arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Giovanni Catino.
We derive an adaptation of Li & Yau estimates for positive solutions of semilinear heat equations on Riemannian manifolds with nonnegative Ricci tensor. We then apply these estimates to obtain a Harnack inequality and to discuss monotonicity, convexity, decay estimates and triviality of ancient and eternal solutions.
In this paper we prove new rigidity results for complete, possibly non-compact, critical metrics of the quadratic curvature functionals $\mathfrak{F}^{2}_t = \int |\operatorname{Ric}_g|^{2} dV_g + t \int R^{2}_g dV_g$, $t\in\mathbb{R}$, and $\mathfrak{S}^2 = \int R_g^{2} dV_g$. We show that (i) flat surfaces are the only critical points of $\mathfrak{S}^2$, (ii) flat three-dimensional manifolds are the only critical points of $\mathfrak{F}^{2}_t$ for every $t>-\frac{1}{3}$, (iii) three-dimensional scalar flat manifolds are the only critical points of $\mathfrak{S}^2$ with finite energy and (iv) $n$-dimensional, $n>4$, scalar flat manifolds are the only critical points of $\mathfrak{S}^2$ with finite energy and scalar curvature bounded below. In case (i), our proof relies on rigidity results for conformal vector fields and an ODE argument; in case (ii) we draw upon some ideas of M. T. Anderson concerning regularity, convergence and rigidity of critical metrics; in cases (iii) and (iv) the proofs are self-contained and depend on new pointwise and integral estimates.
We derive a matrix version of Li \& Yau--type estimates for positive solutions of semilinear heat equations on Riemannian manifolds with nonnegative sectional curvatures and parallel Ricci tensor, similarly to what R.~Hamilton did in~\cite{hamilton7} for the standard heat equation. We then apply these estimates to obtain some Harnack--type inequalities, which give local bounds on the solutions in terms of the geometric quantities involved.
Extending Aubin's construction of metrics with constant negative scalar curvature, we prove that every $n$-dimensional closed manifold admits a Riemannian metric with constant negative scalar-Weyl curvature, that is $R+t|W|, t\in\mathbb{R}$. In particular, there are no topological obstructions for metrics with $\varepsilon$-pinched Weyl curvature and negative scalar curvature.
We focus on the Penrose's Weyl Curvature Hypothesis in a general framework encompassing many specific models discussed in literature. We introduce a candidate density for the Weyl entropy in pure spacetime perfect fluid regions and show that it is monotonically increasing in time under very general assumptions. Then we consider the behavior of the Weyl entropy of compact regions, which is shown to be monotone in time as well under suitable hypotheses, and also maximal in correspondence with vacuum static metrics. The minimal entropy case is discussed too.
We show a triviality result for "pointwise" monotone in time, bounded "eternal" solutions of the semilinear heat equation \begin{equation*} u_{t}=Δu + |u|^{p} \end{equation*} on complete Riemannian manifolds of dimension $n \geq 5$ with nonnegative Ricci tensor, when $p$ is smaller than the critical Sobolev exponent $\frac{n+2}{n-2}$.
We consider, in the Euclidean setting, a conformal Yamabe-type equation related to a potential generalization of the classical constant scalar curvature problem and which naturally arises in the study of Ricci solitons structures. We prove existence and nonexistence results, focusing on the radial case, under some general hypothesis on the potential.
We show existence of solutions to the Poisson equation on Riemannian manifolds with positive essential spectrum, assuming a sharp pointwise decay on the source function. In particular we can allow the Ricci curvature to be unbounded from below. In comparison with previous works, we can deal with a more general setting both on the spectrum and on the curvature bounds.
We prove an existence result for the Poisson equation on non-compact Riemannian manifolds satisfying weighted Poincaré inequalities outside compact sets. Our result applies to a large class of manifolds including, for instance, all non-parabolic manifolds with minimal positive Green's function vanishing at infinity. On the source function we assume a sharp pointwise decay depending on the weight appearing in the Poincaré inequality and on the behavior of the Ricci curvature at infinity. We do not require any curvature or spectral assumptions on the manifold.
We prove that under some assumptions on the mean curvature the set of umbilical points of an immersed surface in a $3$-dimensional space form has positive measure. In case of an immersed sphere our result can be seen as a generalization of the celebrated Hopf theorem.
We classify four-dimensional shrinking Ricci solitons satisfying $Sec \geq \frac{1}{24} R$, where $Sec$ and $R$ denote the sectional and the scalar curvature, respectively. They are isometric to either $\mathbb{R}^{4}$ (and quotients), $\mathbb{S}^{4}$, $\mathbb{RP}^{4}$ or $\mathbb{CP}^{2}$ with their standard metrics.
On four-dimensional closed manifolds we introduce a class of canonical Riemannian metrics, that we call weak harmonic Weyl metrics, defined as critical points in the conformal class of a quadratic functional involving the norm of the divergence of the Weyl tensor. This class includes Einstein and, more in general, harmonic Weyl manifolds. We prove that every closed four-manifold admits a weak harmonic Weyl metric, which is the unique (up to dilations) minimizer of the functional in a suitable conformal class. In general the problem is degenerate elliptic due to possible vanishing of the Weyl tensor. In order to overcome this issue, we minimize the functional in the conformal class determined by a reference metric, constructed by Aubin, with nowhere vanishing Weyl tensor. Moreover, we show that anti-self-dual metrics with positive Yamabe invariant can be characterized by pinching conditions involving suitable quadratic Riemannian functionals.
We investigate the triviality of compact Ricci solitons under general scalar conditions involving the Weyl tensor. More precisely, we show that a compact Ricci soliton is Einstein if a generic linear combination of divergences of the Weyl tensor contracted with suitable covariant derivatives of the potential function vanishes. In particular we recover and improve all known related results. This paper can be thought as a first, preliminary step in a general program which aims at showing that Ricci solitons can be classified finding a "generic" $[k, s]$-vanishing condition on the Weyl tensor, for every $k, s\in\mathbb{N}$, where $k$ is the order of the covariant derivatives of Weyl and $s$ is the type of the (covariant) tensor involved.
The aim of this paper is to study new classes of Riemannian manifolds endowed with a smooth potential function, including in a general framework classical canonical structures such as Einstein, harmonic curvature and Yamabe metrics, and, above all, gradient Ricci solitons. For the most rigid cases we give a complete classification, while for the others we provide rigidity and obstruction results, characterizations and nontrivial examples. In the final part of the paper we also describe the "nongradient" version of this construction.
The very definition of an Einstein metric implies that all its geometry is encoded in the Weyl tensor. With this in mind, in this paper we derive higher-order Bochner type formulas for the Weyl tensor on a four dimensional Einstein manifold. In particular, we prove a second Bochner type formula which, formally, extends to the covariant derivative level the classical one for the Weyl tensor obtained by Derdzinski in 1983. As a consequence, we deduce some integral identities involving the Weyl tensor and its derivatives on a compact four dimensional Einstein manifold.
In this paper we present some results on a family of geometric flows introduced by Bourguignon that generalize the Ricci flow. For suitable values of the scalar parameter involved in these flows, we prove short time existence and provide curvature estimates. We also state some results on the associated solitons.
We classify complete gradient Ricci solitons satisfying a fourth-order vanishing condition on the Weyl tensor, improving previously known results. More precisely, we show that any $n$-dimensional ($n\geq 4$) gradient shrinking Ricci soliton with fourth order divergence-free Weyl tensor is either Einstein, or a finite quotient of $N^{n-k}\times \mathbb{R}^k$, $(k > 0)$, the product of a Einstein manifold $N^{n-k}$ with the Gaussian shrinking soliton $\mathbb{R}^k$. The technique applies also to the steady and expanding cases in all dimensions. In particular, we prove that a three dimensional gradient steady soliton with third order divergence-free Cotton tensor, i.e. with vanishing double divergence of the Bach tensor, is either flat or isometric to the Bryant soliton.
We prove that a $n$-dimensional, $4 \leq n \leq 6$, compact gradient shrinking Ricci soliton satisfying a $L^{n/2}$-pinching condition is isometric to a quotient of the round $\mathbb{S}^{n}$. The proof relies mainly on sharp algebraic curvature estimates, the Yamabe-Sobolev inequality and an improved rigidity result for integral pinched Einstein metrics.