We study some Riemannian metrics on the space of regular smooth curves in the plane, viewed as the orbit space of maps from $S^1$ to the plane modulo the group of diffeomorphisms of $S^1$, acting as reparameterizations. In particular we investigate the metric for a constant $A> 0$: $$ G^A_c(h,k) := \int_{S^1}(1+A\ka_c(þ)^2)< h(þ),k(þ) >
|c'(þ)| dþ$$ where $\ka_c$ is the curvature of the curve $c$ and $h,k$ are normal vector fields to $c$. The term $A\ka^2$ is a sort of geometric Tikhonov regularization because, for A=0, the geodesic distance between any 2 distinct curves is 0, while for $A>0$ the distance is always positive. We give some lower bounds for the distance function, derive the geodesic equation and the sectional curvature, solve the geodesic equation with simple endpoints numerically, and pose some open questions. The space has an interesting split personality: among large smooth curves, all its sectional curvatures are $\ge 0$, while for curves with high curvature or perturbations of high frequency, the curvatures are $\le 0$.
In this paper, we study harmonic Riemannian submersions from 3-dimensional geometries using the ( generalized) integrability data associated to an orthonormal frame natural to a Riemannian submersion. We give complete classifications of harmonic Riemannian submersions from Thurston's 3-dimensional geometries, 3-dimensional BCV spaces and Berger sphere into a surface. We also give some explicit constructions of these harmonic Riemannian submersions.
We define a class of two dimensional surfaces conformally related to minimal surfaces in flat three dimensional geometries. By the utility of the metrics of such surfaces we give a construction of the metrics of $2 N$ dimensional Ricci flat (pseudo-) Riemannian geometries.
We investigate nonintegrable Riemannian geometries modelled after certain symmetric spaces related to the Freudenthal-Tits Magic Square. The collection of four such structures found by Nurowski is extended by further eight. A focus is given to those admitting a compatible connection with completely skew torsion.
We consider the sigma models where the base metric is proportional to the metric of the configuration space. We show that the corresponding sigma model equation admits a Lax pair. We also show that this type of sigma models in two dimensions are intimately related to the minimal surfaces in a flat pseudo Riemannian 3-space. We define two dimensional surfaces conformally related to the minimal surfaces in flat three dimensional geometries which enable us to give a construction of the metrics of some even dimensional Ricci flat pseudo Riemannian geometries.
We propose studies of special Riemannian geometries with structure groups $H_1=SO(3)\subset SO(5)$, $H_2=SU(3)\subset SO(8)$, $H_3=Sp(3)\subset SO(14)$ and $H_4=F_4\subset SO(26)$ in respective dimensions 5, 8, 14 and 26. These geometries, have torsionless models with symmetry groups $G_1=SU(3)$, $G_2=SU(3)\times SU(3)$, $G_3=SU(6)$ and $G_4=E_6$. The groups $H_k$ and $G_k$ constitute a part of the `magic square' for Lie groups. Apart from the $H_k$ geometries in dimensions $n_k$, the `magic square' Lie groups suggest studies of a finite number of other special Riemannian geometries. Among the…
Let $\left( M,J,g\right) $ be a metallic pseudo-Riemannian manifold equipped with a metallic structure $J$ and a pseudo-Riemannian metric $g$. The paper deals with interactions of Codazzi couplings formed by conjugate connections and tensor structures. The presence of Tachibana operator and Codazzi couplings presented a new characterization for locally metallic pseudo-Riemannian manifold. Also, a necessary and sufficient condition a non-integrable metallic pseudo-Riemannian manifold is a quasi metallic pseudo Riemannian manifold is derived. Finally, it is introduced metallic-like pseudo-Rieman…
Sub-Riemannian structures and non-transitive Cartan geometries via Lie groupoids
Centre Inria d’Université Côte d’Azur（阿基坦大学蔚蓝海岸Inria中心）；Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg（维尔茨堡朱利叶斯-马克西米利安大学）；CMUC, University of Coimbra（科英布拉大学数学研究中心）
We study bimodule quantum Riemannian geometries over the field $\Bbb F_2$ of two elements as the extreme case of a finite-field adaptation of noncommutative-geometric methods for physics. We classify all parallelisable such geometries for coordinate algebras up to vector space dimension $n\le 3$, finding a rich moduli of examples for $n=3$ and top form degree 2, including many that are not flat. Their coordinate algebras are commutative but their differentials are not. We also study the quantum Laplacian $Δ=(\ ,\ )\nabla{\rm d}$ on our models and characterise when it has a massive eigenvector.
Each sub-Riemannian geometry with bracket generating distribution enjoys a background structure determined by the distribution itself. At the same time, those geometries with constant sub-Riemannian symbols determine a unique Cartan connection leading to their principal invariants. We provide cohomological description of the structure of these curvature invariants in the cases where the background structure is one of the parabolic geometries. As an illustration, constant curvature models are discussed for certain sub-Riemannian geometries.
We report on some aspects and recent progress in certain problems in the sub-Riemannian CR and quaternionic contact (QC) geometries. The focus are the corresponding Yamabe problems on the round spheres, the Lichnerowicz-Obata first eigenvalue estimates, and the relation between these two problems. A motivation from the Riemannian case highlights new and old ideas which are then developed in the settings of Iwasawa sub-Riemannian geometries.
We study the problem of recovering a function on a pseudo-Riemannian manifold from its integrals over all null geodesics in three geometries: pseudo-Riemannian products of Riemannian manifolds, Minkowski spaces and tori. We give proofs of uniqueness anc characterize non-uniqueness in different settings. Reconstruction is sometimes possible if the signature $(n_1,n_2)$ satisfies $n_1\geq1$ and $n_2\geq2$ or vice versa and always when $n_1,n_2\geq2$. The proofs are based on a Pestov identity adapted to null geodesics (product manifolds) and Fourier analysis (other geometries). The problem in a M…
This article provides an overview of various notions of shape spaces, including the space of parametrized and unparametrized curves, the space of immersions, the diffeomorphism group and the space of Riemannian metrics. We discuss the Riemannian metrics that can be defined thereon, and what is known about the properties of these metrics. We put particular emphasis on the induced geodesic distance, the geodesic equation and its well-posedness, geodesic and metric completeness and properties of the curvature.
The paper is based on relations between a ternary symmetric form defining the SO(3) geometry in dimension five and Cartan's works on isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres. As observed by Bryant such a ternary form exists only in dimensions n_k=3k+2, where k=1,2,4,8. In these dimensions it reduces the orthogonal group to the subgroups H_k\subset SO(n_k), with H_1=SO(3), H_2=SU(3), H_4=Sp(3) and H_8=F_4. This enables studies of special Riemannian geometries with structure groups H_k in dimensions n_k. The neccessary and sufficient conditions for the H_k geometries to admit the characteristic co…
In this article, we summarize the results on symmetric conformal geometries. We review the results following from the general theory of symmetric parabolic geometries and prove several new results for symmetric conformal geometries. In particular, we show that each symmetric conformal geometry is either locally flat or covered by a pseudo-Riemannian symmetric space, where the covering is a conformal map. We construct examples of locally flat symmetric conformal geometries that are not pseudo-Riemannian symmetric spaces.
We show that given a conformal structure whose holonomy representation fixes a totally lightlike subspace of arbitrary dimension, there is always a local metric in the conformal class off a singular set which is Ricci-isotropic and gives rise to a parallel, totally lightlike distribution on the tangent bundle. This naturally applies to parallel spin tractors resp. twistor spinors on conformal spin manifolds and clarifies which twistor spinors are locally equivalent to parallel spinors. Moreover, we study the zero set of a twistor spinor using the curved orbit decomposition for parabolic geomet…
We study 3-dimensional non-Riemannian Lorentz geometries, i.e. compact locally homogeneous Lorentz 3-manifolds with non-compact (local) isotropy group. One result is that, up to a finite cover, all such manifolds admit Lorentz metrics of (non-positive) constant sectionnal curvature. If the geometry is maximal, then the metric has constant sectionnal curvature, or is a left invariant metric on the Heisenberg group or the Sol group. These geometries, on each of the latter two groups are characterized by having a non-compact isotropy without being flat. Recall, for the need of his formulation of …
In contrast to SPD matrices, few tools exist to perform Riemannian statistics on the open elliptope of full-rank correlation matrices. The quotient-affine metric was recently built as the quotient of the affine-invariant metric by the congruence action of positive diagonal matrices. The space of SPD matrices had always been thought of as a Riemannian homogeneous space. In contrast, we view in this work SPD matrices as a Lie group and the affine-invariant metric as a left-invariant metric. This unexpected new viewpoint allows us to generalize the construction of the quotient-affine metric and t…
A classic problem with intriguing implications at the level of both applied differential geometry and theoretical physics is dealt with in this short work: Is there any criterion in order to decide whether a pseudo-Riemannian space can be locally described using curvature scalars solely? Surprisingly enough, this question is susceptible of a very simple and elegant answer. In order to avoid unnecessary complexity, the analysis is restricted to local rather than global considerations, without any loss of not only the generality but also the insights to the initial problem.
We present a uniform framework generalising and extending the classical theories of projective differential geometry, c-projective geometry, and almost quaternionic geometry. Such geometries, which we call \emph{projective parabolic geometries}, are abelian parabolic geometries whose flat model is an R-space $G\cdot\mathfrak{p}$ in the infinitesimal isotropy representation $\mathbb{W}$ of a larger self-dual symmetric R-space $H\cdot\mathfrak{q}$. We also give a classification of projective parabolic geometries with $H\cdot\mathfrak{q}$ irreducible which, in addition to the aforementioned class…
The Oscillator Groups,$\G_λ,$ are the only solvable, non commutative, simply connected Lie groups to admit a Lorentzian bi-invariant metric. For these groups, we give sufficient conditions for a left-invariant pseudo-Riemannian metric to be complete, we determine the group of isometries, we exhibit a left-invariant affine structure and prove that it is not Lorentzian. As an application, we provide new examples of compact pseudo-Riemannian (sometimes Lorentzian) locally symmetric, occasionally affine, manifolds, complete or incomplete.
This paper is devoted to a coordinate-free approach to several classic geometries such as hyperbolic (real, complex, quaternionic), elliptic (spherical, Fubini-Study), and lorentzian (de Sitter, anti de Sitter) ones. These geometries carry a certain simple structure that is in some sense stronger than the riemannian structure. Their basic geometrical objects have linear nature and provide natural compactifications of classic spaces. The usual riemannian concepts are easily derivable from the strong structure and thus gain their coordinate-free form. Many examples illustrate fruitful features o…
We study the types of non-integrable $\mathrm{G}$-structures on Riemannian manifolds. In particular, geometric types admitting a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion are characterized. 8-dimensional manifolds equipped with a $\Spin(7)$-structure play a special role. Any geometry of that type admits a unique connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion. Under weak conditions on the structure group we prove that this geometry is the only one with this property. Finally, we discuss the automorphism group of a Riemannian manifold with a fixed non-integrable $\mathrm{G}$-structure.
In this work we construct a variety of new complex-valued proper biharmonic maps and (2,1)-harmonic morphisms on Riemannian manifolds with non-trivial geometry. These are solutions to a non-linear system of partial differential equations depending on the geometric data of the manifolds involved.
We use reduced homogeneous coordinates to study Riemannian geometry of the octonionic (or Cayley) projective plane. Our method extends to the para-octonionic (or split octonionic) projective plane, the octonionic projective plane of indefinite signature, and the hyperbolic dual of the octonionic projective plane; we discuss these manifolds in the later sections of the paper.
We show that the degenerate special Lagrangian equation, recently introduced by Rubinstein-Solomon, induces a global equation on every Riemannian manifold, and that for certain associated geometries this equation governs, as it does in the Euclidean setting, geodesics in the space of positive Lagrangians. For example, geodesics in the space of positive Lagrangian sections of a smooth Calabi-Yau torus fibration are governed by the Riemannian DSL on the base manifold. We then develop their analytic techniques, specifically modifications of the Dirichlet duality theory of Harvey-Lawson, in the Ri…
We present an example of a complete Riemannian plane with precisely two injective geodesics - up to reparameterization. The example arises as a perturbation of a surface of revolution with contracting end. The last section is devoted to open problems.
We study two types of isotropic planes: weakly isotropic and strongly isotropic planes. We prove that a Riemannian manifold of indefinite metric is conformally flat if and only if its curvature tensor vanishes on all the strongly isotropic planes. We specialize the plane axiom for Riemannian manifolds of indefinite metrics. We show that manifolds satisfying plane axiom of weakly (strongly) isotropic planes are of constant sectional curvature (conformaly flat). Further we study analogous problems on almost Hermitian manifolds of indefinite metrics.
It is well-known that the Einstein condition on warpedgeometries requires the fibres to be necessarily Einstein. However, exact warped solutions have often been obtained using one- and two-dimensional bases. In this paper, keeping the dimensions and signatures of the base and the fibre independently arbitrary, we obtain all Ricci-flat warped metrics with flat base in closed form and show that the number of free parameters is one less than the dimension of the base. Without any assumptions on the base and fibre geometry, we then show that a warped geometry is flat, i.e, has vanishing Riemann cu…
A diffeomorphism of pseudo-Riemannian manifolds is called sectional curvature preserving if it preserves the sectional curvature of all the nondegenerate 2-planes. We consider a similar condition for degenerate 2-planes and we prove that the diffeomorphism is conformal (when the condition is fulfilled for weakly degenerate planes) or an isometry (when the condition is fulfilled for strongly degenerate 2-planes).
A conjecture of Burns and Knieper asks whether a 2-plane with a metric without conjugate points, and with a geodesic foliation whose lines are at bounded Hausdorff distance, is necessarily flat. We prove this conjecture in two cases: under the hypothesis that the plane admits total curvature, and under the hypothesis of visibility at some point. Along the way, we show that all geodesic line foliations on a Riemannian 2-plane must be homeomorphic to the standard one.
A geometry with parallel skew-symmetric torsion is a Riemannian manifold carrying a metric connection with parallel skew-symmetric torsion. Besides the trivial case of the Levi-Civita connection, geometries with non-vanishing parallel skew-symmetric torsion arise naturally in several geometric contexts, e.g. on naturally reductive homogeneous spaces, nearly Kähler or nearly parallel $\mathrm{G}_2$-manifolds, Sasakian and $3$-Sasakian manifolds, or twistor spaces over quaternion-Kähler manifolds with positive scalar curvature. In this paper we study the local structure of Riemannian manifolds c…
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 classify all smooth flat Riemannian metrics on the two-dimensional plane. In the complete case, it is well-known that these metrics are isometric to the Euclidean metric. In the incomplete case, there is an abundance of naturally-arising, non-isometric metrics that are relevant and useful. Remarkably, the study and classification of all flat Riemannian metrics on the plane -- as a subject -- is new to the literature. Much of our research focuses on conformal metrics of the form $e^{2φ}g_0$, where $φ: \mathbb{R}^2 \rightarrow \mathbb{R)$ is a harmonic function and $g_0$ is the standard Eucli…
We consider the Lie group PSL(2) (the group of orientation preserving isometries of the hyperbolic plane) and a left-invariant Riemannian metric on this group with two equal eigenvalues that correspond to space-like eigenvectors (with respect to the Killing form). For such metrics we find a parametrization of geodesics, the conjugate time, the cut time and the cut locus. The injectivity radius is computed. We show that the cut time and the cut locus in such Riemannian problem converge to the cut time and the cut locus in the corresponding sub-Riemannian problem as the third eigenvalue of the m…
This is a survey on the global theory of constant mean curvature surfaces in Riemannian homogeneous 3-manifolds. These ambient 3-manifolds include the eight canonical Thurston 3-dimensional geometries, i.e. R3, H3, S3, H2 \times R, S2 \times R, the Heisenberg space Nil3, the universal cover of PSL2(R) and the Lie group Sol3. We will focus on the problems of classifying compact CMC surfaces and entire CMC graphs in these spaces. A collection of important open problems of the theory is also presented.
Following a recent paper by Baryshnikov and Zharnitskii, we consider outer billiards in the plane possessing invariant curves consisting of periodic orbits. We prove the existence and abundance of such tables using tools from sub-Riemannian geometry. We also prove that the set of 3-periodic outer billiard orbits has zero measure.
Sub-Riemannian Geometry is proved to play an important role in many applications, e.g., Mathematical Physics and Control Theory. The simplest example of sub-Riemannian structure is provided by the 3-D Heisenberg group. Sub-Riemannian Geometry enjoys major differences from the Riemannian being a generalisation of the latter at the same time, e.g., geodesics are not unique and may be singular, the Hausdorff dimension is larger than the manifold topological dimension. There exists a large amount of literature developing sub-Riemannian Geometry. However, very few is known about its natural extensi…
In this paper, we endow the right half plane with warped product metrics. The group of holomorphic isometries of all such metrics is isomorphic to the real additive group. Of our interest are two of those metrics: they have zero and unbounded negative sectional curvature, respectively, and both of them are not complete.
All parabolic geometries, i.e. Cartan geometries with homogeneous model a real generalized flag manifold, admit highly interesting classes of distinguished curves. The geodesics of a projective class of connections on a manifold, conformal circles on conformal Riemannian manifolds, and Chern--Moser chains on CR--manifolds of hypersurface type are typical examples. We show that such distinguished curves are always determined by a finite jet in one point, and study the properties of such jets. We also discuss the question when distinguished curves agree up to reparametrization and discuss the di…
The famous theorems of Cartan, related to the axiom of $r$-planes, and Leung-Nomizu about the axiom of $r$-spheres were extended to Kähler geometry by several authors. In this paper we replace the strong notions of totally geodesic submanifolds ($r$-planes) and extrinsic spheres ($r$-spheres) by a wider class of special isometric immersions such that theorems of type "axioms of $r$-special submanifolds" could hold. We verify also that there are plenty of special submanifolds in real and complex space forms and, in the codimension one case, in Einstein manifolds.
We consider geometries on the space of Riemannian metrics conformally equivalent to the widely studied Ebin L^2 metric. Among these we characterize a distinguished metric that can be regarded as a generalization of Calabi's metric on the space of Kähler metrics to the space of Riemannian metrics, and we study its geometry in detail. Unlike the Ebin metric, the geodesic equation involves non-local terms, and we solve it explicitly by using a constant of the motion. We then determine its completion, which gives the first example of a metric on the space of Riemannian metrics whose completion is …
Unified synthetic Ricci curvature lower bounds for Riemannian and sub-Riemannian structures
Università di Padova（帕多瓦大学）；University of Oxford（牛津大学）；SISSA（的里雅斯特国际高等研究学校）；Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Institut Fourier（格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学，法国国家科学研究中心，傅里叶研究所）
We study Riemannian metrics on Lie groupoids in the relative setting. We show that any split fibration between proper groupoids can be made Riemannian, and we use these metrics to linearize proper groupoid fibrations. As an application, we derive rigidity theorems for Lie groupoids, which unify, simplify and improve similar results for classic geometries. Then we establish the Morita invariance for our metrics, introduce a notion for metrics on stacks, and use them to construct stacky tubular neighborhoods and to prove a stacky Ehresmann theorem.
This note is about the interplay between the almost-hermitian and Riemannian geometries of a manifold. These geometries can be seen to interact through curvature. The main result is an obstruction equation to the integrability of almost-complex structures orthogonal with respect to Riemannian metrics with constrained sectional curvature. Several geometric consequences ensue, such as a formula for the norm of the Levi-Civita covariant derivative of a hypothetical orthogonal complex structure. Our results lead to a partial recovery of the well-known fact that the round $6$-sphere $S^6$ is not he…
Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, CNRS, IMJ-PRG（索邦大学、巴黎西岱大学、法国国家科学研究中心、IMJ-PRG）；Technische Universität Wien（维也纳工业大学）；Case Western Reserve University（凯斯西储大学）
In the paper we consider Riemannian surfaces admitting a global expression of the Gauss curvature as the divergence of a vector field. It is equivalent to the existence of a metric linear connection of zero curvature. Such a linear connection $\nabla$ plays an important role in the differential geometry of non-Riemannian surfaces in the sense that the Riemannian quadratic forms can be changed into Minkowski functionals in the tangent planes such that the Minkowskian length of the tangent vectors is invariant under the parallel translation with respect to $\nabla$ (compatibility condition). A s…
The concept of soliton, in its most general version, allows us to find canonical or distinguished elements on any set provided with an equivalence relation and an `optimal' tangent direction at each point. We study in this paper solitons on homogeneous spaces, which have consolidated its role as a quite useful tool to find soliton geometric structures in Riemannian, pseudo-Riemannian, complex, symplectic and G2 geometries.
