Questions tagged [geodesics]
The geodesics tag has no usage guidance.
168
questions
4
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Smooth manifolds for which every metric is geodesically convex
Are there non compact smooth manifolds which have the property that every Riemannian metric is geodesically convex?
Note that a manifold for which every Riemannian metric is complete must be compact.
...
34
votes
0
answers
692
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Metrics on the 3-sphere with knotted geodesics
According to answers to this question every metrics on $S^3$ admits a simple closed geodesic. Given a knot (or link) $K$, it's also quite simple to build a metric on $S^3$ such that $K$ is a geodesic (...
3
votes
0
answers
174
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Does null geodesic flow live on a natural compact bundle?
Let $(M,g)$ be a compact pseudo-Riemannian manifold (closed or with boundary).
A geodesic $\gamma:(a,b)\to M$ is called null if $g_{ij}\dot\gamma^i\dot\gamma^j=0$.
The geodesic flow can be seen as a ...
29
votes
2
answers
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Is every closed curve in 3D a geodesic on a genus-0 surface?
Let $\gamma$ be a smooth, closed, unknotted curve embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
Q. Does there always exist a smooth, embedded, genus-zero surface
$S \subset \mathbb{R}^3$
such that $\gamma$ is a (...
4
votes
1
answer
363
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Null tetrad transformation
I have been going through the Chandrasekhar's "The Mathematical Theory of Black holes", in particular the chapter on Newman Penrose formalism.
I have a question about what he calls a "class III ...
2
votes
0
answers
147
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Derivation of gradient of SSE in Geodesic Regression
On page 79 (or page 5) of this this paper the gradient of the SSE of the Geodesic model is described explicitly. My question is how are these equitations derived in detail; where can I find the ...
2
votes
1
answer
333
views
Closed geodesics that cross one another frequently
Let $S$ be a smooth, closed, genus zero surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
$S$ has at least three simple (non-self-intersecting), closed geodesics by
a theorem of Lyusternik and Shnirel'man.
Alternatively, ...
1
vote
1
answer
270
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Obstruction to the existence of global isometries on a constant-curvature Riemannian manifold
Let $M$ be an $m$-dimensional simply connected Riemannian manifold that is not geodesically complete. Suppose $M$ has constant sectional curvature.
Because the curvature is constant, locally $M$ ...
4
votes
1
answer
766
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The heat kernel as an exponential of an integral
In $\mathbb{R}^n$, if $\gamma$ is a line segment between $x_0 = \gamma (0)$ and $x = \gamma (t)$, one has the following formula:
$$\frac {\mathbb{e}^{- \frac{1}{4} \int_0^t <\dot{\gamma}, \dot{\...
7
votes
1
answer
927
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Which surfaces have only a finite number of connecting geodesics?
Q1. For a smooth, closed (compact) surface $S$ embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$,
under which conditions is it true that, for every pair of points
$a,b \in S$, there are an infinite number of ...
2
votes
1
answer
128
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Geodesic paths on a flat sphere
Let $S$ be a $2$-dimensional sphere endowed with a flat metric with $3$ conical singularities of positive curvature. Typically, $S$ is a metric space you get when you glue two copies of the same ...
4
votes
1
answer
163
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Geodesic comparison in Hadamard space
Let $X$ be a hadamard space and $\gamma_1, \gamma_2 \colon \mathbb{R}\rightarrow X$ be two geodesics. Part 2 of Coroallary 2.5 in
http://www.iam.uni-bonn.de/fileadmin/WT/Inhalt/people/Karl-...
2
votes
0
answers
279
views
Log of heat kernel for positive time
A well-known theorem by Varadhan relates the logarithm of the heat kernel on a manifold and the geodesic distance function. In particular, if $d(x,y)$ is geodesic distance from $x$ to $y$ and $p(t,x,...
6
votes
1
answer
348
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Tori in Compact Riemannian Symmetric Spaces
The closure of a 1-parameter subgroup in a compact Lie group is a torus. To what extent does this result generalize to compact Riemannian symmetric spaces? In other words, is the closure of a geodesic ...
18
votes
2
answers
1k
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Simple, closed geodesics in $\mathbb{S}^3$ manifold
Lyusternik and Shnirel'man were the first to prove
Poincaré's conjecture that any Riemannian metric on $\mathbb{S}^2$ has
at least three simple (non-self-intersecting), closed geodesics.
See, e.g., p....
39
votes
5
answers
3k
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Surfaces filled densely by a geodesic
Which smooth, closed surfaces $S \subset \mathbb{R}^3$ have no
single geodesic $\gamma$ that fills $S$ densely?
Say a geodesic $\gamma$ "fills $S$ densely" if the closure of the set of points
...
2
votes
1
answer
302
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2 questions about loops and negative curvature
$(M^n,g)$ is a compact $n$ dimensional manifold of negative curvature with n>2 . let $\alpha$ be a simple closed geodesic loop in $M$ based at a point $p$
1) will the geodesic in the free homotopy ...
10
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4
answers
1k
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Geodesic path on the unit sphere with the sup norm
Let $X$ be the unit sphere of $\mathbb{R}^n$ with the sup norm, i.e. $X=\{x\in\mathbb{R}^n: \|x\|_{\infty}=1\}$. Let the metric $d$ on $X$ be the geodesic metric induced by the sup norm, i.e for any ...