Isoparametric submanifolds and hypersurfaces in space forms are geometric objects that have been studied since E. Cartan. Another important class of geometric objects is the orbits of a polar action on a Riemannian manifold,e.g., the orbits of the adjoint action of a Lie group on itself. These two classes of submanifolds share comon properties. For example, they are leaves of a singular Riemannian foliation with sections (s.r.f.s. for short). The purpose of this paper is to review some results of the theory of s.r.f.s., which have been developed by the author. In addition, we give an alternative proof of Toeben's Theorem, who gave a necessary and sufficient condition for an equifocal submanifold to induce a s.r.f.s.
In this note, we discuss the interactions between differential topology and isoparametric foliations, surveying some recent progress and open problems.
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…
Based on representation theory of Clifford algebra, Ferus, Karcher and Münzner constructed a series of isoparametric foliations. In this paper, we will survey recent studies on isoparametric hypersurfaces of OT-FKM type and investigate related geometric constructions with mean curvature flow.
Irreducible isoparametric foliations of arbitrary codimension q on complex projective spaces CP^n are classified, except if n=15 and q=1. Remarkably, there are noncongruent examples that pull back under the Hopf map to congruent foliations on the sphere. Moreover, there exist many inhomogeneous isoparametric foliations, even of higher codimension. In fact, every irreducible isoparametric foliation on the complex projective n-space is homogeneous if and only if n+1 is prime. The main tool developed in this work is a method to study singular Riemannian foliations with closed leaves on complex pr…
Associated with isoparametric foliations of unit spheres, there are two classes of minimal surfaces $-$ minimal isoparametric hypersurfaces and focal submanifolds. By virtue of their rich structures, we find new series of minimizing cones. They are cones over focal submanifolds and cones over suitable products among these two classes. Except in low dimensions, all such cones are shown minimizing.
Motivated by the celebrated Schoen-Yau-Gromov-Lawson surgery theory on metrics of positive scalar curvature, we construct a double manifold associated with a minimal isoparametric hypersurface in the unit sphere. The resulting double manifold carries a metric of positive scalar curvature and an isoparametric foliation as well. To investigate the topology of the double manifolds, we use K-theory and the representation of the Clifford algebra for the FKM-type, and determine completely the isotropy subgroups of singular orbits for homogeneous case.
In this paper, we investigate the mean curvature flows starting from all non-minimal leaves of the isoparametric foliation given by a certain kind of solvable group action on a symmetric space of non-compact type. We prove that the mean curvature flow starting from each non-minimal leaf of the foliation exists in infinite time, if the foliation admits no minimal leaf, then the flow asymptotes the self-similar flow starting from another leaf, and if the foliation admits a minimal leaf (in this case, it is shown that there exists the only one minimal leaf), then the flow converges to the minimal…
A well known conjecture of Yau states that the first eigenvalue of every closed minimal hypersurface $M^n$ in the unit sphere $S^{n+1}(1)$ is just its dimension $n$. The present paper shows that Yau conjecture is true for minimal isoparametric hypersurfaces. Moreover, the more fascinating result of this paper is that the first eigenvalues of the focal submanifolds are equal to their dimensions in the non-stable range.
Given a closed manifold $M$ and a vector bundle $ξ$ of rank $n$ over $M$, by gluing two copies of the disc bundle of $ξ$, we can obtain a closed manifold $D(ξ, M)$, the so-called double manifold. In this paper, we firstly prove that each sphere bundle $S_r(ξ)$ of radius $r>0$ is an isoparametric hypersurface in the total space of $ξ$ equipped with a connection metric, and for $r>0$ small enough, the induced metric of $S_r(ξ)$ has positive Ricci curvature under the additional assumptions that $M$ has a metric with positive Ricci curvature and $n\geq3$. As an application, if $M$ admits a metric …
Jakobson and Nadirashvili \cite{JN} constructed a sequence of eigenfunctions on $T^2$ with a bounded number of critical points, answering in the negative the question raised by Yau \cite{Yau1} which asks that whether the number of the critical points of eigenfunctions for the Laplacian increases with the corresponding eigenvalues. The present paper finds three interesting eigenfunctions on the minimal isoparametric hypersurface $M^n$ in $S^{n+1}(1)$. The corresponding eigenvalues are $n$, $2n$ and $3n$, while their critical sets consist of $8$ points, a submanifold(infinite many points) and $8…
A singular Riemannian foliation $F$ on a complete Riemannian manifold $M$ is called a polar foliation if, for each regular point $p$, there is an immersed submanifold $Σ$, called section, that passes through $p$ and that meets all the leaves and always perpendicularly. A typical example of a polar foliation is the partition of $M$ into the orbits of a polar action, i.e., an isometric action with sections. In this work we prove that the leaves of $F$ coincide with the level sets of a smooth map $H: M\to Σ$ if $M$ is simply connected. In particular, we have that the orbits of a polar action on a…
In this paper, two sequences of minimal isoparametric hypersurfaces are constructed via representations of Clifford algebras. Based on these, we give estimates on eigenvalues of the Laplacian of the focal submanifolds of isoparametric hypersurfaces in unit spheres. This improves results of [TY13] and [TXY14]. Eells and Lemaire [EL83] posed a problem to characterize the compact Riemannian manifold M for which there is an eigenmap from M to S^n. As another application of our constructions, the focal maps give rise to many examples of eigenmaps from minimal isoparametric hypersurfaces to unit sph…
The focal sets of isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres with g = 4 are all Willmore submanifolds, being minimal but mostly non-Einstein ([TY1], [QTY]). Inspired by A.Gray's view, the present paper shows that, these focal sets are all A- manifolds but rarely Ricci parallel, except possibly for the only unclassified case. As a byproduct, it gives infinitely many simply-connected examples to the problem 16.56 (i) of Besse concerning generalizations of the Einstein condition.
In this paper we study singular riemannian foliations that have sections,i.e., totally geodesic complete immersed submanifolds that meet each leaf orthogonally and whose dimensions are the codimensions of the regular leaves. We prove here that the restriction of the foliation to a slice of a leaf is diffeomorphic to an isoparametric foliation on an open set of an euclidian space. This result gives us local information about the singular foliation and in particular about the singular stratification of the foliation. It also allows us to describe the plaques of the foliation as level sets of a t…
In contrast to an infinite family of explicit examples of two-dimensional $p$-harmonic functions obtained by G.Aronsson in the late 80s, there is very little known about the higher-dimensional case. In this paper, we show how to use isoparametric polynomials to produce diverse examples of $p$-harmonic and biharmonic functions. Remarkably, for some distinguished values of $p$ and the ambient dimension $n$ this yields first examples of rational and algebraic $p$-harmonic functions. Moreover, we show that there are no $p$-harmonic polynomials of the isoparametric type. This supports a negative an…
We propose a method to extend submanifolds, singular Riemannian foliations and isometric actions from a boundary component of a noncompact symmetric space to the whole space. This extension method preserves minimal submanifolds, isoparametric foliations and polar actions, among other properties. One of the several applications yields the first examples of inhomogeneous isoparametric hypersurfaces in noncompact symmetric spaces of rank at least two.
This is a continuation of Tang and Yan, which investigated the first eigenvalues of minimal isoparametric hypersurfaces with $g=4$ distinct principal curvatures and focal submanifolds in unit spheres. For the focal submanifolds with $g=6$, the present paper obtains estimates on all the eigenvalues, among others, giving an affirmative answer in one case to the problem posed in Tang and Yan, which may be regarded as a generalization of Yau's conjecture. In two of the four unsettled cases in Tang and Yan for focal submanifolds $M_1$ of OT-FKM-type, we prove the first eigenvalues to be their dimen…
A bounded domain $Ω$ in a Riemannian manifold $M$ is said to have the Pompeiu property if the only continuous function which integrates to zero on $Ω$ and on all its congruent images is the zero function. In some respects, the Pompeiu property can be viewed as an overdetermined problem, given its relation with the Schiffer problem. It is well-known that every Euclidean ball fails the Pompeiu property while spherical balls have the property for almost all radii (Ungar's Freak theorem). In the present paper we discuss the Pompeiu property when $M$ is compact and admits an isoparametric foliation…
We solve the problem raised by Hsiang, Palais and Terng in [The topology of isoparametric submanifolds, JDG, 27(1988), 423-460]: Is it possible to have an isoparametric foliation on R^{52} whose marked Dynkin giagram is of type D_4 and with all multiplicities uniformly equal to 4?
In this paper we investigate the mean curvature flow (MCF) of a regular leaf of a closed generalized isoparametric foliation as initial datum, generalizing previous results of Radeschi and first author. We show that, under bounded curvature conditions, any finite time singularity is a singular leaf, and the singularity is of type I. We also discuss the existence of basin of attractions, how cylinder structures can affect convergence of basic MCF of immersed submanifolds and make a few remarks on MCF of non closed leaves of generalized isoparametric foliation.
We prove that a submanifold with parallel focal structure, which is a generalization of isoparametric and equifocal submanifolds, induces a singular Riemannian foliation of the ambient space by its parallel and focal manifolds.
Let $M_t$ be an isoparametric foliation on the unit sphere $(S^{n-1}(1),g^{\mathrm{st}})$ with $d$ principal curvature values. Using the spherical coordinates induced by $M_t$, we construct a Minkowski norm with the presentation $F=r\sqrt{2f(t)}$, which generalizes the notions of $(α,β)$-norm and $(α_1,α_2)$-norm. Using the technique of spherical local frame, we give an exact and explicit answer for the question when $F=r\sqrt{2f(t)}$ really defines a Minkowski norm. Using the similar technique, we study the Hessian isometry $Φ$ between two Minkowski norms induced by $M_t$, which preserves the…
In this note we construct an explicit example of a (compact) conformally flat Riemannian manifold which admits a totally geodesic foliation of codimension one with no isoparametric leaves. This answers negatively the question: is every hypersurface with constant principal curvatures isoparametric?
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 study and classify smooth bounded domains in an analytic Riemannian manifold which are critical for the heat content at all times t>0. We do that by first computing the first variation of the heat content, and then showing that a domain is critical if and only if it has the so-called constant flow property, so that we can use a previous classification result established by the author. The outcome is that a domain is critical for the heat content at all times if and only if it admits an isoparametric foliation, that is, a foliation whose leaves are all parallel to the boundary and have const…
We define and study isoparametric submanifolds of general ambient spaces and of arbitrary codimension. In particular we study their behaviour with respect to Riemannian submersions and their lift into a Hilbert space. These results are used to prove a Chevalley type restriction theorem which relates by restriction eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on a compact Riemannian manifold which contains an isoparametric submanifold with flat sections to eigenfunctions of the Laplacian of a section. A simple example of such an isoparametric foliation is given by the conjugacy classes of a compact Lie grou…
We give a generalization of the well-known result of E. Cartan on isoparametric cubics by showing that a homogeneous cubic polynomial solution of the eiconal equation $|\nabla f|^2=9|x|^4$ must be rotationally equivalent to either $x_n^3-3x_n(x_1^2+...+x_{n-1}^2)$, or to one of four exceptional Cartan cubic polynomials in dimensions $n=5,8,14,26$.
Atiyah's formulation of what is nowadays called the convexity theorem of Atiyah-Guillemin-Sternberg has two parts: (a) the image of the moment map arising from a Hamiltonian action of a torus on a symplectic manifold is a convex polytope, and (b) all preimages of the moment map are connected. Part (a) was generalized by Terng to the wider context of isoparametric submanifolds in euclidean space. In this paper we prove a generalization of part (b) for a certain class of isoparametric submanifolds (more precisely, for those with all multiplicities strictly greater than 1). For generalized real f…
The main purpose of these lecture notes is to provide a concise introduction to Lie groups, Lie algebras, and isometric and adjoint actions, aiming mostly at advanced undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, the connection between such classic theories and the research area of the first author is explored. Namely, generalizations to isoparametric submanifolds, polar actions and singular Riemannian foliations with sections (s.r.f.s.) are mentioned. The first chapters cover basic concepts, giving results on adjoint representation, closed subgroups, bi-invariant metrics, Killing forms an…
We develop variation formulas on almost-product (e.g. foliated) pseudo-Riemannian manifolds, and we consider variations of metric preserving orthogonality of the distributions. These formulae are applied to Einstein-Hilbert type actions: the total mixed scalar curvature and the total extrinsic scalar curvature of a distribution. The obtained Euler-Lagrange equations admit a number of solutions, e.g., twisted products, conformal submersions and isoparametric foliations. The paper generalizes recent results about the actions on codimension-one foliations for the case of arbitrary (co)dimension.
A relevant property of equifocal submanifolds is that their parallel sets are still immersed submanifolds, which makes them a natural generalization of the so-called isoparametric submanifolds. In this paper, we prove that the regular fibers of an analytic map $π:M^{m+k}\to B^{k}$ are equifocal whenever $M^{m+k}$ is endowed with a complete Finsler metric and there is a restriction of $π$ which is a Finsler submersion for a certain Finsler metric on the image. In addition, we prove that when the fibers provide a singular foliation on $M^{m+k}$, then this foliation is Finsler.
Singular Riemannian Foliations, variational problems and Principles of Symmetric Criticalities
Instituto de Matemática e Estatística da Universidade de São Paulo (IME-USP)（圣保罗大学数学与统计学院）；Universidade Estadual de Campinas（坎皮纳斯州立大学）；Cardiff University（卡迪夫大学）
Every open manifold L of dimension greater than one has complete Riemannian metrics g with bounded geometry such that (L,g) is not quasi-isometric to a leaf of a codimension one foliation of a closed manifold. Hence no conditions on the local geometry of (L,g) suffice to make it quasi-isometric to a leaf of such a foliation. We introduce the `bounded homology property', a semi-local property of (L,g) that is necessary for it to be a leaf in a compact manifold in codimension one, up to quasi-isometry. An essential step involves a partial generalization of the Novikov closed leaf theorem to high…
Molino's theory is a mathematical tool for studying Riemannian foliations. In this paper, we propose a generalization of Molino's theory with two Riemannian foliations. For this purpose, the projection of foliation with respect to a fibration is discussed. The generalization results in an equivariant basic cohomological isomorphism in case of Killing foliation. It is a generalization of results given by Goertsches and Töben. We also give a geometric realization of the cohomological isomorphism through equivariant basic Â-genus characters, who play a prominent role in calculating the index of a…
We construct the equivalent of the Godbillon-Vey class and its generalizations for regular foliations on super-manifolds. We interpret these classes as classes of foliated flat connections.
This thesis treats two main topics: calibrated symplectic foliations, and local Lie groupoids. Calibrated symplectic foliations are one possible generalization of taut foliations of 3-manifolds to higher dimensions. Their study has been popular in recent years, and we collect several interesting results. We then show how de Rham's theory of currents, and Sullivan's theory of structure currents, can be applied in trying to understand the calibratability of symplectic foliations. Our study of local Lie groupoids begins with their definition and an exploration of some of their basic properties. N…
The $p$--modulus ${\rm mod}_p(\mathcal{F})$ of a foliation $\mathcal{F}$ on a Riemannian manifold $M$ is a generalization of extremal length of plane curves introduced by L. Ahlfors. We study the variation $t\mapsto{\rm mod}_p(\mathcal{F}_t)$ of the modulus. In particular, we consider product of moduli of orthogonal foliations.
In this paper, we consider transversally harmonic maps between Riemannian manifolds with Riemannian foliations. In terms of the Bochner techniques and sub-Laplacian comparison theorem, we are able to establish a generalization of the Schwarz lemma for transversally harmonic maps of bounded generalized transversal dilatation. In addition, we also obtain a Schwarz type lemma for transversally holomorphic maps between Kähler foliations.
With a view toward sub-Riemannian geometry, we introduce and study H-type foliations. These structures are natural generalizations of K-contact geometries which encompass as special cases K-contact manifolds, twistor spaces, 3K contact manifolds and H-type groups. Under an horizontal Ricci curvature lower bound, we prove on those structures sub-Riemannian diameter upper bounds and first eigenvalue estimates for the sub-Laplacian. Then, using a result by Moroianu-Semmelmann, we classify the H-type foliations that carry a parallel horizontal Clifford structure. Finally, we prove an horizontal Ei…
Haefliger cohomology characterizes taut foliated manifolds by Haefliger's theorem. We show that Haefliger cohomology characterizes strongly tense foliated manifolds, namely, foliated manifolds which admit a Riemannian metric such that the mean curvature form of the leaves is closed and basic. We show that Haefliger cohomology is dual to invariant cohomology for complete Riemannian foliations. As an application of these results, we prove that any complete Riemannian foliation is strongly tense, which is a generalization of Domínguez's tenseness theorem for Riemannian foliations on closed manifo…
This is a survey article on a known generalization of Dirac-type operators to transverse operators called basic Dirac operators on Riemannian foliations, which are smooth foliations that have a transverse geometric structure. Construction of these operators requires the additional structure of what is called a bundle-like metric. We explain the result by Habib-R. that the spectrum of such an operator is independent of the choice of bundle-like metric, provided that the transverse geometric structure is fixed. We discuss consequences, which include defining a new version of the exterior derivat…
We show that any transversally complete Riemannian foliation F of dimension one on any possibly non-compact manifold M is tense; namely, (M,F) admits a Riemannian metric such that the mean curvature form of F is basic. This is a partial generalization of a result of Dominguez, which says that any Riemannian foliation on any compact manifold is tense. Our proof is based on some results of Molino and Sergiescu, and it is simpler than the original proof by Dominguez. As an application, we generalize some well known results including Masa's characterization of tautness.
We derive total mean curvature integration formulae of a three co-dimensional foliation $\mathcal{F}^{n}$ on a screen integrable half-lightlike submanifold, $M^{n+1}$ in a semi-Riemannian manifold $\overline{M}^{n+3}$. We give generalized differential equations relating to mean curvatures of a totally umbilical half-lightlike submanifold admitting a totally umbilical screen distribution, and show that they are generalizations of those given by [4].
By a classical result of Darboux, a foliation of a Riemannian surface has the Graves property (also known as the strong evolution property) if and only if the foliation comes from a Liouville net. A similar result of Blaschke says that a pair of orthogonal foliations has the Ivory property if and only if they form a Liouville net. Let us say that a geodesically convex curve on a Riemannian surface has the Poritsky property if it can be parametrized in such a way that all of its string diffeomorphisms are shifts with respect to this parameter. In 1950, Poritsky has shown that the only closed pl…
As a generalization of anti-invariant $ξ^\perp-$Riemannian submersions, we introduce conformal anti-invariant $ξ^\perp-$submersions from almost contact metric manifolds onto Riemannian manifolds. We investigate the geometry of foliations which are arisen from the definition of a conformal submersion and find necessary and sufficient conditions for a conformal anti-invariant $ξ^\perp-$submersion to be totally geodesic and harmonic, respectively. Moreover, we show that there are certain product structures on the total space of a conformal anti-invariant $ξ^\perp-$submersion.
