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.
345 questions
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Finding a 1-form adapted to a smooth flow
Let $M$ be a smooth compact manifold, and let $X$ be a smooth vector field of $M$ that is nowhere vanishing, thus one can think of the pair $(M,X)$ as a smooth flow with no fixed points. Let us say ...
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Limit cycles as closed geodesics (in negatively or positively curved space)
Updated 1/25/2023 I just added a related post below:
Jacobi fields, Conjugate points and limit cycle theory
EDIT: Here is a related post which concern quadratic vector fields rather than Van ...
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Riemannian surfaces with an explicit distance function?
I'm looking for explicit examples of Riemannian surfaces (two-dimensional Riemannian manifolds $(M,g)$) for which the distance function d(x,y) can be given explicitly in terms of local coordinates of ...
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Does the curvature determine the metric?
I ask myself, whether the curvature determines the metric.
Concretely: Given a compact manifold $M$, are there two metrics $g_1$ and $g_2$, which are not everywhere flat, such that they are
not ...
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Are all maps $\mathbb{R}^2 \to \mathbb{R}^2$ with fixed singular values affine?
Let $f:\mathbb{R}^2 \to \mathbb{R}^2$ be a smooth map whose differential has fixed distinct singular values $0<\sigma_1<\sigma_2$ and an everywhere positive determinant (which is the product $\...
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Limit cycles as closed geodesics(2)
Hilbert 16th problem asks for a uniform upper bound $H(n)$ for the number of limit cycles of a polynomial vector field of degree $n$ on the plane. Here is an updated proof of the ...
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A curvature description for center condition for quadratic vector field
We consider the quadratic vector field $V$ $$\begin{cases} x'=P(x,y)\\ y'=Q(x,y)
\end {cases}\;\;\;\;(V)$$
where $P,Q \in \mathbb{R}[x,y]$ are polynomials of degree $2$ with $P(0,0)=Q(0,0)=...
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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 ...
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Equations satisfied by the Riemann curvature tensor
It is well known that the Riemann curvature tensor of a metric satisfies
\begin{eqnarray}
R_{jikl}=-R_{ijkl}=R_{ijlk},(1)\\
R_{klij}=R_{ijkl},(2)\\
R_{i[jkl]}=0 \mbox{(1st Bianchi identity)}.(3)
\end{...
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Is there a volume-preserving diffeomorphism of the disk with prescribed singular values?
This is a cross-post. While working on a variational problem, I have reached to the following question.
Let $0<\sigma_1<\sigma_2$ satisfy $\sigma_1\sigma_2=1$, and let $D \subseteq \mathbb{R}^2$...
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answer
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Commutative spectral triples
The corresponence between compact Hausdorff topological spaces and commutative unital $C^*$-algebras is rather well known: Gelfand Najmark theorem gives perfect correspondence between these categories....
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G-spaces and manifolds
In his book "The geometry of geodesics" H. Busemann defines the notion of a G-space to be a space which satisfies the following axioms:
The space is metric
The space is finitely compact, i.e., a ...
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Sharp Gaussian upper bounds on Heat Kernel
I am looking for references (with proof) for the following statement:
Let $(M, g)$ be a Riemannian manifold with bounded curvature and let $p_t(x , y)$ be the heat kernel of $M$. Let $K$ be compact ...
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When can a connection Induce a Riemannian metric for which it is the Levi-Civita connection?
As we all know, for a Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$, there exists a unique torsion-free connection $\nabla_g$, the Levi-Civita connection, that is compatible with the metric.
I was wondering if one can ...
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Riemann's formula for the metric in a normal neighborhood
I would love to understand the famous formula $g_{ij}(x) = \delta_{ij} + \frac{1}{3}R_{kijl}x^kx^l +O(\|x\|^3)$, which is valid in Riemannian normal coordinates and possibly more general situations.
I'...
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Square of the distance function on a Riemannian manifold
Let $(M^n,g)$ be a smooth Riemannian manifold. Consider the square of the distance function
$$dist^2\colon M\times M\to \mathbb{R}$$
given by $(x,y)\mapsto dist^2(x,y)$. It is easy to see that this ...
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Limit cycles of quadratic systems and closed geodesics(Finitness of $H(2)$)
This question is inspired by this answer to the question Finding a 1-form adapted to a smooth flow.
Assume that $V$ is a polynomial vector field of degree $2$ as follows:$$\begin{cases} x'=P(...
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A geometric interpretation of the Levi-Civita connection?
Let $M$ be a Riemannian manifold. There exists a unique torsion-free connection in the (co)tangent bundle of $M$ such that the metric of $M$ is covariantly constant. This connection is called the Levi-...
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Obtain Lorentzian manifolds from Riemannian ones by Wick rotation
In some cases, Wick rotation of a metric, formally consisting in substituting a coordinate with i times the coordinate itself, allows one to construct a Riemannian manifold starting from a Lorentzian ...
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Does a Kähler manifold always admit a complete Kähler metric?
Every smooth manifold admits a complete Riemannian metric. In fact, every Riemannian metric is conformal to a complete Riemannian metric, see this note. What about in the Kähler case?
Does a Kähler ...
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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....
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When is a flow geodesic and how to construct the connection from it
Let $(M,\Gamma)$ be a $C^\infty$ $n$ dimensional real manifold with a linear connection $\Gamma$ on it. I know the following:
If $\gamma:[t_0,t_1]\rightarrow M$ is a smooth curve and is a geodesic, ...
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4
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When is a Riemannian metric equivalent to the flat metric on $\mathbb R^n$?
I'm looking for an easily-checked, local condition on an $n$-dimensional Riemannian manifold to determine whether small neighborhoods are isometric to neighborhoods in $\mathbb R^n$. For example, for ...
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Injectivity radius of the Sasaki metric
Let $(Q,g)$ be a (compact) Riemannian manifold with injectivity radius $\rho>0$. There is a natural metric $\tilde g$ on the tangent bundle $TQ$ which is known as the Sasaki metric and which makes $...
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Can we perturb a map $\mathbb{R}^n \to \mathbb{R}^n$ to have distinct singular values?
$\newcommand{\SO}[1]{\text{SO}(#1)}$
$\newcommand{\dist}{\operatorname{dist}}$
Let $\mathbb{D}^n$ be the closed $n$-dimensional unit ball, and let $f:\mathbb{D}^n \to \mathbb{R}^n$ be smooth.
Set
$$...
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Do cotangent bundles have "bounded geometry"?
I have often heard the phrase "a manifold $M$ has bounded geometry" thrown around without ever seeing a precise definition of what this means. Apparent examples are compact manifolds and $\mathbb{R}^n$...
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Uniquely geodesic and CAT(0) spaces?
Improvement after J-M Schlenker's comment below :
This post has been divided into two parts, the second part is here.
Question : Is a finite dimensional metric space, uniquely geodesic if and only ...
6
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1
answer
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Differentiability of distance function at first conjugate point
Formulation of question: Consider a complete, simply connected Riemannian manifold $M$ with Riemannian metric $d$. For $x,y \in M$ that are distinct but close enough to each other, there is a geodesic ...
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Jacobi equation and conjugate points on solution curves of the Van der Pol vector field
Let $X$ be a geodesible non vanishing vector field on a manifold $M$. Namely there is a Riemannian structure $(M,g)$ such that all integral curves of $M$ are unparametrized geodesics of the ...
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(Some possible obstructions to ) Limit cycles as closed geodesics(3)
First we explain our Motivation:
Motivation:
First note that there is no a Riemannian metric on an open set of the plane which possess two nested closed geodesics $\gamma_1, \gamma_2$ ...
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0
answers
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Flat Riemannian metrics adapted to quadratic vector fields with center
Assume that $P(x,y),Q(x,y)\in \mathbb{R}[x,y]$ are two polynomials of degree $2$ with $P(0,0)=Q(0,0)=0.$
Suppose that the vector field $$\begin{cases} x'=P(x,y)\\ y'=Q(x,y) \end{cases}$$ has a center ...
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Open questions in Riemannian geometry
What are some major open problems in Riemannian Geometry? I tried googling it, but couldn't find any resources.
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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 ...
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Largest hyperbolic disk embeddable in Euclidean 3-space?
Hilbert proved that there's no complete regular ($C^k$ for sufficiently large $k$) isometric embedding of the hyperbolic plane into $\mathbb{R}^3$. On the other hand, the pseudosphere is locally ...
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Algebraic (semi-) Riemannian geometry ?
I hope these are not to vague questions for MO.
Is there an analog of the concept of a Riemannian metric, in algebraic geometry?
Of course, transporting things literally from the differential ...
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Curvature and Parallel Transport
Here is an updated formulation of the question, which is more precise and I think completely correct:
Suppose $M$ is a Riemannian manifold. Pick a point $p$ in $M$ and let $U$ be a neighborhood of ...
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What is the analog of the "Fundamental Theorem of Space Curves," for surfaces, and beyond?
The "Fundamental Theorem of Space Curves"
(Wikipedia link; MathWorld link)
states that there is a unique (up to congruence)
curve in space that simultaneously realizes
given continuous curvature $\...
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Curvature of a Lie group
Since a lie group is a manifold with the structure of a continuous group, then each point of the manifold [Edit: provided we fix a metric, for example an invariant or bi-invariant one] has some scalar ...
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Can a manifold have a curvature-free connection that is not torsion-free?
Suppose I have a smooth manifold with a tangent bundle, and I have a connection. If this connection is curvature-free, is it guaranteed to be torsion-free? (I am not assuming a metric, just a finite-...
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Sobolev and Poincaré inequalities on compact Riemannian manifolds
Let $M$ be an $n$-dimensional compact Riemannian manifold without boundary and $B(r)$ a geodesic ball of radius $r$. Then for $u\in W^{1,p}(B(r))$, the Poincare and Sobolev–Poincaré inequalities are ...
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Smoothness of the closest point on a submanifold
Let $(M,g)$ be a smooth Riemannian manifold, and let $S \subseteq M$ be a compact submanifold.
Assume that for each $p \in M$, there exist a unique closest point on $S$, i.e a unique point $\tilde s(...
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Is the injectivity radius (semi) continuous on a non-complete Riemannian manifold?
Let $\mathcal{M}$ be a Riemannian manifold, and let $\operatorname{inj} \mathrel\colon \mathcal{M} \to (0, \infty]$ be its injectivity radius function.
It is known that if $\mathcal M$ is connected ...
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Green's operator of elliptic differential operator
Let $P:\Gamma(E)\rightarrow\Gamma(F)$ be an elliptic partial differential operator, with index $=0$ and closed image of codimension $=1$, between spaces $\Gamma(E)$ and $\Gamma(F)$ of smooth sections ...
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Tweetable way to see Riemannian isometries are harmonic?
$\newcommand{\al}{\alpha}$
$\newcommand{\euc}{\mathcal{e}}$
$\newcommand{\Cof}{\operatorname{Cof}}$
$\newcommand{\Det}{\operatorname{Det}}$
Smooth Riemannian isometries are harmonic. Can one conclude ...
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Minimizing geodesics in incomplete Riemannian manifolds
Let $(M, g)$ be a Riemannian manifold, not necessarily complete. Let $x$ be a point in $M$, and let $r>0$ be such that the exponential map $\operatorname{exp}_x$ is defined on an open ball $B=B(0,r)...
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Is $\delta(df \wedge df)=0$ an Euler-Lagrange equation?
$\newcommand{\id}{\operatorname{Id}}$
$\newcommand{\TM}{\operatorname{TM}}$
$\newcommand{\Hom}{\operatorname{Hom}}$
$\newcommand{\M}{\mathcal{M}}$
$\newcommand{\N}{\mathcal{N}}$
$\newcommand{\tr}{\...
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Characterizing Hessians among symmetric bilinear tensors
I apologize in advance if this is somewhat elementary, but:
Let $(M,g)$ be a compact Riemannian manifold. Is there a "characterization" of which symmetric bilinear tensors $B\in Sym^2(M)$ ...
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Is the cotangent bundle to a Kahler manifold hyperkahler?
Let me be more specific. Let $M$ be a Kahler manifold with Riemannian metric $g$ and complex structure $I$. Then $T^\ast M$ will also be Kahler with metric and complex structure induced from $M$ (I ...
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Riemannian metric induced by a metric
Let $M$ be a smooth manifold, $\rho(p, q)$ — a differentiable metric on $M$. Can we construct Riemannian metric $g(X,Y)$ on $TM$ that induces $\rho(p, q)$? Under what conditions?
I'm sure this ...
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3
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Totally Geodesic Submanifolds
Suppose that $N$ is a totally geodesic submanifold of a complete Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$. Is it the case that a geodesic segment that minimizes length in the submanifold $N$ also minimizes length ...
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