All Questions
Tagged with reference-request dg.differential-geometry
800 questions
122
votes
7
answers
15k
views
Topology and the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics
I was very happy to learn that the work which led to the award of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics (shared between David J. Thouless, F. Duncan M. Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz) uses Topology. In ...
70
votes
4
answers
11k
views
$C^1$ isometric embedding of flat torus into $\mathbb{R}^3$
I read (in a paper by Emil Saucan) that the flat torus may be isometrically embedded
in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with a $C^1$ map by the Kuiper extension of the Nash Embedding Theorem,
a claim repeated in this ...
- 151k
64
votes
12
answers
22k
views
Advanced Differential Geometry Textbook
I tried this post on StackExchange with no luck. Hopefully the experts at MathOverflow can help.
In algebraic topology there are two canonical "advanced" textbooks that go quite far beyond the usual ...
64
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Shortest closed curve to inspect a sphere
Let $S$ be a sphere in $\mathbb{R}^3$. Let $C$ be a closed curve in $\mathbb{R}^3$ disjoint from and
exterior to $S$
which has the property that every point $x$ on $S$ is visible to some point $y$ of $...
- 151k
60
votes
1
answer
6k
views
What were the main ideas and gaps in Yoichi Miyaoka's attempted proof (1988) of Fermat's Last Theorem?
Out of sheer curiosity I have been reading Stewert and Tall's "Algebraic Number Theory and Fermat's Last Theorem" (2001). As it contains various bits of history, I found out to my own shame that I was ...
- 7,127
57
votes
7
answers
8k
views
Maryam Mirzakhani's works
Maryam Mirzakhani has made several contributions to the theory of moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces.
Mirzakhani was awarded the Fields Medal in 2014 for "her outstanding contributions to the dynamics ...
user68866
48
votes
2
answers
14k
views
Research situation in the field of Information Geometry
I am now doing an article survey on the field of information geometry started by S.Amari and Barndorff-Nielson. I want to know some research situation in this field.
I have read (4) and parts of (3). ...
- 8,071
40
votes
6
answers
8k
views
Doing geometry using Feynman Path Integral?
I have often heard in the folk-lore that Feynman Path Integral can be used to compute geometric invariants of a space.
Coming from a background of studying Quantum Field Theory from the books like ...
- 3,541
39
votes
10
answers
4k
views
Are there some other notions of "curvature" which measure how space curves?
I am learning differential geometry and have a few questions on curvature. -- Background:
Gauss invented "Gauss curvature" to measure how surface curves.
Riemann gives an ingenious generalization of ...
39
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Manifold of probability measures: connections between two types of metrics
The space of probability measures could be viewed as an infinite-dimensional manifold, equipped with two possible types of metrics — (1) Wasserstein and (2) Fisher-Rao. Metric (1) is connected with ...
- 1,127
36
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Kervaire invariant: Why dimension 126 especially difficult?
Is there any resource that might help non-experts gains some understanding of why
the Kervaire invariant problem remains open now only in dimension $126$? ($126 =2^7-2=2^{j+1}-2$;
whether $\theta_j=\...
- 151k
36
votes
10
answers
6k
views
Determining a surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$ by its Gaussian curvature
A curve in the plane is determined, up to orientation-preserving
Euclidean
motions, by its curvature function, $\kappa(s)$.
Here is one of my favorite examples, from
Alfred Gray's book,
Modern ...
- 151k
35
votes
8
answers
19k
views
Modern mathematical books on general relativity
I am looking for a mathematical precise introductory book on general relativity. Such a reference request has already been posted in the physics stackexchange here. However, I'm not sure whether some ...
- 1,550
34
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Strong Whitney embedding theorem for non-compact manifolds
$\newcommand{\RR}{\mathbb{R}}$The present question arises from some confusion on my part regarding the precise statement of the strong Whitney embedding theorem for non-compact manifolds.
The strong ...
- 6,210
34
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Functions whose gradient-descent paths are geodesics
Let $f(x,y)$ define a surface $S$
in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with a unique local minimum at $b \in S$.
Suppose gradient descent from any start point $a \in S$
follows a geodesic on $S$ from $a$ to $b$.
(Q1.)
...
- 151k
34
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Jet bundles and partial differential operators
A geometric way of looking at differential equations
In the literature for the h-principle (for example Gromov's Partial differential relations or Eliashberg and Mishachev's Introduction to the h-...
- 39k
33
votes
8
answers
9k
views
"Modern" proof for the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula
Does someone has a reference to a modern proof of the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula?
All proofs I have ever seen are related only to matrix Lie groups / Lie algebras and
are not at all geometric (...
- 2,074
33
votes
4
answers
7k
views
Topology of function spaces?
Let $X,Y$ be finite-dimensional differentiable manifolds, and let's assume that they are connected. In fact, in applications I would like both $X$ and $Y$ to be riemannian manifolds.
Let $C^\infty(X,...
- 33.3k
29
votes
5
answers
6k
views
"The complex version of Nash's theorem is not true"
The title quote is from p.221 of the 2010 book,
The Shape of Inner Space: String Theory and the Geometry of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
by Shing-Tung Yau and Steve Nadis. "Nash's theorem" here ...
- 151k
29
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Most manifolds are hyperbolic?
I heard the claim as in the title for a long time, but can not find the precise reference for this claim, what's the reference with proof for this claim? Thanks for the help.
To be more precise, is ...
- 799
29
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Contractibility of the space of Jordan curves
Is the space of Jordan curves in $\textbf{R}^2$ contractible? In other words, is there a canonical or continuous way to deform each Jordan curve to the unit circle $\textbf{S}^1$.
If the curves are ...
- 7,169
28
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Stokes theorem for manifolds with corners?
Maybe this is an elementary question, but I'm unable to find the appropriate reference for it. The Stokes theorem tells us that, for a $n+1$-dimensional manifold $M$ with boundary $\partial M$ and any ...
- 1,975
28
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Probing a manifold with geodesics
Supposed you stand at a point $p \in M$ on a smooth 2-manifold $M$
embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
You do not know anything about $M$.
You shoot off a geodesic $\gamma$ in some direction $u$,
and learn ...
- 151k
27
votes
5
answers
7k
views
References for "modern" proof of Newlander-Nirenberg Theorem
Hi,
I'm starting to prepare a graduate topics course on Complex and Kahler manifolds for January 2011. I want to use this course as an excuse to teach the students some geometric analysis. In ...
26
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why is the half-torus rigid?
The half-torus surface that results from slicing a torus like a bagel,
depicted below (left), is isometrically rigid.
I know this from a remark of Alexandrov in
Mathematics: Its ...
- 151k
26
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Vector fields on $(4n+1)$-spheres
If $n$ is odd then $S^{n-1}$ doesn't admit a nowhere-vanishing vector field, and if $n$ is even then there does exist one (Hairy Ball Theorem). We can then ask, on $S^{n-1}$, what is the maximum ...
- 17.5k
24
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Weitzenböck Identities
I asked this question at Maths Stack Exchange, but I haven't received any replies yet (I'm not sure how long I should wait before it is acceptable to ask here, assuming there is such a period of time)....
- 19.3k
24
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Non-regular Connected Hausdorff Banach Manifold
After reading this MO post, I am wondering:
Is every (connected) Hausdorff Banach manifold a regular space?
Though unjustified, page 53 of this paper nonchalantly states: "Note that a Hausdorff ...
- 7,831
23
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Hsiung on the Complex Structure of $S^6$
In 1986 C. C. Hsiung published a paper "Nonexistence of a Complex Structure on the Six-Sphere" and in 1995 he even wrote a monograph "Almost Complex and Complex Structures" to further elaborate on his ...
- 329
23
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is the analytic version of the Whitney Approximation Theorem true?
I initially asked this question on MSE but I haven't had any luck.
The Whitney Approximation Theorem states that any continuous map between smooth manifolds is homotopic to a smooth map. If the ...
- 19.3k
23
votes
2
answers
1k
views
fake $S^{2k}\times S^{2k}$
Let $X$ be a fixed closed manifold,$S(X)$ the structure set and $Aut(X)$ the group of self homotopy equivalence of $X$.
surgery theory tells us that $\mathcal{M}(X):=S(X)/Aut(X)$ is in bijection ...
- 593
22
votes
11
answers
9k
views
Maxwell's equations and differential forms
Is there a textbook that explains Maxwell's equations in differential forms?
What I understood so far is that the $E$ and $B$ fields can be assembled to
a 2-form $F$, and Maxwell's equations can be ...
22
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why doesn't this construction of the tangent space work for non-Riemannian metric manifolds?
In the 1957 paper, On the differentiability of isometries, Richard S. Palais gives a way to construct the tangent spaces of a Riemannian manifold using only its metric space structure (Theorem, p.1).
...
- 2,680
20
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Non-stably trivial bundle with trivial characteristic classes
Though it's relatively clear that the characteristic classes do not characterise a vector bundle (and after looking through some books) I could not find an example of a vector bundle which is not ...
- 4,432
20
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Online References for Cartan Geometry
I would like to learn more about Cartan Geometry ("les espaces généralisés de Cartan"). I ordered Rick Sharpe's book "Differential Geometry: Cartan's generalization...", which would take a long time ...
- 5,215
19
votes
7
answers
6k
views
CW-structures and Morse functions: a reference request
The following is probably well known, but I wasn't able to locate a reference in the literature.
Let $f$ be a Morse function on a smooth compact manifold $M$ without boundary and let $\rho$ be a ...
- 23.5k
19
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Supermanifolds — elementary introduction?
I am looking for an elementary but mathematically precise introductory text on supermanifolds in a modern differential geometric setting.
Elementary in the sense that there is plenty of motivation for ...
- 3,873
19
votes
6
answers
3k
views
reference for Noether's theorem
What is a good reference for a geometric version of Noether's theorem about Lagrangians, symmetries and conserved currents?
- 921
19
votes
3
answers
2k
views
what is a spinor structure?
There are of course lots of definitions and references for this, but in the same way that, on a manifold $M$,
a Riemannian metric is a section of positive definite symmetric bilinear forms on $TM$
or ...
- 4,432
19
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Does this Banach manifold admit a Riemannian metric?
First, the question; after, the motivation.
Consider 27.6 (pdf pp. 262-263) in The convenient setting of global analysis (AMS, 1997), and, in particular, the example given at the end of it, which ...
- 7,831
19
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Ehresmann's theorem over the $p$-adics
I am looking for a version of Ehresmann's theorem for analytic manifolds over the $p$-adic numbers $\mathbb{Q}_p$ or, more generally, local fields. I follow the conventions from Serre's book "Lie ...
- 21.3k
18
votes
5
answers
4k
views
What are good Morse Theory lecture notes and books?
Searching on the net I couldnt find any recent lecture/course notes on Morse Theory. I found an old set of notes (http://www.math.toronto.edu/mgualt/Morse%20Theory/mfp.pdf) by Mike Hutchings and these ...
- 2,246
18
votes
3
answers
3k
views
A reference for smooth structures on R^n
There is a theorem stating that there is essentially one smooth structure on $R^n$ for every n other than 4. Does anybody know where i could find the proof of this? Not so much of what happens in ...
- 301
18
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Reference request: Geodesic flow on a manifold with negative curvature is ergodic
I'm reading about the Mostow's rigidity theorem, and the proof uses the following (maybe well-known) result:
The geodesic flow on a manifold with negative curvature is ergodic.
The lecture note that ...
- 957
18
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Hyperbolic Volume and Chern-Simons
In the paper ``Analytic Continuation Of Chern-Simons Theory'' (arXiv:1001.2933) Witten postulates that hyperbolic volume of 3-dimensional manifold coincides with the value of the Chern-Simons ...
- 183
18
votes
2
answers
1k
views
formula for Eta invariant
Hirzebruch's signature formula is not valid for manifolds with boundary.
An error term is introduced by Atiyah-Patodi-Singer to fix it.More precisely:
$$sign (M)=L(M)[M]+\eta(\partial M)$$
Yet ...
- 259
18
votes
2
answers
1k
views
The geometry of Nadirashvili's complete, bounded, negative curvature surface
I would like to understand the geometric structure of
a surface that Nadirashvili constructed which resolved what
was known as Hadamard's Conjecture.
Perhaps in the 15 years since his construction, ...
- 151k
18
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Where is the exponential map a diffeomorphism?
Let $M$ be a closed compact Riemannian manifold.
The exponential map $\mathrm{exp}:TM\to M\times M$ takes $(p,v)$ to $(p,\gamma_v(1))$, where $\gamma_v$ is the geodesic flow at $p$ in the direction ...
- 4,588
18
votes
1
answer
566
views
Subgroup $\mathrm{E}_6$ generated by $\mathrm{Spin_7}$ and $\mathrm{SL}_3$
Let $\mathbb{O}$ be the octonion algebra (say over $\mathbb{R}$) and let $J_{3}(\mathbb{O})$ be the set of $3 \times 3$ hermitian matrices with octonion coefficients, that is:
$$ J_3(\mathbb{O}) = \...
- 7,300
17
votes
2
answers
2k
views
The Lefschetz operator
Let $\omega=\sum_{i=1}^n dx_i\wedge dy_i\in\bigwedge^2(\mathbb{R}^{2n})^*$ be a standard symplectic form. The following result is due to Lefschetz:
For $k\leq n$, the Lefschetz operator
$L^{n-k}:\...
- 28k