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Questions tagged [riemannian-geometry]

Riemannian Geometry is a subfield of Differential Geometry, which specifically studies "Riemannian Manifolds", manifolds with "Riemannian Metrics", which means that they are equipped with continuous inner products.

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5 votes
0 answers
164 views

Intersection of orbits of earthquake flow on Teichmüller space

Let $\Sigma$ be a closed oriented surface of genus $g\geq2$. We consider $\mu$ and $\nu$ two filling measured laminations on $\Sigma$. (We say that $\mu$ and $\nu$ fill $\Sigma$ if $\Sigma\setminus(\...
6 votes
0 answers
147 views

Maximum symmetry metric on irreducible compact symmetric space

Let $ M $ be a compact connected manifold. The degree of symmetry of $ M $, denoted $ N(M) $, is the maximum of the dimensions of the isometry groups of all possible Riemannian structures on $ M $. ...
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is there a solution of the Yamabe problem using Ricci flow?

Someone told me that it is possible to solve the Yamabe problem using Ricci flow. The proof I know of is the one originally proposed by Yamabe and then completed by Trudinger, Aubin and Schoen (in ...
8 votes
1 answer
223 views

Convex hulls of compact sets in a 2-manifold

Let $(\mathbb{R}^2,g)$ be a complete Riemannian manifold. Let $K\subset \mathbb{R}^2$ be a compact, connected set, and let $\text{conv}(K)$ be its convex hull, i.e., the intersection of all ...
8 votes
1 answer
795 views

Reverse Toponogov triangle comparison

See the wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toponogov%27s_theorem One consequence of the Toponogov comparison Theorem is that if the sectional curvature of a manifold $M$ is pinched below by a ...
1 vote
1 answer
206 views

Decomposition of tensor field on hypersurface

Let $(\mathcal{M},g)$ be a Lorentzian manifold, which is globally of the form $\mathcal{M}\cong I\times\Sigma$, where $I\subset\mathbb{R}$ ("time") and $\Sigma$ ("space") is some $...
5 votes
0 answers
85 views

Intersections of geodesics in an "almost flat" plane

Let $g$ be a complete metric on $\mathbb{R}^2$, such that: Outside of a compact connected set $K\subset \mathbb{R}^2$, the curvature of $g$ vanishes. The integral of the Gaussian curvature in $K$ is ...
5 votes
1 answer
169 views

Maximum symmetry metric on Cayley plane $ F_4/{\operatorname{Spin}(9)}$

The maximum symmetry metric on real projective space $ \mathbb{RP}^n $ is the round metric. The maximum symmetry metric on complex projective space $ \mathbb{CP}^n $ is the Fubini–Study metric; see ...
6 votes
1 answer
832 views

Geometry of curves on the sphere

Let P be a finite set of points on the unit sphere $S^2$ such that for every $p\in P$, there exists a closed curve $\gamma_p \subset S^2$ which has a self intersection at $p$ and passes through $-p$. ...
1 vote
1 answer
191 views

Are convex functions on manifolds the same as $c$-convex functions, where $c(x,y)=d(x,y)^2/2$?

I am reading the following book on optimal transport. While reading I came across the following definition of $c-$convexity. Given $X$ and $Y$ metric spaces, $c: X \times Y \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$, ...
3 votes
2 answers
222 views

$2\mathrm{d}$ area maximizing short embeddings

Think of a beach ball on an pool of water or sand. Let $\left(\mathcal{M}^2,g\right)$ be a surface homeomorphic to a sphere, endowed with a Riemannian metric $g$, and $\left(\mathcal{N}^2,h\right)$ a ...
1 vote
0 answers
259 views

Expressing the Ricci flow as a gradient flow in a case that manifold $(M,g)$ is a Riemannian manifold with boundary

I want to express the Ricci flow as a gradient flow in a case that manifold $(M,g)$ is a Riemannian manifold with boundary. For this I use the Einstein-Hilbert action $$S(g_{\mu \nu})=\frac{1}{16\pi}\...
39 votes
6 answers
4k views

Is the Laplacian on a manifold the limit of graph Laplacians?

Here's the sort of thing I have in mind. Let $M$ be a Riemannian manifold, compact if it helps, and let $\Delta_M$ be the Laplace-Beltrami operator. Choose a sequence of triangulations of $M$ so ...
5 votes
1 answer
190 views

"Isoperimetric inequality" for self intersecting closed surfaces?

As the title suggests, I am trying to find something like an isoperimetric inequality for smooth immersions of the 2-sphere into $\mathbb{R}^3$ that relates the surface area to the enclosed 3d-volume. ...
5 votes
2 answers
340 views

Example of a curvature with no associated metric

Is there a concrete example of a $4$ tensor $R_{ijkl}$ with the same symmetries as the Riemannian curvature tensor, i.e. \begin{gather*} R_{ijkl} = - R_{ijlk},\quad R_{ijkl} = R_{jikl},\quad R_{ijkl} =...
-1 votes
2 answers
298 views

Are geodesics necessarily embedded?

I would like to ask a very basic/naive question. Given a Riemannian or pseudo-Riemannian manidold equipped with the Levi-Civita connection, is it known that all solutions of the geodesics equation are ...
6 votes
1 answer
767 views

Does every ‘curvature’ tensor induce a metric? [duplicate]

So we know that given a Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$ we can calculate its Riemannian curvature $R$. This covariant $4$-tensor field then satisfies some important symmetries \begin{gather*} R_{ijkl} = - ...
5 votes
1 answer
359 views

Sobolev embedding on sphere

Let $S$ be a two-dimensional sphere, $\Delta$ be the Laplace-Beltrami operator on $S$ and $L^p(S)$, $p\geq 1$, be the usual $L^p$ space of real-valued functions on $S$. We also set $\|f\|_{H^\alpha(S)}...
5 votes
1 answer
330 views

The distance to the zero section of $TM$

Let $(M,g)$ be a Riemannian manifold. Let $S_g$ be the corresponding Sasaki metric on $TM$. For every $p\in M$, $V_p\in T_pM$, is it true and obvious that $0_p$ is the closest point of the zero ...
1 vote
1 answer
542 views

Does the Lie bracket of a certain pair of vector fields vanish?

I'm trying to read section 3 in J. Jost and Y.L. Xin [JX]. This section has to do with the geometry of Grassmannians. I have a question that comes out of the derivation at the top of page 283 in that ...
0 votes
1 answer
96 views

Hadamard submanifolds of $k$-fold product of hyperbolic plane

Let $\kappa>0$ and $d,k$ be a positive integers with $k\ge d$. For $k\in \mathbb{Z}^+$ large enough, can one find a geodesically complete and simply connected $d$-dimensional Riemannian ...
6 votes
0 answers
149 views

What is the minimum $n$ for which $\Bbb H^3$ can be isometrically embedded in $\Bbb R^n$ as a bounded set?

Consider the hyperbolic $3$-space $\Bbb H^3$ (i.e., the unique, simply-connected, $3$-dimensional complete Riemannian manifold with a constant negative sectional curvature equal to $-1$). The Nash ...
1 vote
2 answers
133 views

Does this special vector field affect on sectional curvature?

We have a nowhere vanishing vector field $X$ on a Reimannian manifold $(M,g)$, such that $\mathcal{L}_X g=2\alpha X^\flat \otimes X^\flat$ for a constant non zero $\alpha$. So, for every vector fields ...
7 votes
1 answer
514 views

Eigenvalues of the Laplacian on surfaces with boundary

Let $\Sigma$ be a compact smooth surface with boundary. Is it true that the supremum $$\sup \{ \lambda_1(\Sigma,g) \operatorname{Area}(\Sigma,g) : g \text{ smooth Riemannian metric on $\Sigma$} \}$$ ...
4 votes
1 answer
149 views

Volume of balls in 3-dimensional manifolds with nonpositive Ricci tensor

The volume of a ball in a 3-dimensional Riemannian manifold with nonpositive Ricci tensor is greater or equal to the volume of an Euclidean ball with the same radius? It should not be true, but I am ...
12 votes
0 answers
288 views

Are there $n$ points dividing a compact Riemannian manifold into equal regions?

Let $M$ be a compact, connected $m$-dimensional Riemannian manifold, and let $n\in\mathbb{N}$. Can we always find distinct points $p_1,\dotsc,p_n\in M$ such that for $i=1,\dotsc,n$ the regions $A_i=\{...
7 votes
2 answers
180 views

Bisector of two points in a Riemannian manifold has measure $0$

Let $p,q\in M$, $p\neq q$, where $M$ is a Riemannian manifold. We will let the bisector of $p,q$ be $\mathcal{B}(p,q)=\{x\in M;d(p,x)=d(q,x)\}$. Does $\mathcal{B}(p,q)$ have measure $0$? I was ...
5 votes
1 answer
431 views

Isometric immersion of $\mathbb H^2$ into $\mathbb R^\infty$ built by Bieberbach

I'm analyzing the following isometric immersion of $(\mathbb H^2,g_D)$ in $(\ell^2,g_\infty)$ given by $f(x,y)=(x_1,x_2,\dots,x_{2m-1},x_{2m},\dots)$ with \begin{align}\label{5.1} x_{2m-1}=\color{...
4 votes
1 answer
293 views

Can every diffeomorphism be rescaled into a volume preserving one?

This is a cross-post. Let $D \subseteq \mathbb{R}^2$ be the closed unit disk, and let $f:D \to D$ be a diffeomorphism. Does there exist a smooth $h \in C^{\infty}(D)$ such that $h\cdot f$ is an ...
4 votes
1 answer
439 views

Etymology “Kulkarni–Nomizu product”

$\newcommand\KN{\mathbin{\bigcirc\mspace{-20mu}\wedge\mspace{3mu}}}$In the context of (pseudo)-Riemmian geometry, the Kulkarni–Nomizu product is defined to be an operation $\KN$, which takes two ...
10 votes
3 answers
862 views

Questions on smoothness of Riemann metrics

I've heard assertions of the sort: Let there be a Riemann metric (not very smooth, say of class $C^1$ or $C^2$ or maybe $C$?) in a neighbourhood of a point on a manifold. Then it is possible to ...
6 votes
1 answer
390 views

Do manifolds with no Ricci lower bounds for any metric exist?

Is there a smooth (noncompact) manifold $M$ such that for any Riemannian metric $g$ on $M$ there are $p_i$ and unit tangent vectors $v_i \in T_{p_i}M$ such that $Ricc(g)|_{p_i}(v_i,v_i) \leq -i$? This ...
5 votes
1 answer
315 views

Positively curved Riemannian manifolds

Let $M$ be a compact Riemannian manifold with positive sectional curvature whose universal covering space is diffeomorphic to $S^n$. Is $M$ diffeomorphic to a spherical space form? I know, by a ...
5 votes
1 answer
927 views

Space of metrics with positive sectional curvature

Hello; We know that the space of riemannian metrics on a compact manifold is an open cone in the space of symmetric 2-tensors. Is it reasonable to think that metrics with positive sectional ...
3 votes
1 answer
144 views

Global conformal Killing vector fields in a Riemannian manifold

Suppose $t$ is a globally smooth Killing coordinate function in $(M,g)$ such that $\partial_t$ is a Killing vector field. This gives rise to an embedding $\mathbb R \times \Omega$ for the manifold $M$....
8 votes
1 answer
421 views

Existence of a special vector field on Riemannian manifolds?

In a Riemannian Manifold $(M,g)$ a vector field $X$ is said to be Killing vector field if $L_X g$=0 and is said to be conformal if $L_X g= fg$ for some smooth real function $f$ on $M$. Also, the ...
4 votes
2 answers
527 views

On diffeomorphisms that preserve the metric

Suppose $\Omega\subset \mathbb R^2$ is a bounded domain with smooth boundary and suppose that $$ F: \Omega \to \Omega,$$ is a diffeomorphism that fixes $\partial \Omega$ (i.e $F|_{\partial \Omega}$ is ...
1 vote
1 answer
266 views

Local Lipschitz constant of exponential map for Hadamard manifolds

Suppose that $(M,X)$ is a simply connected complete Riemannian manifold with pinched sectional curvature between $[a,0]$. Let $r>0$ and fix any point $p\in M$. Is there a bound on the local ...
6 votes
1 answer
378 views

Unbounded sectional curvature implies infinite diameter?

Let $(M,g)$ be a Riemannian manifold such that for each $C>0$ there is $p\in M$ and $X,Y\in T_pM$ unitary such that $K(X,Y) > C.$ Does this imply that the diameter of $(M,g)$ is infinite? I ...
5 votes
1 answer
230 views

Improving regularity of the boundary of a convex set in Riemannian manifolds

Let $X$ be a geodesically complete Riemannian manifold (we may assume that $X$ is simply connected and negatively curved, although I don't think it matters). Given a closed, convex subset $K \subset X$...
7 votes
1 answer
607 views

Kähler metric with two compatible complex structures

Let $(M^4,g)$ be a complete $4$-dimensional Riemannian manifold such that two almost complex structures $I$ and $J$ are compatible with $g$ and $\nabla_g I=\nabla_g J=0$. Can we prove that $(M,g)$ is ...
7 votes
1 answer
456 views

Nash embedding theorem for manifolds with boundary

A celebrated theorem of Nash is that every $C^k$ ($k\geq 3$) Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$ can be isometrically embedded into some Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^d$ for some $d\in \mathbb{N}$. However, I ...
3 votes
0 answers
100 views

Are there Lojasiewicz-Simon estimates with boundary?

Let $M$ be an analytic manifold with boundary $\partial M$, equipped with a Riemannian metric $g$, which is also analytic up to and including the boundary. Are there Lojasiewicz–Simon estimates ...
2 votes
1 answer
274 views

The space of Sobolev maps between Riemannian manifolds

Let $\mathcal{M}, \mathcal{N}$ be two Riemannian manifods. Suppose that $\mathcal{N}$ is properly and isometrically embedded in $\mathbb{R}^n$. The space of Sobolev maps between $\mathcal{M}$ and $\...
2 votes
3 answers
593 views

Curvature of singular Riemannian metric

Let $M$ be a differentiable manifold of dimension $n>1$ and $g$ a flat Riemannian metric on $M$. Consider $f:M\rightarrow \mathbb{R}^+$ a continuous function which doesn't have continuous first ...
7 votes
2 answers
365 views

What's the limit of a sequence of harmonic maps between manifolds?

Let ${M}, \, {N}$ be two Riemannian manifolds, and let $u_n: {M} \to {N}$ be a sequence of harmonic maps. Question. Suppose that $u_n$ converges uniformly to a (necessarily continuous) function $u$. ...
4 votes
2 answers
364 views

Equivalence between two Sobolev norms on manifolds

On a compact Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$ without boundary, there are two ways to define a Sobolev norm on $M$. Assume that $f\in C^\infty(M)$ in the following. Use pseudo-differential operators on $M$...
5 votes
1 answer
295 views

Existence of geodesic convex functions

By a result of Shing-Tung Yau [1974, Mathematische Annalen 207: 269-270], there are no non-trivial continuous geodesic convex functions on complete manifolds with finite volume. What happened if we ...
27 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is there a Chern-Gauss-Bonnet theorem for orbifolds?

There's a Gauss-Bonnet theorem for compact 2-orbifolds(due to Satake, I think), which gives a relation between the curvature of a Riemannian orbifold and the orbifold topology(i.e. taking into account ...
4 votes
1 answer
334 views

Existence parallel vector fields and its effect on the topology of manifolds (Karp's Thesis)

It seems that there is no digital copy of Leon Karp's Ph.D. thesis L. Karp, Vector fields on manifolds, Thesis, New York Univ., 1976. on internet and his paper excerpted from his thesis is very brief ...

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