Differential Geometry

The comparison theory for the Riccati equation satisfied by the shape operator of parallel hypersurfaces is generalized to semi-Riemannian manifolds of arbitrary index, using one-sided bounds on the Riemann tensor which in the Riemannian case correspond to one-sided bounds on the sectional curvatures. Starting from 2-dimensional rigidity results and using an inductive technique, a new class of gap-type rigidity theorems is proved for semi-Riemannian manifolds of arbitrary index, generalizing those first given by Gromov and Greene-Wu. As applications we prove rigidity results for semi-Riemannian manifolds with simply connected ends of constant curvature.

We introduce the complete lifts of maps between (real and complex) Euclidean spaces and study their properties concerning holomorphicity, harmonicity and horizontal weakly conformality. As applications, we are able to use this concept to characterize holomorphic maps ϕ: C m ⊃U⟶ C n (Proposition 2.3) and to construct many new examples of harmonic morphisms (Theorem 3.3). Finally we show that the complete lift of the quaternion product followed by the complex product is a simple and explicit example of a harmonic morphism which does not arise (see Definition 4.8 in \cite{BaiWoo95}) from any K{ä}hler structure.

We prove that an analog of the exterior differential acts on the space of arbitrary Lagrangians of multidimensional paths on any manifold or supermanifold, thus making this space into a cochain complex. An analog of the Stokes' formula holds. The construction and the proofs are purely geometrical, in terms of the variation of corresponding actions.

We discuss conformal deformation and warped products on some open manifolds. We discuss how these can be applied to construct Riemannian metrics with specific scalar curvature functions.

Conformal invariants of manifolds of non-positive scalar curvature are studied in association with growth in volume and fundamental group.

We show, that higher analogs of the Willmore functional, defined on the space of immersions M^2\rightarrow R^3, where M^2 is a two-dimensional torus, R^3 is the 3-dimensional Euclidean space are invariant under conformal transformations of R^3. This hypothesis was formulated recently by I.A.Taimanov (dg-ga/9610013). Higher analogs of the Willmore functional are defined in terms of the Modified Novikov-Veselov hierarchy. This soliton hierarchy is associated with the zero-energy scattering problem for the two-dimensional Dirac operator.

A local classification of locally conformal flat Riemannian Einstein-like four-manifolds as well as a local classification of all locally conformal flat Riemannian four-manifolds for which all Jacobi operators have parallel eigenspaces along every geodesic is given. Non-trivial explicit examples are presented. The problem of local description of self-dual Einstein-like four-manifolds is also treated. A complete explicit solution of the Stäckel system in dimension four is obtained.

We give a general procedure for gluing together possibly noncompact manifolds of constant scalar curvature which satisfy an extra nondegeneracy hypothesis. Our aim is to provide a simple paradigm for making `analytic' connected sums. In particular, we can easily construct complete metrics of constant positive scalar curvature on the complement of certain configurations of an even number of points on the sphere, which is a special case of Schoen's \cite{S1} well-known, difficult construction. Applications of this construction produces metrics with prescribed asymptotics. In particular, we produce metrics with cylindrical ends, the simplest type of asymptotic behaviour. Solutions on the complement of an infinite number of points are also constructed by an iteration of our construction.

We prove that the space of symplectic packings of C P 2 by k equal balls is connected for 3≤k≤6 . The proof is based on Gromov-Witten invariants and on the inflation technique due to Lalonde and McDuff.

It is shown that the equation which describes constant mean curvature surface via the generalized Weierstrass-Enneper inducing has Hamiltonian form. Its simplest finite-dimensional reduction has two degrees of freedom, integrable and its trajectories correspond to well-known Delaunay and do Carmo-Dajzcer surfaces (i.e., helicoidal constant mean curvature surfaces).