Let U be a real form of a complex semisimple Lie group, and tau, sigma, a pair of commuting involutions on U. This data corresponds to a reflective submanifold of a symmetric space, U/K. We define an associated integrable system, and describe how to produce solutions from curved flats.
The solutions are shown to correspond to various special submanifolds, depending on which homogeneous space U/L one projects to. We apply the construction to a question which generalizes, to the context of reflective submanifolds of arbitrary symmetric spaces, the problem of isometric immersions of space forms with negative extrinsic curvature and flat normal bundle. For this problem, we prove that the only cases where local solutions exist are the previously known cases of space forms, in addition to constant curvature Lagrangian immersions into complex projective and complex hyperbolic spaces. We also prove non-existence of global solutions in the compact case.
The solutions associated to other reflective submanifolds correspond to special deformations of lower dimensional submanifolds. As an example, we obtain a special class of surfaces in the 6-sphere.
We introduce the notion of a weakly reflective submanifold, which is an austere submanifold with a certain global condition, and study its fundamental properties. Using these, we determine weakly reflective orbits and austere orbits of s-representations.
We show that for any weakly reflective submanifold of a compact isotropy irreducible Riemannian homogeneous space its inverse image under the parallel transport map is an infinite dimensional weakly reflective PF submanifold of a Hilbert space. This is an extension of the author's previous result in the case of compact irreducible Riemannian symmetric spaces. We also give a characterization of so obtained weakly reflective PF submanifolds.
A weakly reflective submanifold is a minimal submanifold of a Riemannian manifold which has a certain symmetry at each point. In this paper we introduce this notion into a class of proper Fredholm (PF) submanifolds in Hilbert spaces and show that there exist so many infinite dimensional weakly reflective PF submanifolds in Hilbert spaces. In particular each fiber of the parallel transport map is shown to be weakly reflective. These imply that in infinite dimensional Hilbert spaces there exist so many homogeneous minimal submanifolds which are not totally geodesic, unlike in the finite dimensio…
In this paper, we assume that all isoparametric submanifolds have flat section. The main purpose of this paper is to prove that, if a full irreducible complete isoparametric submanifold of codimension greater than one in a symmetric space of non-compact type admits a reflective focal submanifold and if it of real analytic, then it is a principal orbit of a Hermann type action on the symmetric space. A hyperpolar action on a symmetric space of non-compact type admits a reflective singular orbit if and only if it is a Hermann type action. Hence is not extra the assumption that the isoparametric …
We prove an extension of a theorem of A.Ros on a characterization of seven compact Kaehler submanifolds by holomorphic pinching to certain submanifolds of the complex Grassmannian manifolds.
We describe how the loop group maps corresponding to special submanifolds associated to integrable systems may be thought of as certain Grassmann submanifolds of infinite dimensional homogeneous spaces. In general, the associated families of special submanifolds are certain Grassmann submanifolds. An example is given from recent work of the author.
In this article, I classify the totally geodesic submanifolds in the complex 2-Grassmannians and in the quaternionic 2-Grassmannians. It turns out that for both of these spaces, the earlier classification of maximal totally geodesic submanifolds in Riemannian symmetric spaces of rank 2, published by Chen and Nagano (B.-Y. Chen, T. Nagano, "Totally geodesic submanifolds of symmetric spaces, II", Duke Math. J. 45 (1978), 405--425) is incomplete. For example, G_2(H^n) with n >= 7 contains totally geodesic submanifolds isometric to a HP^2, its metric scaled such that the minimal sectional curvatur…
A submanifold of a Riemannian symmetric space is called parallel if its second fundamental form is a parallel section of the appropriate tensor bundle. We classify parallel submanifolds of the Grassmannian $\rmG^+_2(\R^{n+2})$ which parameterizes the oriented 2-planes of the Euclidean space $\R^{n+2}$\,. Our main result states that every complete parallel submanifold of $\rmG^+_2(\R^{n+2})$\,, which is not a curve, is contained in some totally geodesic submanifold as a symmetric submanifold. This result holds also if the ambient space is the non-compact dual of $\rmG^+_2(\R^{n+2})$\,.
We use the Cartan representations of $SO(3)$ and $SU(3)$, and an irreducible 14-dimensional representation of $Sp(3)$ to construct certain totally geodesic submanifolds in "skew" position in the complex quadrics, the complex 2-Grassmannians and the quaternionic 2-Grassmannians.
We fully classify all Lagrangian submanifolds of a complex Grassmannian which are an orbit of a compact group of isometries and have positive Euler characteristic.
We introduce the equation of n-dimensional totally geodesic submanifolds of a manifold E as a submanifold of the second order jet space of n-dimensional submanifolds of E. Next we study the geometry of n-Grassmannian equivalent connections, that is linear connections without torsion admitting the same equation of n-dimensional totally geodesic submanifolds. We define the n-Grassmannian structure as the equivalence class of such connections, recovering for n=1 the case of theory of projectively equivalent connections. By introducing the equation of parametrized n-dimensional totally geodesic su…
There is a hierarchy of commuting soliton equations associated to each symmetric space U/K. When U/K has rank n, the first n flows in the hierarchy give rise to a natural first order non-linear system of partial diffferential equations in n variables, the so called U/K-system. Let G_{m,n} denote the Grassmannian of n-dimensional linear subspaces in R^{m+n}, and G_{m,n}^1 the Grassmannian of space like m-dimensional linear subspaces in the Lorentzian space R^{m+n,1}. In this paper, we use techniques from soliton theory to study submanifolds in space forms whose Gauss-Codazzi equations are gauge…
First we investigate the evolutions of the radius function and its gradient along the volume-preserving mean curvature flow starting from a tube (of nonconstant radius) over a compact closed domain of a reflective submanifold in a symmetric space under certain condition for the radius function. Next, we prove that the tubeness is preserved along the flow in the case where the ambient space is a rank one symmetric space of non-compact type (other than a (real) hyperbolic space) and the reflective submanifold is an invariant submanifold and the radius function of the initial tube is radial. Furt…
This paper shows that the Grassmann Manifolds $G_{\bf F}(n,N)$ can all be imbedded in an Euclidean space $M_{\bf F}(N)$ naturally and the imbedding can be realized by the eigenfunctions of Laplacian $\triangle$ on $G_{\bf F}(n,N)$. They are all minimal submanifolds in some spheres of $M_{\bf F}(N)$ respectively. Using these imbeddings, we construct some degenerate Morse functions on Grassmann Manifolds, show that the homology of the complex and quaternion Grassmann Manifolds can be computed easily.
Combining the tools of geometric analysis with properties of Jordan angles and angle space distributions, we derive a spherical and a Euclidean Bernstein theorem for minimal submanifolds of arbitrary dimension and codimension, under the condition that the Gauss image is contained in some geometrically defined closed region of a Grassmannian manifold. The proof depends on the subharmoncity of an auxiliary function, the Codazzi equations and geometric measure theory.
We study curvature-adapted submanifolds of general symmetric spaces. We generalize Cartan's theorem for isoparametric hypersurfaces of spheres and Wang's classification of isoparametric Hopf hypersurfaces in complex projective spaces to any compact symmetric space. Our second objective is to investigate such hypersurfaces in some specific symmetric spaces. Various classification results in the Cayley projective and hyperbolic planes and in complex two-plane Grassmannians are obtained under some additional assumptions.
Let Σbe a complete minimal Lagrangian submanifold of \C^n. We identify regions in the Grassmannian of Lagrangian subspaces so that whenever the image of the Gauss map of Σlies in one of these regions, then Σis an affine space.
We find many examples of compact Riemannian manifolds $(M,g)$ whose closed minimal hypersurfaces satisfy a lower bound on their index that is linear in their first Betti number. Moreover, we show that these bounds remain valid when the metric $g$ is replaced with $g'$ in a neighbourhood of $g$. Our examples $(M,g)$ consist of certain minimal isoparametric hypersurfaces of spheres; their focal manifolds; the Lie groups $SU(n)$ for $n\leq 17$, and $Sp(n)$ for all $n$; and all quaternionic Grassmannians.
A setting for global variational geometry on Grassmann fibrations is presented. The integral variational functionals for finite dimensional immersed submanifolds are studied by means of the fundamental Lepage equivalent of a homogeneous Lagrangian, which can be regarded as a generalization of the well-known Hilbert form in the classical mechanics. Prolongations of immersions, diffeomorphisms and vector fields to the Grassmann fibrations are introduced as geometric tools for the variations of immersions. The first infinitesimal variation formula together with its consequences, the Euler-Lagrang…
For a submanifold with flat normal bundle in a space form there is a normal orthonormal basis that simultaneously diagonalizes the corresponding Weingarten operators, and at which these operators satisfy a simple Codazzi symmetry. When the second fundamental form has zero index of relative nullity, the image of the Gauss map as defined by Obata is a submanifold of a generalized Grassmannian manifold, with induced metric given by the third fundamental form, corresponding to the sum of the squares of these operators. In this case, we show that the Riemann curvature tensor of the Gauss image is c…
We study deformations of associative submanifolds $Y^3\subset M^7$ of a $G_2$ manifold $M^7$. We show that the deformation space can be perturbed to be smooth, and it can be made compact and zero dimensional by constraining it with an additional equation. This allows us to associate local invariants to associative submanifolds of $M$. The local equations at each associative $Y$ are restrictions of a global equation on a certain associated Grassmann bundle over $ M$.
The $L^2$-metric or Fubini-Study metric on the non-linear Grassmannian of all submanifolds of type $M$ in a Riemannian manifold $(N,g)$ induces geodesic distance 0. We discuss another metric which involves the mean curvature and shows that its geodesic distance is a good topological metric. The vanishing phenomenon for the geodesic distance holds also for all diffeomorphism groups for the $L^2$-metric.
We classify 4-dimensional austere submanifolds in Euclidean space ruled by 2-planes. The algebraic possibilities for second fundamental forms of an austere 4-fold M were classified by Bryant, falling into three types which we label A, B, and C. We show that if M is 2-ruled of Type A, then the ruling map from M into the Grassmannian of 2-planes in R^n is holomorphic, and we give a construction for M starting with a holomorphic curve in an appropriate twistor space. If M is 2-ruled of Type B, then M is either a generalized helicoid in R^6 or the product of two classical helicoids in R^3. If M is…
Associative submanifolds of the 7-sphere S^7 are 3-dimensional minimal submanifolds which are the links of calibrated 4-dimensional cones in R^8 called Cayley cones. Examples of associative 3-folds are thus given by the links of complex and special Lagrangian cones in C^4, as well as Lagrangian submanifolds of the nearly Kähler 6-sphere. By classifying the associative group orbits, we exhibit the first known explicit example of an associative 3-fold in S^7 which does not arise from other geometries. We then study associative 3-folds satisfying the curvature constraint known as Chen's equality,…
Let $A$ be a positive injective operator in a Hilbert space (\h, <,>), and denote by [,] the inner product defined by A: [f,g]=<Af,g>. A closed subspace $\s \subset \h$ is called A-compatible if there exists a closed complement for $\s$, which is orthogonal to $\s$ with respect to the inner product [,]. Equivalently, if there exists a necessarily unique idempotent operator $Q_\s$ such that $R(Q_\s)=\s$, which is symmetric for this inner product. The compatible Grassmannian $Gr_A$ is the set of all A-compatible subspaces of $\h$. By parametrizing it via the one to one correspondence $\s\leftrig…
The present article is the final part of a series on the classification of the totally geodesic submanifolds of the irreducible Riemannian symmetric spaces of rank 2. After this problem has been solved for the 2-Grassmannians in my previous papers cited in the present paper as [K1] and [K2], and for the space SU(3)/SO(3) in [K3], Section 6, we now solve the classification for the remaining irreducible Riemannian symmetric spaces of rank 2 and compact type: SU(6)/Sp(3), SO(10)/U(5), E6/(U(1)*Spin(10)), E6/F4, G2/SO(4), SU(3), Sp(2) and G2. Similarly as for the spaces already investigated in the…
We develop a novel analogue of Euclidean PCA (principal component analysis) for data taking values on a Riemannian symmetric space, using totally geodesic submanifolds as approximating lower dimnsional submanifolds. We illustrate the technique on n-spheres, Grassmannians, n-tori and polyspheres.
We establish geometric properties of Stiefel and Grassmann manifolds which arise in relation to Slater type variational spaces in many-particle Hartree-Fock theory and beyond. In particular, we prove that they are analytic homogeneous spaces and submanifolds of the space of bounded operators on the single-particle Hilbert space. As a by-product we obtain that they are complete Finsler manifolds. These geometric properties underpin state-of-the-art results on existence of solutions to Hartree-Fock type equations.
The $n$-dimensional complex hyperquadric is a compact complex algebraic hypersurface defined by the quadratic equation in the $(n+1)$-dimensional complex projective space, which is isometric to the real Grassmann manifold of oriented 2- planes and is a compact Hermitian symmetric space of rank 2. In this paper we study geometry of compact Lagrangian submanifolds in complex hyperquadrics from the viewpoint of the theory of isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres. From this viewpoint we provide a classification theorem of compact homogeneous Lagrangian submanifolds in complex hyperquadrics by usi…
It is very well known that Hopf real hypersurfaces in the complex projective space can be locally characterized as tubes over complex submanifolds. This also holds true for some, but not all, Hopf real hypersurfaces in the complex hyperbolic space. The main goal of this paper is to show, in a unified way, how to construct Hopf real hypersurfaces in the complex hyperbolic space from a horizontal submanifold in one of the three twistor spaces of the indefinite complex $2$-plane Grassmannian with respect to the natural para-quaternionic Kähler structure. We also identify these twistor spaces with…
We present here a possible generalisation of the Poincaré-Cartan form in classical field theory in the most general case: arbitrary dimension, arbitrary order of the theory and in the absence of a fibre bundle structure. We use for the kinematical description of the system the $(r,n)$-Grassmann manifold associated to a given manifold $X$, i.e. the manifold of $r$-contact elements of $n$-dimensional submanifolds of $X$. The idea is to define globally a $n+1$ form on this Grassmann manifold, more precisely its class with respect to a certain subspace and to write it locally as the exterior deriv…
In this paper, we prove various results on the topology of the Grassmannian of oriented 3-planes in Euclidean 6-space and compute its cohomology ring. We give self-contained proofs. These spaces come up when studying submanifolds of manifolds with calibrated geometries. We collect these results here for the sake of completeness. As applications of our algebraic topological study we present some results on special Lagrangian-free embeddings of surfaces and 3-manifolds into the Euclidean 4 and 6-space.
In this paper, we generalize Medos-Wang's arguments and results on the mean curvature flow deformations of symplectomorphisms of $\CP^n$ in \cite{MeWa} to complex Grassmann manifold $G(n, n+m;\C)$ and compact totally geodesic Kähler-Einstein submanifolds of $G(n, 2n;\C)$ such as irreducible Hermitian symmetric spaces $SO(2n)/U(n)$ and $Sp(n)/U(n)$ (in the terminology of \cite[p. 518]{He}). We also give an abstract result and discuss the case of complex tori.
Let $Gr(d,n)$ be the Grassmannian of $d$-dimensional linear subspaces of an $n$-dimensional vector space $V$. A submanifold $X\subset Gr(d, n)$ gives rise to a differential system $Σ(X)$ that governs $d$-dimensional submanifolds of $V$ whose Gaussian image is contained in $X$. We investigate a special case of this construction where $X$ is a sixfold in $Gr(4, 6)$. The corresponding system $Σ(X)$ reduces to a pair of first-order PDEs for 2 functions of 4 independent variables. Equations of this type arise in self-dual Ricci-flat geometry. Our main result is a complete description of integrable …
