Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Harish Seshadri

Publications and source records attributed to Harish Seshadri.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

A gap theorem for Ricci-flat 4-manifolds

Let $(M,g)$ be a compact Ricci-flat 4-manifold. For $p \in M$ let $K_{max}(p)$ (respectively $K_{min}(p)$) denote the maximum (respectively the minimum) of sectional curvatures at $p$. We prove that if $$K_{max} (p) \le \ -c K_{min}(p)$$ for all $p \in M$, for some constant $c$ with $0 \leq c < \frac{2+\sqrt 6}{4}$, then $(M,g)$ is flat. We prove a similar result for compact Ricci-flat Kähler surfaces. Let $(M,g)$ be such a surface and for $p \in M$ let $H_{max}(p)$ (respectively $H_{min}(p)$) denote the maximum (respectively the minimum) of holomorphic sectional curvatures at $p$. If $$H_{max} (p) \le -c H_{min}(p)$$ for all $p \in M$, for some constant $c$ with $0 \leq c < \frac {1+\sqrt 3}{2}$, then $(M,g)$ is flat.

math.DG↗

Totally geodesic discs in strongly convex domains

We prove that Kobayashi isometries between strongly convex domains are holomorphic or anti-holomorphic. More precisely, let $n_1, n_2$ be positive integers and let $Ω_i \subset \C^{n_i}, \ i=1,2$, be bounded $C^3$ strongly convex domains. If $ϕ: (Ω_1, d^K_{Ω_1}) \rightarrow (Ω_2, d^K_{Ω_2})$ is an isometry, i.e. $ d^K_Ω_{n_2}(f(ζ),f(η)) = d^K_{n_1} (ζ,η)$ for all $ζ,η\in Ω_1,$ then $ϕ$ is either holomorphic or anti-holomorphic.

math.CV↗

Three manifold groups, Kaehler groups and complex surfaces

Let $ 1 \rightarrow N \rightarrow G \rightarrow Q \rightarrow 1$ be an exact sequence of finitely presented groups where Q is infinite and not virtually cyclic, and is the fundamental group of some closed 3-manifold. If G is Kaehler, we show that Q is either the 3-dimensional Heisenberg group or the fundamental group of the Cartesian product of a closed oriented surface of positive genus and the circle. As a corollary, we obtain a new proof of a theorem of Dimca and Suciu by taking N to be the trivial group, If G is the fundamental group of a compact complex surface, we show that Q must be the fundamental group of a Seifert-fibered space and G the fundamental group of an elliptic fibration. We also give an example showing that the relation of quasi-isometry does not preserve Kaehler groups. This gives a negative answer to a question of Gromov which asks whether Kaehler groups can be characterized by their asymptotic geometry.

math.GT↗

Manifolds with nonnegative isotropic curvature

We prove that if $(M^n,g)$, $n \ge 4$, is a compact, orientable, locally irreducible Riemannian manifold with nonnegative isotropic curvature, then one of the following possibilities hold: (i) $M$ admits a metric with positive isotropic curvature (ii) $(M,g)$ is isometric to a locally symmetric space (iii) $(M,g)$ is Kähler and biholomorphic to $\C P^\frac {n}{2}$. (iv) $(M,g)$ is quaternionic-Kähler. This is implied by the following result: Let $(M^{2n},g)$ be a compact, locally irreducible Kähler manifold with nonnegative isotropic curvature. Then either $M$ is biholomorphic to $\C P^n$ or isometric to a compact Hermitian symmetric space. This answers a question of Micallef and Wang in the affirmative. The proof is based on the recent work of S. Brendle and R. Schoen on the Ricci flow.

math.DG↗

On Wilking's criterion for the Ricci flow

B Wilking has recently shown that one can associate a Ricci flow invariant cone of curvature operators $C(S)$, which are nonnegative in a suitable sense, to every $Ad_{SO(n,\C)}$ invariant subset $S \subset {\bf so}(n,\C)$. For curvature operators of a Kähler manifold of complex dimension $n$, one considers $Ad_{GL(n,\C)}$ invariant subsets $S \subset {\bf gl}(n,\C)$. In this article we show: (i) If $S$ is an $Ad_{SO(n,\C)}$ subset, then $C(S)$ is contained in the cone of curvature operators with nonnegative isotropic curvature and if $S$ is an $Ad_{GL(n,\C)}$ subset, then $C(S)$ is contained in the cone of Kähler curvature operators with nonnegative orthogonal bisectional curvature. (ii) If $S \subset {\bf so}(n,\C)$ is a closed $Ad_{SO(n,\C)}$ invariant subset and $C_+(S) \subset C(S)$ denotes the cone of curvature operators which are {\it positive} in the appropriate sense then one of the two possibilities holds: (a) The connected sum of any two Riemannian manifolds with curvature operators in $C_+(S)$ also admits a metric with curvature operator in $C_+(S)$ (b) The normalized Ricci flow on any compact Riemannian manifold $M$ with curvature operator in $C_+(S)$ converges to either to a metric of constant positive sectional curvature or constant positive holomorphic sectional curvature or $M$ is a rank-1 symmetric space.

math.DG↗

Almost quarter-pinched Kähler metrics and Chern numbers

We prove that compact Kähler manifolds whose sectional curvatures are close to 1/4-pinched have ratios of Chern numbers close to the corresponding ratios of a complex hyperbolic space form. We deduce that the Mostow-Siu surfaces (and their three-dimensional analogues constructed by the first author) do not admit Kähler metrics with pinching close to 1/4.

math.DG↗

On the smooth rigidity of almost-Einstein manifolds with nonnegative isotropic curvature

Let $(M^n,g)$, $n \ge 4$, be a compact simply-connected Riemannian manifold with nonnegative isotropic curvature. Given $0<l\le L$, we prove that there exists $\eps = \eps (l,L,n)$ satisfying the following: If the scalar curvature $s$ of $g$ satisfies $$ l \le s \le L $$ and the Einstein tensor satisfies $$ | Ric - \frac {s}{n}g | \le \eps$$ then $M$ is diffeomorphic to a symmetric space of compact type. This is a smooth analogue of the result of S. Brendle that a compact Einstein manifold with nonnegative isotropic curvature is isometric to a locally symmetric space.

math.DG↗

Surfaces of bounded mean curvature in Riemannian manifolds

Consider a sequence of closed, orientable surfaces of fixed genus $g$ in a Riemannian manifold $M$ with uniform upper bounds on mean curvature and area. We show that on passing to a subsequence and choosing appropriate parametrisations, the inclusion maps converge in $C^0$ to a map from a surface of genus $g$ to $M$. We also show that, on passing to a further subsequence, the distance functions corresponding to pullback metrics converge to a pseudo-metric of fractal dimension two. As a corollary, we obtain a purely geometric result. Namely, we show that bounds on the mean curvature, area and genus of a surface $F\subset M$ together with bounds on the geometry of $M$ give an upper bound on the diameter of $F$. Our proof is modelled on Gromov's compactness theorem for $J$-holomorphic curves.

math.DG↗

Complex product manifolds cannot be negatively curved

We show that if $M = X \times Y$ is the product of two complex manifolds (of positive dimensions), then $M$ does not admit any complete Kähler metric with bisectional curvature bounded between two negative constants. More generally, a locally-trivial holomorphic fibre-bundle does not admit such a metric.

math.DG↗

An elementary approach to some rigidity theorems

Using elementary comparison geometry, we prove: Let $(M,g)$ be a simply-connected complete Riemannian manifold of dimension $\ge 3$. Suppose that the sectional curvature $K$ satisfies $ -1-s(r) \le K \le -1$, where $r$ denotes distance to a fixed point in $M$. If $\lim_{r \rt \infty} e^{2r}s(r) =0$, then $(M,g)$ has to be isometric to ${\mathbb H}^n$. The same proof also yields that if $K$ satisfies $-s(r) \le K \le 0$ where $\lim_{r \rt \infty} r^2s(r)=0$, then $(M,g)$ is isometric to $\R^n$, a result due to Greene and Wu. Our second result is a local one: Let $(M,g)$ be any Riemannian manifold. For $a \in \R$, if $K \le a$ on a geodesic ball $B_p(R)$ in $M$ and $K = a$ on $\partial B_p(R)$, then $K= a $ on $B_p(R)$.

math.DG↗

Positive scalar curvature and minimal hypersurfaces

We show that the minimal hypersurface method of Schoen and Yau can be used for the ``quantitative'' study of positive scalar curvature. More precisely, we show that if a manifold admits a metric $g$ with $s_g \ge | T |$ or $s_g \ge | W |$, where $s_g$ is the scalar curvature of of $g$, $T$ any 2-tensor on $M$ and $W$ the Weyl tensor of $g$, then any closed orientable stable minimal (totally geodesic in the second case) hypersurface also admits a metric with the corresponding positivity of scalar curvature. A corollary about the topology of such hypersurfaces is proved in a special situation.

math.DG↗

Negative sectional curvature and the product complex structure

We prove that a product complex manifold cannot admit a complete Kähler metric with sectional curvature $K d$, where $c$ and $d$ are constants. In particular, a product domain in $\C$ cannot cover a compact Kähler manifold with negative sectional curvature. On the other hand, we observe that there are complete Kähler metrics with negative sectional curvature on $\C$. Hence the upper sectional curvature bound is necessary.

math.DG↗

On the holomorphicity of isometries of intrinsic metrics in complex analysis

Let $\1$ and $\2$ be $\s$ domains in $\Cn$ and $f: \1 \rt \2$ an isometry for the Kobayashi or Carathéodory metrics. Suppose that $f$ extends as a $C^1$ map to $ \bar \om_1$. We then prove that $f|_{\partial \1}: \partial \1 \rt \partial \2$ is a CR or anti-CR diffeomorphism. It follows that $\1$ and $\2$ must be biholomorphic or anti-biholomorphic. The main tool is a metric version of the Pinchuk rescaling technique.

math.CV↗

The Weyl functional near the Yamabe invariant

For a compact manifold $M$ of $\dim M =n\geq 4$, we study two conformal invariants of a conformal class $C$ on $M$. These are the Yamabe constant $Y_C(M)$ and the $L^{\frac{n}{2}}$-norm $W_C(M)$ of the Weyl curvature. We prove that for any manifold $M$ there exists a conformal class $C$ such that the Yamabe constant $Y_C(M)$ is arbitrarily close to the Yamabe invariant $Y(M)$, and, at the same time, the constant $W_C(M)$ is arbitrarily large. We study the image of the map $\YW: C\mapsto (Y_C(M),W_C(M))\in \R^2$ near the line $\{(Y(M),w) | w\in \R\}$. We also apply our results to certain classes of 4-manifolds, in particular, minimal compact Kähler surfaces of Kodaira dimension 0, 1 or 2.

math.DG↗