arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Thierry Barbot.
We study minimal transverse foliations which are $R$-covered. If in addition the dimension of the ambient manifold is $3$, and the foliations are Anosov foliations we give necessary and sufficient conditions for the intersected foliation to be the orbit foliation of an Anosov flow.
Let $M$ be a closed 3-manifold admitting a finite cover of index n along the fibers over the unit tangent bundle of a closed surface. We prove that if n is odd, there is only one Anosov flow on M up to orbital equivalence, and if n is even, there are two orbital equivalence classes of Anosov flows on M.
In the paper "Pappus's theorem and the modular group", R. Schwartz constructed a 2-dimensional family of faithful representations $ρ_Θ$ of the modular group $\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$ into the group $\mathscr{G}$ of projective symmetries of the projective plane via Pappus Theorem. The image of the unique index 2 subgroup $\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})_o$ of $\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$ under each representation $ρ_Θ$ is in the subgroup $\mathrm{PGL}(3,\mathbb{R})$ of $\mathscr{G}$ and preserves a topological circle in the flag variety, but $ρ_Θ$ is not Anosov. In her PhD Thesis, V. P. Valério elucidated the Anosov-like feature of Schwartz representations: For every $ρ_Θ$, there exists a 1-dimensional family of Anosov representations $ρ^\varepsilon_Θ$ of $\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})_o$ into $\mathrm{PGL}(3,\mathbb{R})$ whose limit is the restriction of $ρ_Θ$ to $\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})_o$. In this paper, we improve her work: For each $ρ_Θ$, we build a 2-dimensional family of Anosov representations of $\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})_o$ into $\mathrm{PGL}(3,\mathbb{R})$ containing $ρ^\varepsilon_Θ$ and a 1-dimensional subfamily of which can extend to representations of $\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$ into $\mathscr{G}$. Schwartz representations are therefore, in a sense, the limits of Anosov representations of $\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$ into $\mathscr{G}$.
This survey is an introduction to the geometry of co-Minkowksi space, the space of unoriented spacelike hyperplanes of the Minkowski space. Affine deformations of cocompact lattices of hyperbolic isometries act on it, in a way similar to the way that quasi-Fuchsian groups act on hyperbolic space. In particular, there is a convex core. There is also a unique "mean" hypersurface, i.e. with traceless second fundamental form. The mean distance between the mean hypersurface and the lower boundary of the convex core endows the space of affine deformations of a given lattice with an asymmetric norm. The symmetrization of the asymmetric norm is simply the volume of the convex core. In dimension 2+1, the asymmetric norm is the total length of the bending lamination of the lower boundary component of the convex core. We obtain an extrinsic proof of a theorem of Thurston saying that, on the tangent space of Teichmüller space, the total length of measured geodesic laminations is an asymmetric norm. We also exhibit and comment the Anosov-like character of these deformations, similar to the Anosov character of the quasi-Fuchsians representations pointed out in Guichard--Wienhard.
Classical Kleinian groups are discrete subgroups of isometries of H n. The well-known theory of Kleinian groups starts with the definition of their associated limit set in the boundary of H n , and includes the geometric properties of the quotient hyperbolic space. This approach, naively applied, fails in the Lorentzian analogue anti-de Sitter space: discrete subgroups do not act properly discontinuously, and in many cases the set of accumulation points of orbits at the conformal boundary at infinity depends on the orbit. In this survey, we point out a way to extend this classical theory by introducing causality notions: the theory of limit sets and regularity domains extend naturally to achronal subgroups. This is closely related to the notions of globally hyper-bolic spacetimes, and we present what is known about the classification of globally hyperbolic spacetimes of constant curvature. We also review the close connection revealed by G. Mess ([79]) between globally hyperbolic spacetimes of dimension 2 + 1 and Teichm{ü}ller space. This link can be understood via the space of time-like geodesics of anti-de Sitter space, and this space has also an interesting role, presented here, in the recent works about proper group actions on spacetimes of constant curvature.
We consider Anosov actions of a Lie group $G$ of dimension $k$ on a closed manifold of dimension $k+n.$We introduce the notion of Nil-Anosov action of $G$ (which includes the case where $G$ is nilpotent) and establishes the invariance by the entire group $G$of the associated stable and unstable foliations. We then prove a spectral decomposition Theoremfor such an action when the group $G$ is nilpotent. Finally, we focus on the case where $G$ is nilpotent andthe unstable bundle has codimension one. We prove that in this case the action is a Nil-extensionover an Anosov action of an abelian Lie group. In particular:i) if $n \geq 3,$ then the action is topologically transitive,ii) if $n=2,$ then the action is a Nil-extension over an Anosov flow.
We prove a structure theorem for pseudo-Anosov flows restricted to Seifert fibered pieces of three manifolds. The piece is called periodic if there is a Seifert fibration so that a regular fiber is freely homotopic, up to powers, to a closed orbit of the flow. A non periodic Seifert fibered piece is called free. In a previous paper [Ba-Fe1] we described the structure of a pseudo-Anosov flow restricted to a periodic piece up to isotopy along the flow. In the present paper we consider free Seifert pieces. We show that, in a carefully defined neighborhood of the free piece, the pseudo-Anosov flow is orbitally equivalent to a hyperbolic blow up of a geodesic flow piece. A geodesic flow piece is a finite cover of the geodesic flow on a compact hyperbolic surface, usually with boundary. In the proof we introduce almost k-convergence groups and prove a convergence theorem. We also introduce an alternative model for the geodesic flow of a hyperbolic surface that is suitable to prove these results, and we carefully define what is a hyperbolic blow up.
Let $Γ$ be a finitely generated group, and let $\op{Rep}(Γ, \SO(2,n))$ be the moduli space of representations of $Γ$ into $\SO(2,n)$ ($n \geq 2$). An element $ρ: Γ\to \SO(2,n)$ of $\op{Rep}(Γ, \SO(2,n))$ is \textit{quasi-Fuchsian} if it is faithful, discrete, preserves an acausal subset in the conformal boundary $\Ein_n$ of the anti-de Sitter space; and if the associated globally hyperbolic anti-de Sitter space is spatially compact - a particular case is the case of \textit{Fuchsian representations}, i.e. composition of a faithfull, discrete and cocompact representation $ρ_f: Γ\to \SO(1,n)$ and the inclusion $\SO(1,n) \subset \SO(2,n)$. In \cite{merigot} we proved that quasi-Fuchsian representations are precisely representations which are Anosov as defined in \cite{labourie}. In the present paper, we prove that quasi-Fuchsian representations form a connected component of $\op{Rep}(Γ, \SO(2,n))$. This is an almost direct corollary of the following result: let $Γ$ be the fundamental group of a globally hyperbolic spacetime locally modeled on $\AdS_n$, and let $ρ: Γ\to \SO_0(2,n)$ be the holonomy representation. Then, if $Γ$ is Gromov hyperbolic, the $ρ(Γ)$-invariant achronal limit set in $\Ein_n$ is acausal.
We investigate 3-dimensional globally hyperbolic AdS manifolds containing "particles", i.e., cone singularities of angles less than $2π$ along a time-like graph $Γ$. To each such space we associate a graph and a finite family of pairs of hyperbolic surfaces with cone singularities. We show that this data is sufficient to recover the space locally (i.e., in the neighborhood of a fixed metric). This is a partial extension of a result of Mess for non-singular globally hyperbolic AdS manifolds.
In this article we analyze totally periodic pseudo-Anosov flows in graph three manifolds. This means that in each Seifert fibered piece of the torus decomposition, the free homotopy class of regular fibers has a finite power which is also a finite power of the free homotopy class of a closed orbit of the flow. We show that each such flow is topologically equivalent to one of the model pseudo-Anosov flows which we constructed in a previous article. A model pseudo-Anosov flow is obtained by glueing standard neighborhoods of Birkhoff annuli and perhaps doing Dehn surgery on certain orbits. We also show that two model flows on the same graph manifold are isotopically equivalent (ie. there is a isotopy of the manifold mapping the oriented orbits of the first flow to the oriented orbits of the second flow) if and only if they have the same topological and dynamical data in the collection of standard neighborhoods of the Birkhoff annuli.
In this paper we classify algebraic Anosov actions of nilpotent Lie groups on closed manifolds, extending the previous results by P. Tomter. We show that they are all nil-suspensions over either suspensions of Anosov actions of Z^k on nilmanifolds, or (modified) Weyl chamber actions. We check the validity of the generalized Verjovsky conjecture in this algebraic context. We also point out an intimate relation between algebraic Anosov actions and Cartan subalgebras in general real Lie groups.
We present a list of open questions on various aspects of AdS geometry, that is, the geometry of Lorentz spaces of constant curvature -1. When possible we point out relations with homogeneous spaces and discrete subgroups of Lie groups, to Teichmüller theory, as well as analogs in hyperbolic geometry.
We first prove rigidity results for pseudo-Anosov flows in prototypes of toroidal 3-manifolds: we show that a pseudo-Anosov flow in a Seifert fibered manifold is up to finite covers topologically equivalent to a geodesic flow and we show that a pseudo-Anosov flow in a solv manifold is topologically equivalent to a suspension Anosov flow. Then we study the interaction of a general pseudo-Anosov flow with possible Seifert fibered pieces in the torus decomposition: if the fiber is associated with a periodic orbit of the flow, we show that there is a standard and very simple form for the flow in the piece using Birkhoff annuli. This form is strongly connected with the topology of the Seifert piece. We also construct a large new class of examples in many graph manifolds, which is extremely general and flexible. We construct other new classes of examples, some of which are generalized pseudo-Anosov flows which have one prong singularities and which show that the above results in Seifert fibered and solvable manifolds do not apply to one prong pseudo-Anosov flows. Finally we also analyse immersed and embedded incompressible tori in optimal position with respect to a pseudo-Anosov flow.
We construct stationary flat three-dimensional Lorentzian manifolds with singularities that are obtained from Euclidean surfaces with cone singularities and closed one-forms on these surfaces. In the application to (2+1)-gravity, these spacetimes correspond to models containing massive particles with spin. We analyse their geometrical properties, introduce a generalised notion of global hyperbolicity and classify all stationary flat spacetimes with singularities that are globally hyperbolic in that sense. We then apply our results to (2+1)-gravity and analyse the causality structure of these spacetimes in terms of measurements by observers. In particular, we derive a condition on observers that excludes causality violating light signals despite the presence of closed timelike curves in these spacetimes.
We investigate 3-dimensional globally hyperbolic AdS manifolds containing "particles", i.e., cone singularities along a graph $Γ$. We impose physically relevant conditions on the cone singularities, e.g. positivity of mass (angle less than $2π$ on time-like singular segments). We construct examples of such manifolds, describe the cone singularities that can arise and the way they can interact (the local geometry near the vertices of $Γ$). We then adapt to this setting some notions like global hyperbolicity which are natural for Lorentz manifolds, and construct some examples of globally hyperbolic AdS manifolds with interacting particles.
In this paper, we consider codimension one Anosov actions of IR^k, k ? 1, on closed connected orientable manifolds of dimension n+k with n? 3. We show that the fundamental group of the ambient manifold is solvable if and only if the weak foliation of codimension one is transversely affine. We also study the situation where one 1-parameter subgroup of IR^k admits a cross-section, and compare this to the case where the whole action is transverse to a fibration over a manifold of dimension n. As a byproduct, generalizing a Theorem by Ghys in the case k=1, we show that, under some assumptions about the smoothness of the sub-bundle E^ss ? E^uu, and in the case where the action preserves the volume, it is topologically equivalent to a suspension of a linear Anosov action of Z^k on T^n.
We investigate 3-dimensional globally hyperbolic AdS manifolds containing "particles", i.e., cone singularities along a graph $Γ$. We impose physically relevant conditions on the cone singularities, e.g. positivity of mass (angle less than $2π$ on time-like singular segments). We construct examples of such manifolds, describe the cone singularities that can arise and the way they can interact (the local geometry near the vertices of $Γ$). The local geometry near an "interaction point" (a vertex of the singular locus) has a simple geometric description in terms of polyhedra in the extension of hyperbolic 3-space by the de Sitter space. We then concentrate on spaces containing only (interacting) massive particles. To each such space we associate a graph and a finite family of pairs of hyperbolic surfaces with cone singularities. We show that this data is sufficient to recover the space locally (i.e., in the neighborhood of a fixed metric). This is a partial extension of a result of Mess for non-singular globally hyperbolic AdS manifolds.
In this paper, we define codimension one Anosov actions of $\RR^k, k\geq 2,$ on a closed connected orientable manifold $M$. We prove that if the ambient manifold has dimension greater than $k+2$, then the action is topologically transitive. This generalizes a result of Verjovsky for codimension one Anosov flows.