Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Simanca, Santiago R.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.17441
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866908500470267904
author Simanca, Santiago R.
author_facet Simanca, Santiago R.
contents Given a closed Riemannian manifold $(M^m,g)$ and a vector field $v$ on $M$, we form the Sasaki metric $g_S$ on $TM$, and restrict it to the image of the cross section map of $M$ into $TM$ defined by $v$, whose pull back to $M$ defines a new metric $g(v)$ on $M$. We then view the cross section as an isometric embedding $f_{g(v)}: (M,g(v))\rightarrow (TM,g_S)$, which when $\| v\|_g=1$, ranges into the unit sphere bundle $(S^1(TM),g_S)$. $v$ is minimal or minimal unit if these embeddings have null mean curvature vectors, conditions that occur if, $v$ is in the kernel or is an eigenvector, respectively, of a first order perturbation of a weighted rough Laplacian, the weights and perturbation determined by the covariant derivatives $\nabla^g_{e}v$ along unit directions $e$ in suitable normal frames that include $v$ when $\| v\|_g=1$, and curvature tensor of $g$. A minimal unit field must be Killing, and other than parallel fields, $v=0$ is the only minimal one. We characterize the minimal unit vector fields on the standard sphere $(\mb{S}^{2n+1},g) \hookrightarrow (\mb{R}^{2n+2},\| \, \|^2)$ as those defining contact strictly pseudoconvex CR structures whose Levi form and sign are determined by $g$ and the orientation. If $Θ_{f_{g(v)}}(M)$ and $Φ_{f_{g(v)}}(M)$ are the total exterior scalar curvature and squared $L^2$ norm of the mean curvature vector functionals, and $m>2$, a canonical cycle $f_{g(v)}(M)$ is a critical point of the functional $(m/m-1) Θ_{f_{g(v)}}(M) +Φ_{f_{g(v)}}(M)$ under conformal deformations, notion conveniently defined also when $m\leq 2$. The zero section of $TM$ is a canonical cycle if, and only if, the scalar curvature of $g$ is constant. We describe some examples of these vector fields and cycles, and analyze their deformations under dilations of the field.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_17441
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Vector field cycles in the tangent bundle
Simanca, Santiago R.
Differential Geometry
53C20
Given a closed Riemannian manifold $(M^m,g)$ and a vector field $v$ on $M$, we form the Sasaki metric $g_S$ on $TM$, and restrict it to the image of the cross section map of $M$ into $TM$ defined by $v$, whose pull back to $M$ defines a new metric $g(v)$ on $M$. We then view the cross section as an isometric embedding $f_{g(v)}: (M,g(v))\rightarrow (TM,g_S)$, which when $\| v\|_g=1$, ranges into the unit sphere bundle $(S^1(TM),g_S)$. $v$ is minimal or minimal unit if these embeddings have null mean curvature vectors, conditions that occur if, $v$ is in the kernel or is an eigenvector, respectively, of a first order perturbation of a weighted rough Laplacian, the weights and perturbation determined by the covariant derivatives $\nabla^g_{e}v$ along unit directions $e$ in suitable normal frames that include $v$ when $\| v\|_g=1$, and curvature tensor of $g$. A minimal unit field must be Killing, and other than parallel fields, $v=0$ is the only minimal one. We characterize the minimal unit vector fields on the standard sphere $(\mb{S}^{2n+1},g) \hookrightarrow (\mb{R}^{2n+2},\| \, \|^2)$ as those defining contact strictly pseudoconvex CR structures whose Levi form and sign are determined by $g$ and the orientation. If $Θ_{f_{g(v)}}(M)$ and $Φ_{f_{g(v)}}(M)$ are the total exterior scalar curvature and squared $L^2$ norm of the mean curvature vector functionals, and $m>2$, a canonical cycle $f_{g(v)}(M)$ is a critical point of the functional $(m/m-1) Θ_{f_{g(v)}}(M) +Φ_{f_{g(v)}}(M)$ under conformal deformations, notion conveniently defined also when $m\leq 2$. The zero section of $TM$ is a canonical cycle if, and only if, the scalar curvature of $g$ is constant. We describe some examples of these vector fields and cycles, and analyze their deformations under dilations of the field.
title Vector field cycles in the tangent bundle
topic Differential Geometry
53C20
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.17441