We continue the study of the distribution of closed geodesics on nilmanifolds constructed from a simply connected 2-step nilpotent Lie group with a left invariant metric and a lattice. We consider a Lie group with an associated 2-step nilpotent Lie algebra constructed from an irreducible representation of a compact semisimple Lie algebra on a real finite dimensional vector space. We determine sufficient conditions on the semisimple Lie algebra for the nilmanifold to have the density of closed geodesics property for a lattice arising from a Chevalley rational structure.
Two Riemannian manifolds are said to have $C^k$-conjugate geodesic flows if there exist an $C^k$ diffeomorphism between their unit tangent bundles which intertwines the geodesic flows. We obtain a number of rigidity results for the geodesic flows on compact 2-step Riemannian nilmanifolds: For generic 2-step nilmanifolds the geodesic flow is $C^2$ rigid. For special classes of 2-step nilmanifolds, we show that the geodesic flow is $C^0$ or $C^2$ rigid. In particular, there exist continuous families of 2-step nilmanifolds whose Laplacians are isospectral but whose geodesic flows are not $C^0$ co…
In this work we study the geodesic flow on nilmanifolds associated to graphs. We are interested in the construction of first integrals to show complete integrability on some compact quotients. Also examples of integrable geodesic flows and of non-integrable ones are shown.
We study Riemannian nilmanifolds associated with graphs. We prove that such a nilmanifold is geodesic orbit if and only if it is naturally reductive if and only if its defining graph is the disjoint union of complete graphs and the left-invariant metric is generated by a certain naturally defined inner product.
We study the geodesic orbit property for nilpotent Lie groups $N$ when endowed with a pseudo-Riemannian left-invariant metric. We consider this property with respect to different groups acting by isometries. When $N$ acts on itself by left-translations we show that it is a geodesic orbit space if and only if the metric is bi-invariant. Assuming $N$ is 2-step nilpotent and with non-degenerate center we give algebraic conditions on the Lie algebra $\mathfrak n$ of $N$ in order to verify that every geodesic is the orbit of a one-parameter subgroup of $N\rtimes\operatorname{Auto}(N)$. In addition …
In this paper we study the geodesic flow on nilmanifolds equipped with a left-invariant metric. We write the underlying definitions and find general formulas for the Poisson involution. As an example we develop the Heisenberg Lie group equipped with its canonical metric. We prove that a family of first integrals giving the complete integrability can be read off at the Lie algebra of the isometry group. We also explain the complete integrability on compact quotients and for any invariant metric.
Let T be the nilpotent group of 4 x 4 real upper triangular matrices. In this note we show that the Euler equations of certain left-invariant riemannian metrics on T have a horseshoe. We also show, with the aid of a numerical computation of a Melnikov-type integral, that the Euler equations of the sub-riemannian Carnot metric on T has a horseshoe. This sharpens an earlier result of Montgomery, Shapiro and Stolin who had shown that the equations are algebraically non-integrable.
The geodesic orbit property is useful and interesting in Riemannian geometry. It implies homogeneity and has important classes of Riemannian manifolds as special cases. Those classes include weakly symmetric Riemannian manifolds and naturally reductive Riemannian manifolds. The corresponding results for indefinite metric manifolds are much more delicate than in Riemannian signature, but in the last few years important corresponding structural results were proved for geodesic orbit Lorentz manifolds. Here we carry out a major step in the structural analysis of geodesic orbit Lorentz nilmanifold…
In this work we investigate families of compact Lorentzian manifolds in dimension four. We show that every lightlike geodesic on such spaces is periodic, while there are closed and non-closed spacelike and timelike geodesics. Their isometry groups are computed. We also show that there is a non trivial action by isometries of $\Heis_3(\RR)$ on the nilmanifold $S^1\times (Γ_k \bsh \Heis_3(\RR))$ for $Γ_k$ a lattice of $\Heis_3(\RR)$.
The geodesic orbit property has been studied intensively for Riemannian manifolds. Geodesic orbit spaces are homogeneous and allow simplifications of many structural questions using the Lie algebra of the isometry group. Weakly symmetric Riemannian manifolds are geodesic orbit spaces. Here we define "naturally reductive" for pseudo-Riemannian manifolds and note that they are geodesic orbit spaces. A few years ago two of the authors proved that weakly symmetric pseudo-Riemannian manifolds are geodesic orbit spaces. In particular these results apply to pseudo-Riemannian Lorentz manifolds. There …
We compute the spectrum of the Dirac operator on 3-dimensional Heisenberg manifolds. The behavior under collapse to the 2-torus is studied. Depending on the spin structure either all eigenvalues tend to $\pm\infty$ or there are eigenvalues converging to those of the torus. This is shown to be true in general for collapsing circle bundles with totally geodesic fibers. Using the Hopf fibration we use this fact to compute the Dirac eigenvalues on complex projective space including the multiplicities. Finally, we show that there are 1-parameter families of Riemannian nilmanifolds such that the Lap…
We construct a pair of compact, eight-dimensional, two-step Riemannian nilmanifolds $M$ and $M'$ which are isospectral for the Laplace operator on functions and such that $M$ has completely integrable geodesic flow in the sense of Liouville, while $M'$ has not. Moreover, for both manifolds we analyze the structure of the submanifolds of the unit tangent bundle given by to maximal continuous families of closed geodesics with generic velocity fields. The structure of these submanifolds turns out to reflect the above (non)integrability properties. On the other hand, their dimension is larger than…
We give a basic treatment of lattices $Γ$ in these groups. Certain tori $T_F$ and $T_B$ provide the model fiber and the base for a submersion of $Γ\backslash N$. This submersion may not be pseudoriemannian in the usual sense, because the tori may be degenerate. We then begin the study of periodic geodesics in these compact nilmanifolds, obtaining a complete calculation of the period spectrum of certain flat spaces.
Dani and Mainkar introduced a method for constructing a 2-step nilpotent Lie algebra $\mathfrak{n}_G$ from a simple directed graph $G$ in 2005. There is a natural inner product on $\mathfrak{n}_G$ arising from the construction. We study geometric properties of the associated simply connected 2-step nilpotent Lie group $N$ with Lie algebra $\mathfrak{n}_G$. We classify singularity properties of the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{n}_G$ in terms of the graph $G$. A comprehensive description is given of graphs $G$ which give rise to Heisenberg-like Lie algebras. Conditions are given on the graph $G$ and o…
