Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Uwe Semmelmann

Publications and source records attributed to Uwe Semmelmann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

The index of cubic focal manifolds

We calculate the index and nullity of the three orientable focal manifolds of isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres with three distinct principal curvatures. It turns out that the index is equal to the dimension of the ambient Euclidean space and the nullity is completely determined by the normal part of Killing vector fields of the ambient sphere. In that sense, the Veronese embeddings of the projective planes are as stable as possible for non totally geodesic submanifolds of the sphere.

math.DG↗
arXiv2026

Eigenvalue value estimates and stability of positive quaternion-K\"ahler manifolds

In this article we study the stability problem for positive quaternion-K\"ahler manifolds. We give a description of infinitesimal Einstein deformations and destabilising directions in terms of Laplace eigenfunctions and a special class of symmetric 2-tensors. We also give improved eigenvalue estimates for the Hodge-Laplacian on 2-forms. On the parallel subbundle Sym^2 E of the 2-form bundle we prove a sharp lower bound for the first non-zero eigenvalue.

math.DG↗
arXiv2025

${\mathrm G}_2$-structures with parallel skew-symmetric torsion

We classify $7$-dimensional Riemannian manifolds carrying a metric connection with parallel skew-symmetric torsion whose holonomy is contained in $\mathrm{G}_2$, up to naturally reductive homogeneous spaces and nearly parallel $\mathrm{G}_2$-structures. This extends and completes the classification initiated by Th. Friedrich in the cocalibrated case. Incidentally, we also obtain the list of $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ geometries with parallel skew-symmetric torsion, up to naturally reductive homogeneous spaces and nearly K\"ahler manifolds.

math.DG↗
arXiv2025

Einstein metrics, their moduli spaces and stability

This survey deals with two closely connected topics: first, the stability of Einstein metrics under the Einstein-Hilbert functional, and second, their deformation theory and the study of the moduli space of Einstein metrics on a compact manifold. To first order, both problems reduce to studying the spectrum and eigentensors of the Lichnerowicz Laplacian. We give an introduction to the classical theory and survey recent results and advances.

math.DG↗
arXiv2024

On stability and scalar curvature rigidity of quaternion-K\"ahler manifolds

We show that every quaternion-K\"ahler manifold of negative scalar curvature is stable as an Einstein manifold and therefore scalar curvature rigid. In particular, this implies that every irreducible nonpositive Einstein manifold of special holonomy is stable. In contrast, we demonstrate that there exist quaternion-K\"ahler manifolds of positive scalar curvature which are not scalar curvature rigid even though they are semi-stable.

math.DG↗
arXiv2024

Sandwich operators and Einstein deformations of compact symmetric spaces related to Jordan algebras

We study the deformability of the symmetric Einstein metrics on the spaces $\mathrm{SU}(n)/\mathrm{SO}(n)$ and $\mathrm{SU}(2n)/\mathrm{Sp}(n)$, thereby concluding the problem to second order for all irreducible symmetric spaces. The obstruction integrals are calculated from invariant polynomials on certain Lie algebra representations. To aid the computation, we develop so-called sandwich operators for compact Lie algebras and relate them to quadratic Casimir operators. We also explain the source of the infinitesimal Einstein deformations on irreducible symmetric spaces, except for the complex Grassmannians, by exploring their relation to simple Jordan algebras. As an application we prove the nonlinear instability of most of the infinitesimally deformable irreducible compact symmetric spaces.

math.DG↗
arXiv2024

Quaternion-K\"ahler manifolds with non-negative quaternionic sectional curvature

Compact Hermitian symmetric spaces are K\"ahler manifolds with constant scalar curvature and non-negative sectional curvature. A famous result by A. Gray states that, conversely, a compact simply connected K\"ahler manifold with constant scalar curvature and non-negative sectional curvature is a Hermitian symmetric space. The aim of the present article is to transpose Gray's result to the quaternion-K\"ahler setting. In order to achieve this, we introduce the quaternionic sectional curvature of quaternion-K\"ahler manifolds, we show that every Wolf space has non-negative quaternionic sectional curvature, and we prove that, conversely, every quaternion-K\"ahler manifold with non-negative quaternionic sectional curvature is a Wolf space. The proof makes crucial use of the nearly K\"ahler twistor spaces of positive quaternion-K\"ahler manifolds.

math.DG↗
arXiv2024

Invariant Spinors on Flag Manifolds

In this note, we characterise the existence of non-trivial invariant spinors on maximal flag manifolds associated to complex simple Lie algebras. This characterisation is based on the combinatorial properties of their set of positive roots. We also give some bounds for the dimension of the space of invariant spinors in each case.

math.DG↗
arXiv2024

On the rigidity of the complex Grassmannians

We study the integrability to second order of the infinitesimal Einstein deformations of the symmetric metric $g$ on the complex Grassmannian of $k$-planes inside $\mathbb{C}^n$. By showing the nonvanishing of Koiso's obstruction polynomial, we characterize the infinitesimal deformations that are integrable to second order as an explicit variety inside $\mathfrak{su}(n)$. In particular we show that $g$ is isolated in the moduli space of Einstein metrics if $n$ is odd.

math.DG↗
arXiv2023

The Morse index of quartic minimal hypersurfaces

The homogeneous minimal hypersurfaces in $S^n$ have $g = 1,2,3,4$, or $6$ distinct (constant) principal curvatures. While the Morse index and nullity have been calculated for all such hypersurfaces having $g = 1,2,3$, it has remained an open problem to compute these quantities for any of those with $g = 4$ or $6$. In this paper, we calculate the Morse index and nullity of two homogeneous minimal hypersurfaces in $S^n$ with $g = 4$. Moreover, we observe that their Laplace spectra contain irrational eigenvalues that are not expressible in radicals.

math.DG↗
arXiv2023

On quaternionic bisectional curvature

In this article we study the concept of quaternionic bisectional curvature introduced by B. Chow and D. Yang for quaternion-K\"ahler manifolds. We show that non-negative quaternionic bisectional curvature is only realized for the quaternionic projective space. We also show that all symmetric quaternion-K\"ahler manifolds different from the quaternionic projective space admit quaternionic lines of negative quaternionic bisectional curvature. In particular this implies that non-negative sectional curvature does not imply non-negative quaternionic bisectional curvature. Moreover we give a new and rather short proof of a classification result by A. Gray on compact K\"ahler manifolds of non-negative sectional curvature.

math.DG↗
arXiv2023

Second order Einstein deformations

We study the integrability to second order of infinitesimal Einstein deformations on compact Riemannian and in particular on K\"ahler manifolds. We find a new way of expressing the necessary and sufficient condition for integrability to second order, which also gives a very clear and compact way of writing the Koiso obstruction. As an application we consider the K\"ahler case, where the condition can be further simplified and in complex dimension $3$ turns out to be purely algebraic. One of our main results is the complete and explicit description of infinitesimal Einstein deformation integrable to second order on the complex $2$-plane Grassmannian, which also has a quaternion K\"ahler structure. As a striking consequence we find that the symmetric Einstein metric on the Grassmannian $ \mathrm{Gr}_2(\bbC^{n+2})$ for $n$ odd is rigid.

math.DG↗
arXiv2023

Correspondence between Pestov and Weitzenb\"ock identities

The aim of this note is to establish the correspondence between the twisted localized Pestov identity on the unit tangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold and the Weitzenb\"ock identity for twisted symmetric tensors on the manifold.

math.DG↗
arXiv2023

On the ergodicity of unitary frame flows on K\"ahler manifolds

Let $(M,g,J)$ be a closed K\"ahler manifold with negative sectional curvature and complex dimension $m := \dim_{\mathbb{C}} M \geq 2$. In this article, we study the unitary frame flow, that is, the restriction of the frame flow to the principal $\mathrm{U}(m)$-bundle $F_{\mathbb{C}}M$ of unitary frames. We show that if $m \geq 6$ is even, and $m \neq 28$, there exists $\lambda(m) \in (0, 1)$ such that if $(M, g, J)$ has negative $\lambda(m)$-pinched holomorphic sectional curvature, then the unitary frame flow is ergodic and mixing. The constants $\lambda(m)$ satisfy $\lambda(6) = 0.9330...$, $\lim_{m \to +\infty} \lambda(m) = \tfrac{11}{12} = 0.9166...$, and $m \mapsto \lambda(m)$ is decreasing. This extends to the even-dimensional case the results of Brin-Gromov who proved ergodicity of the unitary frame flow on negatively-curved compact K\"ahler manifolds of odd complex dimension.

math.DS↗
arXiv2022

Stability of the Non-Symmetric Space $E_7/\mathrm{PSO}(8)$

We prove that the normal metric on the homogeneous space $E_7/\mathrm{PSO}(8)$ is stable with respect to the Einstein-Hilbert action, thereby exhibiting the first known example of a non-symmetric metric of positive scalar curvature with this property.

math.DG↗
arXiv2021

On the ergodicity of the frame flow on even-dimensional manifolds

It is known that the frame flow on a closed $n$-dimensional Riemannian manifold with negative sectional curvature is ergodic if $n$ is odd and $n \neq 7$. In this paper we study its ergodicity in the remaining cases. For $n$ even and $n \neq 8, 134$, we show that: if $n \equiv 2$ mod $4$ or $n=4$, the frame flow is ergodic if the manifold is $\sim 0.3$-pinched, if $n \equiv 0$ mod $4$, it is ergodic if the manifold is $\sim 0.6$-pinched. In the three dimensions $n=7,8,134$, the respective pinching bounds that we need in order to prove ergodicity are $0.4962...$, $0.6212...$, and $0.5788...$. This is a significant improvement over the previously known results and a step forward towards solving a long-standing conjecture of Brin asserting that $0.25$-pinched even-dimensional manifolds have an ergodic frame flow.

math.DS↗