arXiv subjects

Thomas Branson

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas Branson.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2007

Symmetries in Differential Geometry: A Computational Approach to Prolongations

The aim of this work is to develop a systematic manner to close overdetermined systems arising from conformal Killing tensors (CKT). The research performs this action for 1-tensor and 2-tensors. This research makes it possible to develop a new general method for any rank of CKT. This method can also be applied to other types of Killing equations, as well as to overdetermined systems constrained by some other conditions. The major methodological apparatus of the research is a decomposition of the section bundles where the covariant derivatives of the CKT land via generalized gradients. This decomposition generates a tree in which each row represents a higher derivative. After using the conformal Killing equation, just a few components (branches) survive, which means that most of them can be expressed in terms of lower order terms. This results in a finite number of independent jets. Thus, any higher covariant derivative can be written in terms of these jets. The findings of this work are significant methodologically and, more specifically, in the potential for the discovery of symmetries. First, this work has uncovered a new method that could be used to close overdetermined systems arising from conformal Killing tensors (CKT). Second, through an application of this method, this research finds higher symmetry operators of first and second degree, which are known by other means, for the Laplace operator. The findings also reveal the first order symmetry operators for the Yamabe case. Moreover, the research leads to conjectures about the second order symmetries of the Yamabe operator.

math.DG↗

arXiv2006

Spectrum Generating on Twistor Bundle

We give explicit formulas for the intertwinors of all orders on the twistor bundle over $S^1\times S^{n-1}$ using spectrum generating technique introduced in \cite{BOO:96}.

math.DG↗

arXiv2006

The conformal deformation detour complex for the obstruction tensor

On pseudo-Riemannian manifolds of even dimension $n\geq 4$, with everywhere vanishing (Fefferman-Graham) obstruction tensor, we construct a complex of conformally invariant differential operators. The complex controls the infinitesimal deformations of obstruction-flat structures, and, in the case of Riemannian signature the complex is elliptic.

math.DG↗

arXiv2005

Pontrjagin forms and invariant objects related to the Q-curvature

We clarify the conformal invariance of the Pontrjagin forms by giving them a manifestly conformally invariant construction; they are shown to be the Pontrjagin forms of the conformally invariant tractor connection. The Q-curvature is intimately related to the Pfaffian. Working on even-dimensional manifolds, we show how the $k$-form operators $Q_k$ of \cite{ddd}, which generalise the Q-curvature, retain a key aspect of the $Q$-curvature's relation to the Pfaffian, by obstructing certain representations of natural operators on closed forms. In a closely related direction, we show that the $Q_k$ give rise to conformally invariant quadratic forms $Θ_k$ on cohomology that interpolate, in a suitable sense, between the integrated metric pairing (at $k=n/2$) and the Pfaffian (at $k=0$). Using a different construction, we show that the $Q_k$ operators yield a generalisation of the period map which maps conformal structures to Lagrangian subspaces of the direct sum $H^k\oplus H_k$ (where $H_k$ is the dual of the de Rham cohomology space $H^k$). We couple the $Q_k$ operators with the Pontrjagin forms to construct new natural densities that have many properties in common with the original Q-curvature; in particular these integrate to global conformal invariants. We also work out a relevant example, and show that the proof of the invariance of the (nonlinear) action functional whose critical metrics have constant Q-curvature extends to the action functionals for these new Q-like objects. Finally we set up eigenvalue problems that generalise to $Q_k$-operators the Q-curvature prescription problem.

math.DG↗

arXiv2005

Prolongations of Geometric Overdetermined Systems

We show that a wide class of geometrically defined overdetermined semilinear partial differential equations may be explicitly prolonged to obtain closed systems. As a consequence, in the case of linear equations we extract sharp bounds on the dimension of the solution space.

math.DG↗

arXiv2005

The Paley-Wiener Theorem for the Jacobi Transform and the Local Huygens' Principle for Root Systems with Even Multiplicities

This note is a continuation of the previous paper math.AP/0411383 by the same authors. Its purpose is to extend the results of math.AP/0411383 to the context of root systems with even multiplicities. Under the even multiplicity assumption, we prove a local Paley-Wiener theorem for the Jacobi transform and the strong Huygens' principle for the wave equation associated with the modified compact Laplace operator.

math.AP↗

arXiv2005

Spontaneous generation of eigenvalues

We show that the action of conformal vector fields on functions on the sphere determines the spectrum of the Laplacian (or the conformal Laplacian), without further input of information. The spectra of intertwining operators (both differential and non-local) with principal part a power of the Laplacian follows as a corollary. An application of the method is the sharp form of Gross' entropy inequality on the sphere. The same method gives the spectrum of the Dirac operator on the sphere, as well as of a continuous family of nonlocal intertwinors, and an infinite family of odd-order differential intertwinors.

math.DG↗

arXiv2004

The Paley-Wiener Theorem and the Local Huygens' Principle for Compact Symmetric Spaces

We prove a Paley-Wiener Theorem for a class of symmetric spaces of the compact type, in which all root multiplicities are even. This theorem characterizes functions of small support in terms of holomorphic extendability and exponential type of their (discrete) Fourier transforms. We also provide three independent new proofs of the strong Huygens' principle for a suitable constant shift of the wave equation on odd-dimensional spaces from our class.

math.AP↗

arXiv2004

Conformally invariant operators, differential forms, cohomology and a generalisation of Q-curvature

On conformal manifolds of even dimension $n\geq 4$ we construct a family of new conformally invariant differential complexes. Each bundle in each of these complexes appears either in the de Rham complex or in its dual. Each of the new complexes is elliptic if the signature is Riemannian. We also construct gauge companion operators which complete the exterior derivative to a conformally invariant and (in the case of Riemannian signature) elliptically coercive system. These (operator,gauge) pairs are used to define finite dimensional conformally stable form subspaces which are are candidates for spaces of conformal harmonics. These constructions are based on a family of operators on closed forms which generalise in a natural way the Q-curvature. We give a universal construction of these new operators and show that they yield new conformally invariant global pairings between differential form bundles. Finally we give a geometric construction of a family of conformally invariant differential operators between density-valued differential form bundles and develop their properties (including their ellipticity type in the case of definite conformal signature). The construction is based on the ambient metric of Fefferman and Graham, and its relationship to tractor bundles. For each form order, our derivation yields an operator of every even order in odd dimensions, and even order operators up to order $n$ in even dimension $n$. In the case of unweighted forms as domain, these operators are the natural form analogues of the critical order conformal Laplacian of Graham et al., and are key ingredients in the new differential complexes mentioned above.

math.DG↗

arXiv2001

Electromagnetism, metric deformations, ellipticity and gauge operators on conformal 4-manifolds

On Riemannian signature conformal 4-manifolds we give a conformally invariant extension of the Maxwell operator on 1-forms. We show the extension is in an appropriate sense injectively elliptic, and recovers the invariant gauge operator of Eastwood and Singer. The extension has a natural compatibility with the de Rham complex and we prove that, given a certain restriction, its conformally invariant null space is isomorphic to the first de Rham cohomology. General machinery for extending this construction is developed and as a second application we describe an elliptic extension of a natural operator on perturbations of conformal structure. This operator is closely linked to a natural sequence of invariant operators that we construct explictly. In the conformally flat setting this yields a complex known as the conformal deformation complex and for this we describe a conformally invariant Hodge theory which parallels the de Rham result.

hep-th↗

arXiv2001

Bochner-Weitzenboeck formulas associated with the Rarita-Schwinger operator

In this paper, we establish basic material for future investigations of the analysis and geometry of the twistor bundle, and of differential operators with the twistor bundle as source and/or target, especially the Rarita-Schwinger operator, a first order differential operator taking twistors to twistors.

hep-th↗

arXiv2001

Heat Kernel Asymptotics of Operators with Non-Laplace Principal Part

We consider second-order elliptic partial differential operators acting on sections of vector bundles over a compact Riemannian manifold without boundary, working without the assumption of Laplace-like principal part $-\N^μ\N_μ$. Our objective is to obtain information on the asymptotic expansions of the corresponding resolvent and the heat kernel. The heat kernel and the Green's function are constructed explicitly in the leading order. The first two coefficients of the heat kernel asymptotic expansion are computed explicitly. A new semi-classical ansatz as well as the complete recursion system for the heat kernel of non-Laplace type operators is constructed. Some particular cases are studied in more detail.

math-ph↗

arXiv2001

A conformally invariant differential operator on Weyl tensor densities

We derive a tensorial formula for a fourth-order conformally invariant differential operator on conformal 4-manifolds. This operator is applied to algebraic Weyl tensor densities of a certain conformal weight, and takes its values in algebraic Weyl tensor densities of another weight. For oriented manifolds, this operator reverses duality: For example in the Riemannian case, it takes self-dual to anti-self-dual tensors and vice versa. We also examine the place that this operator occupies in known results on the classification of conformally invariant operators, and we examine some related operators.

hep-th↗

arXiv2001

A discrete leading symbol and spectral asymptotics for natural differential operators

We initiate a systematic study of natural differential operators in Riemannian geometry whose leading symbols are not of Laplace type. In particular, we define a discrete leading symbol for such operators which may be computed pointwise, or from spectral asymptotics. We indicate how this can be applied to the computation of another kind of spectral asymptotics, namely asymptotic expansions of fundamental solutions, and to the computation of conformally covariant operators.

hep-th↗

arXiv2001

Curvature actions on Spin(n) bundles

We compute the number of linearly independent ways in which a tensor of Weyl type may act upon a given irreducible tensor-spinor bundle V over a Riemannian manifold. Together with the analogous but easier problem involving actions of tensors of Einstein type, this enumerates the possible curvature actions on V.

hep-th↗

arXiv1997

Yang-Mills, Gravity, and String Symmetries

In this work we use constructs from the dual space of the semi-direct product of the Virasoro algebra and the affine Lie algebra of a circle to write a theory of gravitation which is a natural analogue of Yang-Mills theory. The theory provides a relation between quadratic differentials in 1+1 dimensions and rank two symmetric tensors in higher dimensions as well as a covariant local Lagrangian for two dimensional gravity. The isotropy equations of coadjoint orbits are interpreted as Gauss law constraints for a field theory in two dimensions, which enables us to extend to higher dimensions. The theory has a Newtonian limit in any space-time dimension. Our approach introduces a novel relationship between string theories and 2D field theories that might be useful in defining dual theories. We briefly discuss how this gravitational field couples to fermions.

hep-th↗