopy $n$-sphere has the "same" isoparametric foliations as the standard sphere $S^n$ has except for $n=4$, reducing the classification problem on homotopy spheres to that on the standard sphere…
This is the second of two papers, in which we study the problem of prescribing Webster scalar curvature on the CR sphere as a given function f. Using the Webster scalar curvature flow, we prove an existence result under suitable assumptions on the Morse indices of f.
We give a complete classification of the immersed constant mean curvature spheres in a three-sphere with an arbitrary homogenous metric, by proving that for each $H\in\mathbb{R}$, there exists a constant mean curvature $H$-sphere in the space that is unique up to an ambient isometry.
In this paper, we investigate Liu-Xu-Ye-Zhao's conjecture [30] and prove a sharp convergence theorem for the mean curvature flow of arbitrary codimension in spheres which improves the convergence theorem of Baker [2] as well as the differentiable sphere theorems of Gu-Xu-Zhao [16, 50, 52].
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 present some results on the boundedness of the mean curvature of proper biharmonic submanifolds in spheres. A partial classification result for proper biharmonic submanifolds with parallel mean curvature vector field in spheres is obtained. Then, we completely classify the proper biharmonic submanifolds in spheres with parallel mean curvature vector field and parallel Weingarten operator associated to the mean curvature vector field.
In this paper, we prove a sharp convergence theorem for the mean curvature flow of arbitrary codimension in spheres which improves Baker's convergence theorem. In particular, we obtain a new differentiable sphere theorem for submanifolds in spheres.
In the 1-parameter family of Berger spheres S^3(a), a > 0 (S^3(1) is the round 3-sphere of radius 1) we classify the stable constant mean curvature spheres, showing that in some Berger spheres (a close to 0) there are unstable constant mean curvature spheres. Also, we classify the orientable compact stable constant mean curvature surfaces in S^3(a), 1/3 <= a < 1 proving that they are spheres or the minimal Clifford torus in S^3(1/3). This allows to solve the isoperimetric problem in these Berger spheres.
Let (Σ, ω) be a compact Riemann surface with constant curvature c. In this work, we proved that the mean curvature flow of a given Hamiltonian diffeomorphism on Σ provides a smooth path in Ham(Σ), the group of all Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms of Σ. This result gives a proof, in the case of graph of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms to the conjecture of Thomas and Yau asserting that the mean curvature flow of a compact embedded Lagrangian submanifold S with zero Maslov class in a Calabi- Yau manifolds M exists for all time and converges smoothly to a special Lagrangian submanifold in the Hamiltonian i…
We prove that the normal curvatures of hyperspheres, the Rund curvature, and the Finsler curvature of circles in Hilbert geometry tend to 1 as the radii tend to infinity
This is the first of two papers, in which we prove some properties of the Webster scalar curvature flow. More precisely, we establish the long-time existence, L^p convergence and the blow-up analysis for the solution of the flow. As a by-product, we prove the convergence of the CR Yamabe flow on the CR sphere. The results in this paper will be used to prove a result of prescribing Webster scalar curvature on the CR sphere, which is the main result of the second paper.
We give a full classification of complete rotationally invariant surfaces with constant Gauss curvature in Berger spheres: they are either Clifford tori, which are flat, or spheres of Gauss curvature $K \geq K_0$ for a positive constant $K_0$, which we determine explicitly and depends on the geometry of the ambient Berger sphere. For values of $K_0 \leq K \leq K_P$, for a specific constant $K_P$, it was not known until now whether complete constant Gauss curvature $K$ surfaces existed in Berger spheres, so our classification provides the first examples. For $K > K_P$, we prove that the rotatio…
We consider the evolution of hypersurfaces on the unit sphere $\mathbb{S}^{n+1}$ by their mean curvature. We prove a differential Harnack inequality for any weakly convex solution to the mean curvature flow. As an application, by applying an Aleksandrov reflection argument, we classify convex, ancient solutions of the mean curvature flow on the sphere.
We show that one-sided Alexandrov embedded constant mean curvature cylinders of finite type in the 3-sphere are surfaces of revolution. This confirms a conjecture by Pinkall and Sterling that the only embedded constant mean curvature tori in the 3-sphere are rotational.
Let M be a compact pseudo-umbilical submanifold of the unit sphere S. In the present note, it is shown that if the normal curvature, scalar curvature S and square of the length of second fundamental form satisfy certain conditions, then M is totally geodesic.
We determine the curvature equations of natural metrics on tangent bundles and radius r tangent sphere bundles S_rM of a Riemannian manifold M. A family of positive scalar curvature metrics on S_rM is found, for any M with bounded sectional curvature and any chosen constant r.
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.
A necessary and sufficient condition for the existence and uniqueness of a conformal metric on 2-sphere of constant curvature 1 and with three conical singularities of prescribed order is given.
We obtain the explicit representation of Legendre surfaces in the unit $5$-sphere with harmonic mean curvature vector field, under the condition that the mean curvature function is constant along a certain special direction.
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 any constant mean curvature embedded torus in the three dimensional sphere is axially symmetric, and use this to give a complete classification of such surfaces for any given value of the mean curvature.
In this paper I study the constant mean curvature surface in asymptotically flat 3-manifolds with general asymptotics. Under some weak condition, I prove that outside some compact set in the asymptotically flat 3-manifold with positive mass, the foliation of stable spheres of constant mean curvature is unique.