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.
3,082 questions
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The integral of torsion
I found the following * exercise (exercise *9) in page 407 of the book of do Carmo "Differential geometry of curves and surfaces". This problem is a classical theorem which is referenced ...
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A formula in harmonic heat flow
Assume that $ (M,g) $ and $ (N,h) $ are two smooth closed manifold and $ N $ is embedded isometrically into $ \mathbb{R}^K $ for some $ K\in\mathbb{Z}_+ $. Assume that $ u\in C^{\infty}(M\times\mathbb{...
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Riemannian manifolds with a unique distance property
Let $M$ be a compact Riemannian manifold with geodesic distance function $d$, of (normalised) diameter $1$.
Some of my favourite manifolds $M$ have the property that there exists an integer $k$ such ...
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Is squared geodesic distance a Morse-Bott function on simply-connected Hadamard manifolds?
Let $M$ be a simply connected Hadamard manifold. That is, $M$ is a complete Riemannian manifold with sectional curvature bounded above by 0. Let $f(x,y)=\frac{1}{2}d^2(x,y)$, where $x,y \in M$, and $d(...
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Are square tiled surfaces dense in the moduli space of translation surfaces?
I'm reading the survey "An introduction to Veech surfaces" by Pascal Hubert and Thomas Schmidt.
At page 19 they state "In any fixed stratum, the set of square-tiled surfaces of that stratum is dense....
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Show $\langle \log(R), \log(R^{-1}S) \rangle \geq \langle \log(R), \log(S) - \log(R) \rangle $ for all $R,S \in \mathrm{SO}(3)$
$\DeclareMathOperator\SO{SO}$I have a similar question to one I asked a few days ago. Lately, I've been researching Lie groups equipped with bi-invariant Riemannian metrics. One common object is $\SO(...
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Orbit projection geometry
Background:
As shown in [1] and [2], for a closed smooth submanifold $M$ of $\mathbb R^d$, the domain $D_M$ of the projection map $P_M:D_M\rightarrow M$ has a dense interior $\Omega_M$ over which $P_M|...
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Existence of normal and harmonic coordinates around a point
Let $(M^n,g)$ be a Riemannian manifold with a fixed point $p$. Can we find a local coordinate system $(x_1,x_2,\cdots, x_n)$ around $p$ satisfying the following two at the same time:
(1) $(x_1,x_2,\...
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Conformal Killing vector fields on compact surface of genus \ge 1
Let $(M, g)$ be a compact 2-dimensional Riemannian manifold with genus $\ge 1$. Can $M$ has a conformal Killing vector field $X$ other than Killing vector fields? That is, $L_X g = (\mathrm{div} X) g$ ...
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Steklov eigenvalue for circle valued functions
Let $(M,g)$ be a compact Riemannian manifold with boundary. It is well known that the first positive Steklov eigenvalue $\sigma_1$ of $M$ has the following variational characterization:
$$\sigma_1(M,g)...
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Teichmuller interpretation of unbounded holomorphic quadratic differentials
For a closed Riemann surface $\Sigma$ of genus $g \geq 2$, the space of holomorphic quadratic differentials on $\Sigma$ can be identified with the cotangent space $T_\Sigma^* \mathcal{T}_g$: in other ...
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$C^0$ estimate for solutions of elliptic PDE with Neumann BC
I am interested in a reference for (or counterexample to) a particular
$C^0$ estimate for solutions of the Laplace equation with Neumann
boundary conditions. More precisely, let $(M,g)$ be a $C^\...
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Pythagorean theorem in Riemann metrics of non constant curvature
I already asked the same question here, but received no answer. I was reading this interesting article by Givental
Givental, Alexander. "The Pythagorean theorem: What is it about?" Amer. ...
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A closed leaf with two different index with respect to two different Riemannian metrics
Inspired by this question about Jacobi equation. conjugate points and limit cycle theory we ask the following question:
Is there a geodesible 1 dimensional foliation $\mathcal{F}$ on a manifold $M$, ...
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Do minimal submanifolds minimize area locally?
A few days ago I asked this question on math.stackexchange:
Consider $(\tilde{M},g)$ a riemannian manifold and $M \subset \tilde{M}$ riemannian submanifold.
Is it true that if $M$ is a minimal ...
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Symmetric cones and symmetric spaces
I start by stating what I think I understood on symmetric cones (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmetric_cone). Let $\mathcal{C}$ be a symmetric cone in a vector space $V$. There are Riemannian ...
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Are these the only first eigenfunctions on a hemisphere?
Let $\mathbb{S}^2_+$ denote the closed upper hemisphere of the unit round sphere in $\mathbb{R}^3$. It is well known that the first positive eigenvalue of the Laplacian on the closed unit sphere is $2$...
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Do we have $d(P_{+}(\omega\wedge \theta))=d_{+}\omega\wedge \theta-\omega\wedge d_{+}\theta$ on a self-dual manifold?
Let $(X, g)$ be a smooth, oriented, Riemannian 4-diemnsional manifold. Let $\Lambda^2$ denote the bundle of 2-forms on $X$. Then the Hodge-star operator decomposes $\Lambda^2$ into the space of self-...
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Difference between parallel transport and ambient projection
Consider a $d$-dimensional complete embedded Riemannian submanifold $(M,g)$ of a Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^D$ (The major examples we consider are sphere and Stiefel manifold). Assume the sectional ...
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Distance between two geodesics originating from separate but nearby points
Let $(M,g)$ be a complete Riemannian manifold with sectional curvatures constrained within $[\kappa_{\min},\kappa_{\max}]$. Suppose $x,y\in M$ are two points in $M$ and $v_x\in T_{x}M$ is a tangent ...
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Is every linear Lie group of bounded geometry?
$\newcommand\norm[1]{\lVert#1\rVert}$Given any point $p$ of a smooth Riemannian manifold $M$ there exists $r\in (0,\infty]$ such that the Riemannian exponential is a diffeomorphism in the geodesic ...
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Is there a good description of harmonic maps from $\mathbf{C}$ to $\mathbf{H}$?
Given a non-constant holomorphic quadratic differential $\phi \, \mathrm{d} z^2$ on the complex plane $\mathbf{C}$, there is a harmonic diffeomorphism $u: \mathbf{C} \to \mathbf{H}$ into the ...
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Finding a hyperbolic metric with geodesic boundary on a given Riemann surface
Let $X$ be a Riemann surface with analytic boundary. Assume that $X$ has negative Euler characteristic. Then there exists a conformal hyperbolic metric $X$ such that $\partial X$ consists of geodesics ...
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A Question about an article by Birman, Series
Birman and Series in their article GEODESICS WITH BOUNDED INTERSECTION NUMBER ON
SURFACES ARE SPARSELY DISTRIBUTED proved that the set of points on a hyperbolic surface (possibly with boundary) ...
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Approximate isometric embeddings of surfaces
The fundamental theorem of surfaces states that if symmetric matrices $g_{ij}$, $l_{ij}\colon U\subset R^2\to R$, where $U$ is open and $g_{ij}$ is positive definite satisfy the Gauss and Codazzi ...
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Is it true $\left\|\log(RS)\right\|≤\left\|\log(R)+\log(S)\right\|$ for all $R,S \in \mathrm{SO}(3)$, where $\|\cdot\|$ is the Frobenius norm?
$\DeclareMathOperator\SO{SO}$I asked this initially in math stack exchange, but thought to ask it here since it is more advanced and related to my research topic. I study optimization on Lie groups ...
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$1$-parameter family of metrics preserving the normal direction
Let $(M^n,g)$ be a compact Riemannian manifold with boundary, $n \geq 2$, and let $N$ be the unit outward normal to $\partial M$. Denote by $S^2(M)$ the symmetric covariant $2$-tensors, by $S^2_0(M)$ ...
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Geodesic triangles in finite element method
I've been working on a new method for 2-dimensional finite element method (FEM) on Riemannian manifolds that involves using geodesic triangles instead of approximating them in an embedded form using &...
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Finding a real-analytic diffeomorphism
Let $U_1\subset \mathbb R^3$ be a simply connected bounded open set with a smooth boundary and let $U_2$ be a neighborhood of $U_1$. Does there exist a real-analytic diffeomorphism $\psi: U_2 \to W_2$ ...
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Is the intersection of such a triple of minimal surfaces in the 3-ball a single point?
Let $S_1,S_2,S_3$ be three simple closed curves on the 2-sphere $\mathbb{S}^2$. (With no smoothness or rectifiability assumption)
For each $i$, let $M_i$ denote the minimal surface (i.e. disc) bounded ...
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Euler-Poincaré characteristic of even-dimensional Einstein manifolds with nonnegative sectional curvature
My question is about whether there are some known conditions on the sign of the Euler-Poincaré characteristic for Einstein manifolds in even dimensions.
In dimension $4$ some conditions on the sign of ...
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Isoperimetric inequality for minimal surfaces bounded by space curves containing a line segment
Consider a simple closed curve $\gamma$ in $\mathbb R^3$. Suppose that $\gamma$ has length $\ell$ and contains a line segment $s$ of length $k<\ell/2$. Let $\Sigma$ be a surface with boundary $\...
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Implicit function theorem in Riemannian manifold and Wasserstein space
My question is about to what extent can we extend the implicit function theorem to Riemannian manifolds. In the Euclidean space, consider a bivariate function $F \colon \Theta \times \mathcal{X} \...
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Poisson equation on manifolds
Let $(\mathcal{M},g)$ be a compact Riemannian manifold with Levi-Civita connection $\nabla$. It is well-known that the Poisson equation
$$\Delta u=f$$
does have a solution on $C^{\infty}(\mathcal{M})$ ...
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Definition of the conformal metric
On page 16 of this lecture notes and in this lecture, at some point (somewhere at 1:37:45), Rod Gover defined the $\text{conformal metric}$ $\mathbb{g}$ on a conformal manifold $(M, [g])$. He ...
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Representation formula for solutions to fully nonlinear equations
Let $n\geq 3$, for a metric $g$ on $\mathbb{S}^n$, the $\sigma_k$-curvature of $g$ is defined as follows. Let $Ric_{g}$, $R_{g}$ and $A_{g}$ denote respectively the Ricci curvature, the scalar ...
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Internal symmetries of partial differential relation via the nonholonomic jet bundle
On a smooth n-dimensional Riemannian manifold $M$, suppose I have the kth order partial differential relation (PDR) written in the form:
$$\mathcal{R}=\mathcal{R}\left(x^{i},u^{i},u_{j}^{i},u_{jk}^{i}\...
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Existence of a domain with simple Dirichlet eigenvalues
Let $g$ be a smooth Riemannian metric on $\mathbb R^3$ that coincides with the Euclidean metric outside a compact set $K$. Does there exist some domain $\Omega$ with smooth boundary such that $K \...
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Vanishing directional derivatives on $S^2$
Let $u$ be a smooth function defined on the unit sphere $S^2$. Does there exist a plane $P$ passing through the origin such that $P\cap S^2$ contains at least three points $x_1,x_2,x_3$ with $\nabla u(...
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Make a Riemannian metric real analytic in some coordinates
Suppose I have a smooth (high dimensional) Riemannian manifold, and fix a base point $x_0$. Can I pick a coordinate system near $x_0$ such that the metric is real analytic in some of the variables (...
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"The famous Lusternik-Schnirelmann Theorem of the Three Closed Geodesics"
The title is a quote from p.256 of Wilhelm Klingenberg's 1995
Riemannian Geometry (Google Books link):
Every surface homeomorphic to a sphere $\mathbb{S}^2$ has three distinct, simple, closed ...
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Isometry group of pseudo Riemannian manifold always a Lie group? (Myers-Steenrod)
Myers-Steenrod states that the isometry group of a Riemannian manifold is a Lie group. Is that also true for pseudo Riemannian manifolds? I didn't find anything related to that.
Cheers
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Palais's and Kobayashi's theorems on automorphism groups of geometric structures
My question concerns two results in the neighborhood of the standard theorem of Myers-Steenrod that isometry groups of Riemannian manifolds are Lie groups. Both appear in the first chapter of ...
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Can a knotted sphere isometrically embed into $\mathbb R^3$?
All smooth simple closed curves in $\mathbb R^3$ (knotted or not) can be isometrically embedded into $\mathbb R^2$ as a circle of equal arclength.
The situation for knotted spheres seems more ...
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Eigenvalues of Schrödinger operator with Robin condition on the boundary
Let $(M^2,g)$ be a compact Riemannian surface with boundary and let $L = \Delta_g + q$ be a Schrödinger operator, where $\Delta_g = -\operatorname{div} \nabla$ is the Laplacian with respect to the ...
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Crumpling dimension: the least d for which a riemannian manifold embeds isometrically into an arbitrarily small ball of R^d
In Smooth isometric embedding of euclidean n-space into an arbitrarily small neighborhood of another euclidean space I recently asked the same question, but specifically for euclidean spaces of any ...
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Number of divergence free symmetric two tensor in dimension 4 [duplicate]
In a $4$ dimensional (semi)-Riemannian manifold $(M^{4}, g)$, both Einstein tensor $G= \operatorname{Ric}(g)- \frac{R(g)}{2}g$ and stress-energy tensor $T$ symmetric and divergence-free. Is there any ...
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Transnormal foliation with non-smooth transnormal function
I am interested in results regarding transnormal foliations on a Riemannian (smooth, connected and complete) manifold $(M,g)$. More specifically, a smooth function $f:M\to{\bf R}$ is called ...
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geodesics on a compact manifold
Let $M$ be a compact Riemann manifold without boundary. Please is this true that each homotopy class of closed curves contains a geodesic?
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is there a co-Stokes theorem? (with the codifferential)
I am trying to read through J. Simmons, Minimal Varieties in Riemannian Manifolds, and in the proof of Proposition 1.2.2 he calls "Stokes theorem" to the following result:
$$
\int_M\delta\...