Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups

In this paper we find a criterion for the Gauss map of an immersed smooth submanifold in some Lie group with left invariant metric to be harmonic. Using the obtained expression we prove some necessary and sufficient conditions for the harmonicity of this map in the case of totally geodesic submanifo...

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Published in:Журнал математической физики, анализа, геометрии
Date:2008
Main Author: Petrov, Ye.V.
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Language:English
Published: Фізико-технічний інститут низьких температур ім. Б.І. Вєркіна НАН України 2008
Online Access:https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/106507
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Cite this:Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups / Ye.V. Petrov // Журнал математической физики, анализа, геометрии. — 2008. — Т. 4, № 2. — С. 278-293. — Бібліогр.: 10 назв. — англ.

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author Petrov, Ye.V.
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citation_txt Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups / Ye.V. Petrov // Журнал математической физики, анализа, геометрии. — 2008. — Т. 4, № 2. — С. 278-293. — Бібліогр.: 10 назв. — англ.
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container_title Журнал математической физики, анализа, геометрии
description In this paper we find a criterion for the Gauss map of an immersed smooth submanifold in some Lie group with left invariant metric to be harmonic. Using the obtained expression we prove some necessary and sufficient conditions for the harmonicity of this map in the case of totally geodesic submanifolds in Lie groups admitting biinvariant metrics. We show that, depending on the structure of the tangent space of a submanifold, the Gauss map can be harmonic in all biinvariant metrics or nonharmonic in some metric. For 2-step nilpotent groups we prove that the Gauss map of a geodesic is harmonic if and only if it is constant.
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fulltext Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry 2008, vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 278�293 Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups Ye.V. Petrov Department of Mechanics and Mathematics, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University 4 Svobody Sq., Kharkiv, 61077, Ukraine E-mail:petrov@univer.kharkov.ua Received March 7, 2007 In this paper we �nd a criterion for the Gauss map of an immersed smooth submanifold in some Lie group with left invariant metric to be harmonic. Using the obtained expression we prove some necessary and su�cient condi- tions for the harmonicity of this map in the case of totally geodesic submani- folds in Lie groups admitting biinvariant metrics. We show that, depending on the structure of the tangent space of a submanifold, the Gauss map can be harmonic in all biinvariant metrics or nonharmonic in some metric. For 2-step nilpotent groups we prove that the Gauss map of a geodesic is harmonic if and only if it is constant. Key words: left invariant metric, biinvariant metric, Gauss map, har- monic map, 2-step nilpotent group, totally geodesic submanifold. Mathematics Subject Classi�cation 2000: 53C42 (primary); 53C43, 22E25, 22E46 (secondary). 1. Introduction It is proved in [9] that the Gauss map of a submanifold in the Euclidean space is harmonic if and only if the mean curvature �eld of this submanifold is parallel. There is a natural generalization of the Gauss map to the submanifolds in Lie groups: for each point of a submanifold the tangent space at this point is translated to the identity element of the group (for the precise statement see Sect. 2). Let the Lie group be endowed with some left invariant metric. As it is proved in [4], when this metric is biinvariant and the submanifold is hypersurface, the Gauss map is harmonic if and only if the mean curvature is constant. Our aim is to consider more general case of a submanifold in some Lie group with arbitrary codimension. The author was partially supported by N.I. Akhiezer Foundation and the Foundation of Fun- damental Research of Ukraine (Project No. GP/F13/0019 for young scientists). c Ye.V. Petrov, 2008 Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups The paper is organized as follows. In Section 2 we obtain the harmonicity criterion for the Gauss map of a submanifold in some Lie group with a left invari- ant metric. This criterion is given in the terms of the second fundamental form of the immersion and the left invariant Riemannian connection on the Lie group (Th. 1). In Section 3 we consider submanifolds in Lie groups with biinvariant metric. Let us introduce some notation. Let N be a Lie group with biinvariant metric, N be the Lie algebra of N ,M be a smooth immersed totally geodesic submanifold in N . Taking if necessary the left translation ofM assume that e 2M (see Sect. 3 for details). The tangent space TeM is a Lie triple system in N . Denote by N the Lie subalgebra TeM + [TeM;TeM ] of N . By W denote the orthogonal projection of TeM to the semisimple Lie subalgebra N 0 = [N ;N ]. The subspace W = W \ [W;W] is an ideal (here and further by ideals we mean the ideals in N ). Denote by V the orthogonal complement in N 0 to W. Let V = L 16l6m Sl be some direct orthogonal decomposition of V into simple ideals. Using Theorem 1 we prove Theorem 3. Let M be a smooth immersed totally geodesic submanifold in a Lie group N with biinvariant metric. Then: (i) if the restriction of the metric to V is a negative multiple of the Killing form (in particular, if V is simple), then the Gauss map of M in this metric is harmonic; (ii) if W \ V = L 16l6m Wl, where Wl � Sl is a proper Lie triple system in Sl, i.e., Wl 6= 0 and Wl 6= Sl for each 1 6 l 6 m (in particular, if V = 0), then the Gauss map of M is harmonic in any biinvariant metric on N ; (iii) if the condition of (ii) is not satis�ed, then there is a biinvariant metric on N such that the Gauss map of M is not harmonic. In the paper [8] we considered hypersurfaces in 2-step nilpotent Lie groups and found conditions for the Gauss maps of these hypersurfaces to be harmonic. In particular, we showed that, unlike in the case of groups with biinvariant met- ric, this harmonicity is not equivalent to the constancy of the mean curvature. As it was shown in [2], totally geodesic submanifolds in such groups either have the Gauss map of maximal rank or they are open subsets of subgroups (and consequently have the constant Gauss map). In the latter case the structure of subalgebras corresponding to such subgroups can be explicitly described (this de- scription implies, in particular, that there are not totally geodesic hypersurfaces in 2-step nilpotent Lie groups, see [2]). Using our criterion, in Section 4 we prove Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 279 Ye.V. Petrov that the Gauss map of a geodesic in a 2-step nilpotent Lie group is harmonic if and only if it is constant (Prop. 4). The author would thank Prof. A.A. Borisenko and prof. L.A. Masal'tsev for their attention paid to this work. Also, the author is grateful to the reviewer for the essential improvement of the results and presentation of the paper. 2. The Harmonicity Criterion Suppose M is a smooth manifold, dimM = n, M ! N is an immersion of M in some Lie group N with a left invariant metric, dimN = n + q. For some point p of M let Y1; : : : ; Yn and Yn+1; : : : ; Yn+q be orthonormal frames of tangent space TpM � TpN and of normal space NpM � TpN , respectively. Also by Ya, 1 6 a 6 n+ q, denote the corresponding left invariant �elds on N . Denote the left invariant metric on N (and also the corresponding inner pro- duct on its Lie algebra) by h�; �i, the Riemannian connection of this metric by r, its curvature tensor by R(�; �)�, and the normal connection of the immersion M ! N by r?. Let E1; : : : ; En+q be the vector �elds de�ned on some neighborhood U of p such that Ei(p) = Yi, E1; : : : ; En and En+1; : : : ; En+q are orthonormal frames of the tangent and the normal bundles of M on U , respectively, and (rEi Ej) T (p) = 0, for all 1 6 i; j 6 n. Then the mean curvature �eld H of the immersion is de�ned on U by H = 1 n P 16i6n (rEi Ei) ? : (1) Here (�)T and (�)? are the projections to the tangent bundle TM and the normal bundle NM , respectively. For 1 6 i; j 6 n, n+1 6 � 6 n+q by b� ij = hrEi Ej; E�i denote the coe�cients of the second fundamental form of the immersion on U with respect to the frame E1; : : : ; En+q. Suppose that on U for 1 6 a 6 n+ q Ea = P 16b6n+q Ab aYb: (2) Here fAb ag16a;b6n+q are functions on U . Obviously, Ab a(p) = Æab, where Æab is the Kronecker symbol. Let � be the Laplacian �M of the induced metric onM . The de�nition of the Laplacian and the conditions (rEi Ej) T (p) = 0 imply that for functions f and g de�ned on U �f(p) = P 16i6n EiEi(f); (3) �(fg)(p) = g(p)�f(p) + 2 P 16i6n Ei(f)Ei(g) + f(p)�g(p): (4) 280 Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups Let � be the Gauss map of M : �: M ! G(n; q); �(p) = dLp�1(TpM): (5) Here G(n; q) is the Grassmannian of n-dimensional subspaces in the n+ q-dimen- sional vector space, a point p is identi�ed with its image under the immersion, Lg is the left translation by g 2M , dF is the di�erential of a map F . Recall that if (M1; g1) and (M2; g2) are smooth Riemannian manifolds, then for any � 2 C1(M1;M2) the energy of � is E(�) = 1 2 R M1 P 16i6m g2(d�(Ei); d�(Ei))dVM ; where m = dimM1, E1; : : : ; Em is the orthonormal frame on M1, dVM is the volume form of g1. The critical points of the functional � 7! E(�) are called harmonic maps from M1 to M2. We say that a map is harmonic at some point if the corresponding Euler�Lagrange equations are satis�ed at this point (i.e., the so-called tension �eld vanishes, see, for example, [10]). Theorem 1. The map � is harmonic at p if and only ifP 16i6n hR(Yj ; Yi)Yi; Y�i � P 16i6n hr(rYi Yi) Yj ; Y�i+ h[nH; Yj ]; Y�i +2 P 16i;k6n b� ik hrYi Yk; Yji+ 2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q b ij hrYi Y ; Y�i � P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) T ; (rYi Y�) T i+ P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) ? ; (rYi Y�) ?i = 0 (6) for all 1 6 j 6 n, n+ 1 6 � 6 n+ q. P r o o f. The Grassmannian has the structure of the symmetric space G(n; q) = O(n + q)= (O(n)�O(q)). There is an embedding of this space in the space of symmetric matrices of order n+ q considered with the obvious Euclidean metric ([5]). This embedding is induced by the map A 7! AEAt, where A 2 O(n+ q), At is A transposed, and E = � q n+q In 0 0 n n+q Iq ! : Here In and Iq are the identity matrices of order n and q, respectively. The image of � on U corresponds to the matrix A = (Ab a )16a;b6n+q, where A b a are the func- tions from (2). The composition of � and the embedding give the map de�ned on U by0BBBB@ � q n+q In + P n+16 6n+q A j A k ! P n+16 6n+q A j A � ! P n+16 6n+q A� A k ! n n+q Iq � P 16l6n A� l A � l ! 1CCCCA ; (7) Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 281 Ye.V. Petrov where 1 6 j; k 6 n, n+ 1 6 �; � 6 n+ q. Di�erentiate Ea with respect to Ei on U for 1 6 a 6 n+ q, 1 6 i 6 n: rEi Ea = P 16b6n+q Ei(A b a )Yb + P 16b6n+q Ab a rEi Yb: (8) In particular, at p rYi Ea = P 16b6n+q Ei(A b a )Yb +rYi Ya: (9) Note that Ei(A b a ) = �Ei(A a b ) (this can be derived from (9) or simply from the fact that so(n+ q) is the algebra of skew-symmetric matrices). According to Th. (2.22) in Ch. 4 of [10], the criterion of the harmonicity of � is the set of equations ��a b � P 16i6n B(d�(Ei); d�(Ei)) ! a b = 0: (10) Here 1 6 a 6 b 6 n + q, �a b are the coordinate functions of the embed- ding, and B is the second fundamental form of the embedding�. The �elds f @ @A j � g16j6n;n+16�6n+q form the frame of TG(n; q) on the image of U (note that @ @A � j = � @ @A j � ). Denote by Ca b for 1 6 a 6 b 6 n+q the matrix with entry 1 at the intersection of the a�th row and b�th column and with other entries equal to 0. The di�erential of the embedding at p maps the �eld @ @A j � to the vector C j �. It fol- lows that we can take as a frame of the normal space of the Grassmannian at the image of this point the vectors Ci j , 1 6 i 6 j 6 n and C� � , n+1 6 � 6 � 6 n+ q. The expressions (7) imply on U for 1 6 l 6 m 6 n, n+ 1 6 6 � 6 n+ q� @ @A j � � l m = ÆljA m � + ÆmjA l �; � @ @A j � � � = Æ �A � j + Æ��A j : Di�erentiate these equations: B � @ @A j � ; @ @A k � � = P 16l6m6n @ @A k � � @ @A j � �l m C l m + P n+16 6�6n+q @ @Ak � � @ @A j � � � C � = Æ��(1 + Æjk)C j k � Æjk(1 + Æ��)C � � : for 1 6 j 6 k 6 n, n+ 1 6 � 6 � 6 n+ q. Also note that d�(Ei) = P 16j6n;n+16�6n+q Ei(A j �) @ @A j � : �Actually, the sign of B in [10] is di�erent because the Laplacian in this book is de�ned with the opposite sign. 282 Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups This implies that at p for 1 6 j 6 k 6 n the expressions in (10) take the form � � q n+q Æjk + P n+16 6n+q A j A k ! � P 16i6n B(d�(Ei); d�(Ei)) ! j k = 2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q Ei(A j )Ei(A k )� 2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q Ei(A j )Ei(A k ) = 0: Here the equation (4) was used. Similarly, for n+ 1 6 � 6 � 6 n+ q obtain � n n+q Æ�� � P 16l6n A� l A � l ! � P 16i6n B(d�(Ei); d�(Ei)) ! � � = �2 P 16i;l6n Ei(A � l )Ei(A � l ) + 2 P 16i;l6n Ei(A � l )Ei(A � l ) = 0: It follows that the conditions (10) at p become � P n+16 6n+q A j A � ! = 0 for 1 6 j 6 n; n+ 1 6 � 6 n+ q. The di�erentiation gives �A j � + 2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q Ei(A j )Ei(A � ) = 0; 1 6 j 6 n; n+ 1 6 � 6 n+ q: (11) Di�erentiate (8) with respect to Ei on U for n+ 1 6 a = � 6 n+ q: rEi rEi E� = P 16j6n EiEi(A j �)Yj + P n+16�6n+q EiEi(A � �)Y� +2 P 16j6n Ei(A j �)rEi Yj + 2 P n+16�6n+q Ei(A � �)rEi Y� + P 16j6n A j �rEi rEi Yj + P n+16�6n+q A � �rEi rEi Y�: (12) Take the inner product of (12) with Yj at p: EiEi(A j �) = hrEi rEi E�; Yji � 2 P 16k6n Ei(A k � )hrEi Yk; Yji �2 P n+16 6n+q Ei(A �)hrEi Y ; Yji � hrEi rEi Y�; Yji: Therefore (11) takes the formP 16i6n hrEi rEi E�; Yji � 2 P 16i;k6n Ei(A k � )hrEi Yk; Yji �2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q Ei(A �)hrEi Y ; Yji � P 16i6n hrEi rEi Y�; Yji +2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q Ei(A j )Ei(A � ) = 0: (13) Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 283 Ye.V. Petrov Here (3) was used. The de�nition (1) of the mean curvature �eld implies for 1 6 j 6 n, n+ 1 6 � 6 n+ q at p hrYj (nH); Y�i = P 16i6n hrEj � (rEi Ei) ? � ; E�i = P 16i6n hrEj rEi Ei; E�i � P 16i6n hrEj � (rEi Ei) T � ; E�i = P 16i6n hR(Ej ; Ei)Ei +rEi rEj Ei +r[Ej;Ei]Ei; E�i � P 16i6n Ejh(rEi Ei) T ; E�i+ P 16i6n h(rEi Ei) T ;rEj E�i = P 16i6n hR(Yj ; Yi)Yi; Y�i+ P 16i6n hrEi rEj Ei; E�i = P 16i6n hR(Yj ; Yi)Yi; Y�i + P 16i6n hrEi [Ej ; Ei]; E�i+ P 16i6n hrEi rEi Ej; E�i = P 16i6n hR(Yj ; Yi)Yi; Y�i + P 16i6n Eih[Ej ; Ei]; E�i � P 16i6n h[Ej ; Ei];rEi E�i+ P 16i6n hrEi rEi Ej; E�i = P 16i6n hR(Yj ; Yi)Yi; Y�i+ P 16i6n hrEi rEi Ej ; E�i: In the third equality the de�nition of the curvature tensor was used. The fourth equality follows from the Frobenius theorem, the condition (rEi Ej) T (p) = 0, and its consequence [Ek; Ei](p) = ([Ek; Ei]) T (p) = (rEk Ei �rEi Ek) T (p) = 0: Di�erentiate two times the expression hEj ; E�i = 0 with respect to Ei: hrEi rEi Ej ; E�i+ 2hrEi Ej ;rEi E�i+ hEj ;rEi rEi E�i = 0: This equation and (9) imply hrYj (nH); Y�i = P 16i6n hR(Yj ; Yi)Yi; Y�i � 2 P 16i6n hrEi Ej;rEi E�i � P 16i6n hEj ;rEi rEi E�i = P 16i6n hR(Yj; Yi)Yi; Y�i �2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q b ij (Ei(A �) + hrYi Y�; Y i)� P 16i6n hEj ;rEi rEi E�i: From (9) and the condition (rEi Ej) T (p) = 0 obtain b ij = Ei(A j ) + hrYi Yj; Y i; (14) 0 = Ei(A k j ) + hrYi Yj ; Yki: (15) Hence at p hrYj (nH); Y�i = P 16i6n hR(Yj; Yi)Yi; Y�i +2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q b ij hrYi Y ; Y�i �2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q hrYi Yj; Y iEi(A �) � P 16i6n hEj ;rEi rEi E�i � 2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q Ei(A j )Ei(A �): (16) 284 Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups The equation (14) impliesP 16i;k6n Ei(A k � )hrEi Yk; Yji = � P 16i;k6n Ei(A � k )hrEi Yk; Yji = � P 16i;k6n b� ik hrYi Yk; Yji+ P 16i;k6n hrYi Yk; Y�ihrYi Yk; Yji: Note that for each pair of left invariant �elds X and Y the product hX;Y i is constant, hence, hrZX;Y i = Z (hX;Y i)� hX;rZY i = �hX;rZY i (17) for every vector Z. This and the fact that the frame is orthonormal implyP 16i;k6n hrYi Yk; Y�ihrYi Yk; Yji = P 16i;k6n hrYi Yj; YkihrYi Y�; Yki = P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) T ; (rYi Y�) T i: Thus, P 16i;k6n Ei(A k �)hrEi Yk; Yji = � P 16i;k6n b� ik hrYi Yk; Yji + P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) T ; (rYi Y�) T i: (18) Substituting (16) in (13) and taking into account (18) derive the conditionsP 16i6n hR(Yj ; Yi)Yi; Y�i � hrYj (nH); Y�i+ 2 P 16i;k6n b� ik hrYi Yk; Yji +2 P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q b ij hrYi Y ; Y�i � P 16i6n hrEi rEi Y�; Yji �2 P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) T ; (rYi Y�) T i = 0: (19) At p for 1 6 i; j 6 n, n+ 1 6 � 6 n+ q obtain hrEi rEi Y�; Yji = hrEi P 16a6n+q Aa i rYaY� ! ; Yji = P 16k6n Ei(A k i )hrYk Y�; Yji + P n+16 6n+q Ei(A i )hrY Y�; Yji+ hrYi rYi Y�; Yji: Substitute into this (14) and (15) and use the de�nition of the mean curvature hnH;E i = P 16i6n b ii . Then use (17): P 16i6n hrEi rEi Y�; Yji = � P 16i6n;16a6n+q hrYi Yi; YaihrYaY�; Yji + P n+16 6n+q hnH; Y ihrY Y�; Yji+ P 16i6n hrYi rYi Y�; Yji = P 16i6n;16a6n+q hrYi Yi; YaihrYaYj ; Y�i � P n+16 6n+q hnH; Y ihrY Yj; Y�i � P 16i6n hrYi Yj;rYi Y�i: Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 285 Ye.V. Petrov The frame is orthonormal, henceP 16i6n hrEi rEi Y�; Yji = P 16i6n hr(rYi Yi) Yj ; Y�i �hr(nH)Yj; Y�i � P 16i6n hrYi Yj;rYi Y�i: (20) Substitute (20) in (19) and obtain (6). Note that the Gauss map of a Lie subgroup is constant, therefore harmonic. If N is the Euclidean space En+q, then the curvature tensor vanishes. For any vector �eld X and for the left invariant (i.e., constant) Y the derivatives rXY also vanish. This yields that the conditions (6) take the form hrYj (nH); Y�i = 0 for 1 6 j 6 n, n+1 6 � 6 n+ q, i.e., r?H = 0, and we obtain the above-mentioned classical result of [9]. The de�nition of the second fundamental form and the fact that the frame is orthonormal allow us to rewrite (6) in the formP 16i6n hR(Yj ; Yi)Yi; Y�i � P 16i6n hr(rYi Yi) Yj ; Y�i+ h[nH; Yj ]; Y�i �2 P 16i6n hr (rYi Yj) TEi; Y �i � 2 P 16i6n; h(rYi Ej) ? ; (rYi Y�) ?i � P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) T ; (rYi Y�) T i+ P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) ? ; (rYi Y�) ?i = 0: (21) Note that these expressions do not depend on the particular choice of E1; : : : ; En. The summands in (6) that do not include the coe�cients of the second fun- damental form and the mean curvature �eld can be rewritten:P 16i6n hR(Yj ; Yi)Yi; Y�i � P 16i6n hr(rYi Yi) Yj ; Y�i � P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) T ; (rYi Y�) T i+ P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) ? ; (rYi Y�) ?i = P 16i6n hrYj rYi Yi �r(rYi Yi) Yj �rYi rYj Yi �r[Yj;Yi]Yi +rYi � rYj Yi + [Yi; Yj] � T �rYi � rYj Yi + [Yi; Yj ] �? ; Y�i = P 16i6n h[Yj ;rYi Yi]�rYi rYj Yi �r[Yj ;Yi]Yi +rYi [Yj ; Yi] +rYi � rYj Yi + 2[Yi; Yj ] �T �rYi � rYj Yi �? ; Y�i = P 16i6n h[Yj;rYi Yi] + [Yi; [Yj; Yi]] + 2rYi � ([Yi; Yj ]) T � � rYj Yi �?� ; Y�i: In particular, a totally geodesic submanifold M has the harmonic Gauss map at p if and only ifP 16i6n � [Yj;rYi Yi] + [Yi; [Yj ; Yi]] + 2rYi � ([Yi; Yj ]) T � � rYj Yi �?��? = 0 (22) for all 1 6 j 6 n. 286 Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups 3. Lie Groups with Biinvariant Metric In this section we consider a Lie group N with some biinvariant metric. The conditions from Th. 1 in this particular case are relatively simple: Proposition 2. The Gauss map of a smooth submanifold M in the Lie group N with biinvariant metric h�; �i is harmonic at a point p 2M if and only if in the above notation h[nH; Yj ]; Y�i+ P 16i6n;n+16 6n+q b ij h[Yi; Y ]; Y�i +1 2 P 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]?; [Yi; Y�]?i = 0 (23) for 1 6 j 6 n, n+ 1 6 � 6 n+ q. P r o o f. Recall that the left invariant metric h�; �i is biinvariant if and only if h[X;Y ]; Zi = hX; [Y;Z]i for all left invariant X, Y , and Z. Also, rXY = 1 2 [X;Y ]. In particular, rXY = �rYX and rXX = 0. This, together with the symmetry of the second fundamental form, implies P 16i;k6n b� ik hrYi Yk; Yji = 0. The curvature tensor is de�ned by the equation R(X;Y )Z = �1 4 [[X;Y ]; Z]. Thus, � P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) T ; (rYi Y�) T i+ P 16i6n h(rYi Yj) ? ; (rYi Y�) ?i = �1 4 P 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]T ; [Yi; Y�]T i+ 1 4 P 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]?; [Yi; Y�]?i = �1 4 P 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]; [Yi; Y�]i+ 1 2 P 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]?; [Yi; Y�]?i = P 16i6n hR(Yi; Yj); Yi); Y�i+ 1 2 P 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]?; [Yi; Y�]?i: Substitute this in (6) and obtain (23). If q = 1 (i.e., M is a hypersurface), then h[Yi; Yn+1]; Yn+1i = hYi; [Yn+1; Yn+1]i vanishes for all 1 6 i 6 n, i.e., [Yi; Yn+1] ? = 0. It follows that (23) gives the conditions Yj(nH) = 0, where H is the mean curvature function. This implies the result from [4] cited in the introduction. Denote by N the Lie algebra of N . It is well known (see, for example, [7, Lem. 7.5]), that N is compact, i.e., N = Z � N 0, where the direct sum is or- thogonal, Z is abelian, and N 0 = [N ;N ] is semisimple with the negative de�nite Killing form. Let M be totally geodesic submanifold of N , : M ! N the corresponding immersion, and p an arbitrary point ofM . Consider the immersion 0 = L (p)�1 Æ : M ! N . The image 0(p) coincides with the identity element e of the group. Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 287 Ye.V. Petrov The Gauss map of this immersion maps each point r 2M to the subspace �0(r) = dL 0(p)�1 Æ d 0(TrM) = dL (p)�1 Æ d (TrM) = �(r), i.e., the Gauss maps of two immersions are the same. Left translations are isometries of N , hence 0 is also totally geodesic. Thus we can assume without loss of generality that (p) = e. Then the tangent space TeM is a Lie triple system in N (see, for example, [6, Th. 4.3 of Ch. XI]). The subspace N = TeM + [TeM;TeM ] is a compact Lie subalgebra, therefore it has an orthogonal direct decomposition N = Z�N 0 with abelian Z and semisimple N 0 = [N ;N ]. Take the decomposition Ya = Xa + Za for 1 6 a 6 n + q, where Xa 2 N 0 , Za 2 Z. Then for 1 6 a; b 6 n + q the Lie bracket [Ya; Yb] = [Xa;Xb]. Denote by W the subspace spanned by X1; : : : ;Xn (i.e., the orthogonal projection of TeM to N 0 ). It is a Lie triple system in N 0 , and N 0 =W + [W;W]. The intersection W =W \ [W;W] is an ideal (from here by ideals we mean the ideals in N ). The Lie algebra N 0 is semisimple, consequently the orthogonal complement V toW is an ideal and it equals the orthogonal direct sum L 16l6m Sl of simple ideals Sl. Theorem 3. Let M be a smooth immersed totally geodesic submanifold in a Lie group N with biinvariant metric. Then: (i) if the restriction of the metric to V is a negative multiple of the Killing form (in particular, if V is simple), then the Gauss map of M in this metric is harmonic; (ii) if W \ V = L 16l6m Wl, where Wl � Sl is a proper Lie triple system in Sl, i.e., Wl 6= 0 and Wl 6= Sl for each 1 6 l 6 m (in particular, if V = 0), then the Gauss map of M is harmonic in any biinvariant metric on N ; (iii) if the condition of (ii) is not satis�ed, then there is a biinvariant metric on N such that the Gauss map of M is not harmonic. P r o o f. The conditions (23) for 1 6 j 6 n, n+1 6 � 6 n+ q take the formP 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]?; [Yi; Y�]?i = 0: (24) Also note that P 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]T ; [Yi; Y�]T i+ P 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]?; [Yi; Y�]?i = P 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]; [Yi; Y�]i = P 16i6n h[[Yi; Yj]; Yi]; Y�i = 0 since the tangent space TeM is a Lie triple system. Hence the conditions (24) are equivalent to P 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]T ; [Yi; Y�]T i = 0: (25) 288 Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups Note that (24) and (25) can also be obtained directly from (22) using the fact that TeM is a Lie triple system and the expression for the invariant Riemannian connection. The ideal W is semisimple, hence W = [W ;W] and W = [W;W ] = [W ; [W ;W ]] � [W; [W;W]] = [TeM; [TeM;TeM ]] � TeM: This implies that we can choose a frame of TeM such that Yi = Xi 2 W for 1 6 i 6 n1, where 0 6 n1 6 n, and Yi = Xi + Zi with Xi 2 fW = W \ V and Z 2 Z for n1 + 1 6 i 6 n. For 1 6 j 6 n1 the equations in (24) becomeP 16i6n h[Yi; Yj ]?; [Yi; Y�]?i = P 16i6n1 h[Yi; Yj]?; [Yi; Y�]?i = 0 because [Yi; Yj ] 2 TeM for 1 6 i 6 n1. This yields that for to show a harmonicity or non-harmonicity of the Gauss map at the point it su�ces to check (24) or (25) for n1 + 1 6 j 6 n. The subspace fW is a Lie triple system in a semisimple Lie algebra V, and V = fW+[fW;fW ]. Moreover, fW\ [fW;fW ] = 0 because V is a direct complement to W\ [W;W]. For each 1 6 l 6 m the restriction of the inner product to Sl is equal to the Killing form multiplied by a negative constant: hX;Y i = �l Tr(adX Æad Y ) for X;Y 2 Sl, �l < 0 (See [7, Lem. 7.6]). Here by adX we mean the restriction of the adjoint representation operator to the corresponding simple ideal. Denote by Pl the orthogonal projection to Sl, then hX;Y i = P 16l6m �l Tr(adPl(X)Æad Pl(Y )) for X;Y 2 V. For each 1 6 l 6 m the operator Pl is a Lie algebra homomorphism, therefore Pl([fW ;fW ]) = [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] and Sl = Pl(V) = Pl(fW + [fW ;fW]) = Pl(fW) + [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)]: The intersection Pl(fW) \ [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] is an ideal in simple Sl. Hence either Pl(fW)\[Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] = 0 or Sl = Pl(fW) = [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)]. In the �rst case the operators adX for X 2 Pl(fW) map Pl(fW) to [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] and [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] to Pl(fW). The operators ad Y for Y 2 [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] map the subspaces Pl(fW) and [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] to themselves. It follows that hPl(fW); [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)]i = 0. If the restriction of the metric to V is a negative multiple of the Killing form (the case of (i)), then the same argument shows that hfW ; [fW;fW ]i = 0. Consider the case Pl(fW) \ [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] = 0 for all 1 6 l 6 m. We proved that hPl(fW); [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)]i = 0 for all l, thus hfW ; [fW ;fW ]i = 0. For each 1 6 l 6 m denote Pl(fW) by Wl. Then hWl; [fW ;fW ]i = hWl; [Wl;Wl]i = 0, hence Wl is contained in the orthogonal complement of [fW;fW ], i.e., in fW; and Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 289 Ye.V. Petrov fW = L 16l6m Wl. Subspaces Wl are Lie triple systems, Wl 6= 0 because in the opposite case [Wl;Wl] = 0 and Sl = 0. It contradicts the fact that Sl is simple. If Wl = Sl, then Wl = [Wl;Wl] because Sl is simple, that is a contradiction. It follows that Wl 6= Sl. This is the case of (ii). It is easy to see also that the condition in (ii) implies Pl(fW) \ [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] = 0 for all 1 6 l 6 m. In fact, if fW = L 16l6m Wl with Wl � Sl, then Pl(fW) = Wl, [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] = [Wl;Wl], therefore the case Sl = Pl(fW) = [Pl(fW); Pl(fW)] is excluded by the condition Wl 6= Sl. Assume that hfW ; [fW ;fW]i = 0. Take any n1 + 1 6 j 6 n. For 1 6 i 6 n1 [Yi; Yj] = 0 and for n1 + 1 6 i 6 n [Yi; Yj ] T = P 16k6n h[Yi; Yj ]; YkiYk = P n1+16k6n h[Xi;Xj ];XkiYk = 0 because Xi 2 fW for n1 + 1 6 i 6 n. This yields that (25) is satis�ed. We proved (i) and (ii). Finally, in the case (iii) there is 1 6 l0 6 m such that Sl0 = Pl0( fW) = [Pl0( fW); Pl0( fW)]. Consider the new metric h�; �i0 such that it is equal to h�; �i on the orthogonal complement to V and hX;Y i0 = P 16l6m (�Tr(adPl(X) Æ adPl(Y )))� �2 Tr(adPl0(X) Æ adPl0(Y )) for X;Y 2 V, where � 6= 0. It is a biinvariant metric. Denote �Tr(adPl0(X) Æ adPl0(Y )) by hX;Y i 00. The ideal Sl0 is not contained in fW because in the opposite case it is contained also in fW\ [fW ;fW] = 0, that is a contradiction. It follows that there is a vector Y orthogonal to fW such that Pl0(Y ) 6= 0. Then Sl0 = Pl0( fW) implies that there is a vector X 2 fW such that Pl0(X) = Pl0(Y ). Note that Y is orthogonal to TeM . We can consider that the norm of Y equals 1. Choose the orthonormal frames of TeM and NeM such that Yj0 = X + Zj0 for some n1 + 1 6 j0 6 n and Y�0 = Y for some n + 1 6 �0 6 n + q. Then the discussion above implies that for any n1 + 1 6 i 6 n in the new metric [Yi; Yj0 ] T = X 16k6n h[Yi; Yj0 ]; Yki 0Yk = X n1+16k6n h[Xi;X];Xki 0Yk = �2 X n1+16k6n h[Pl0(Xi); Pl0(X)]; Pl0 (Xk)i 00Yk = ��2 X n1+16k6n h[Pl0(Xi); Pl0(Xk)]; Pl0(X)i00Yk: 290 Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups There is some n1 + 1 6 i 6 n such that this expression does not vanish because Sl0 = [Pl0( fW); Pl0( fW)]. Similarly, [Yi; Y�0 ] T = ��2 P n1+16k6n h[Pl0(Xi); Pl0(Xk)]; Pl0(Y )i00Yk: The expression in (25) for j = j0 and � = �0 thus becomes �4 P n1+16i;k6n (h[Pl0(Xi); Pl0(Xk)]; Pl0(X)i00)2 6= 0: Therefore the Gauss map is not harmonic. A Lie triple system U is reducible if U = U1�U2, where U1 and U2 are nonzero Lie triple systems such that [U1;U2] = 0, and is irreducible otherwise (see, for example, App. 1 of [3]). Theorem 3 then implies that if fW is irreducible and V is not simple, then there is a biinvariant metric on N such that the Gauss map of M is not harmonic. Consider an example. Let N be so(3)� so(3) with the orthogonal basis con- sisting of the vectors e1; e2; e3; f1; f2; f3 with the nonzero brackets [e1; e2] = �[e2; e1] = e3; [e2; e3] = �[e3; e2] = e1; [e3; e1] = �[e1; e3] = e2; [f1; f2] = �[f2; f1] = f3; [f2; f3] = �[f3; f2] = f1; [f3; f1] = �[f1; f3] = f2: Let W be the subspace spanned by e1 + f1, e2 � f2, and e3 + f3. Let M be exp(W), hence TeM = W. The bracket [W;W] is spanned by e1 � f1, e2 + f2, and e3 � f3. It is easy to see that W is a Lie triple system. In our notation, N = N = N 0 = V = W + [W;W]. The intersection W = W \ [W;W] vanishes, therefore fW = W. Choose a metric such that hei; eji = Æij and hfi; fji = Æija 2, where 0 < a 6= 1, then W and [W;W] are not orthogonal. The orthonormal frames of the tangent and the normal spaces of M can be chosen in the following way: Y1 = 1p 1+a2 (e1 + f1); Y2 = 1p 1+a2 (e2 � f2); Y3 = 1p 1+a2 (e3 + f3); Y4 = p 1+a2 a � e1 � 1 a2 f1 � ; Y5 = p 1+a2 a � e2 + 1 a2 f2 � ; Y6 = p 1+a2 a � e3 � 1 a2 f3 � : Compute (25), e.g., for j = 1 and � = 4:P 16i63 h[Yi; Y1]T ; [Yi; Y4]T i = 1 a(1+a2) h(�e3 + f3) T ; � �e3 � 1 a2 f3 �T i+ 1 a(1+a2) h(e2 + f2) T ; � e2 � 1 a2 f2 �T i = �2(�1+a2) a(1+a2)2 + 2(1�a2) a(1+a2)2 6= 0: It follows that the Gauss map is not harmonic. Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 291 Ye.V. Petrov 4. 2-Step Nilpotent Groups and Geodesics Recall that a Lie group N is 2-step nilpotent if and only if its Lie algebra N is 2-step nilpotent, i.e., [N ;N ] 6= 0, [[N ;N ];N ] = 0. In other words, 0 6= [N ;N ] � Z, where Z is the center of N . Consider a 2-step nilpotent Lie group N with left invariant metric induced by an inner product h�; �i on N as above. Denote by V the orthogonal complement to Z in N . For each Z 2 Z de�ne a linear operator J(Z) : V ! V by hJ(Z)X;Y i = h[X;Y ]; Zi for all X, Y from V. All J(Z) are skew-symmetric. The group N and the Lie algebra N are called nonsingular if for each Z 6= 0 the operator J(Z) is nondegenerate. The left invariant Riemannian connection is de�ned by (see [1]) rXY = 1 2 [X;Y ]; X; Y 2 V; rXZ = rZX = �1 2 J(Z)X; X 2 V; Z 2 Z; rZZ � = 0; Z; Z� 2 Z: (26) Let us study whether the Gauss map of a totally geodesic submanifold M in N is harmonic. It was proved in [2, Th. (4.2)] that if N is simply connected and nonsingular, then a totally geodesic submanifold either have the Gauss map of maximal rank at any point or it is a left translation of some open subset in a totally geodesic subgroup. The latter case takes place for many classes of submanifolds, for example, for all totally geodesic M such that dimM > dimZ in 2-step nilpotent groups N with dimN > 3 (see [2, Cor. (5.6)]). The structure of the corresponding subgroups (or their Lie algebras) is also described in [2] (and allows to prove, for example, that there are no totally geodesic hypersurfaces in nonsingular 2-step nilpotent Lie groups, see [2, Cor. (5.8)]). Anyway, in this case the Gauss map is constant, thus harmonic. Therefore it su�ces to consider the case of the Gauss map with maximal rank. For n = dimM = 1, i.e., for geodesics, the answer can be found in the next statement: Proposition 4. A smooth geodesic in a 2-step nilpotent group has the har- monic Gauss map if and only if it is a left translation of some one-parameter subgroup. P r o o f. The "if" part is clear, let us prove the "only if" one. Taking if necessary a left translation we can think that our geodesic contains the identity e of N (similarly to the discussion in the previous section). Decompose its tangent vector at e as X + Z, where X 2 V and Z 2 Z. The condition (22) with n = 1, j = 1, and Y1 = X + Z becomes 0 = � [X + Z;�J(Z)X] + 2rX+Z (J(Z)X) ? �? = � [J(Z)X;X] + [X;J(Z)X] � J(Z)2X �? = � � J(Z)2X �? : 292 Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups Here we used the de�nition of the 2-step nilpotent Lie algebra, the equations (26), and the fact that hJ(Z)X;X + Zi = hJ(Z)X;Xi = 0 because J(Z) is skew-symmetric, therefore (J(Z)X) ? = J(Z)X. The conditions mean J(Z)2X = �(X + Z), where � 2 R. Thus �Z = 0, hence Z = 0 or � = 0, in any case J(Z)2X = 0. This yields 0 = hJ(Z)2X;Xi = �jJ(Z)Xj2, therefore J(Z)X vanishes. Then Proposition (3.5) of [1] implies that the geodesic is de�ned by the formula exp(t(X + Z)). This gives us the desired result. Actually, the proof implies that the geodesic is a left translation of one- parameter subgroup if the Gauss map is harmonic only at some point. Anyway, it follows that for n = 1 the Gauss maps of maximal rank are not harmonic. It is interesting to check whether the similar statement is true for other values of n. References [1] P.B. Eberlein, Geometry of 2-Step Nilpotent Groups with a Left Invariant Metric. � Ann. Sci. �Ecole Norm. Sup. 27 (1994), 611�660. [2] P.B. Eberlein, Geometry of 2-Step Nilpotent Groups with a Left Invariant Metric. II. � Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 343 (1994), 805�828. [3] P.B. Eberlein, Riemannian Submersions and Lattices in 2-Step Nilpotent Lie Groups. � Comm. Analysis and Geom. 11 (2003), 441�488. [4] N. do Espirito-Santo, S. Fornari, K. Frensel, and J. Ripoll, Constant Mean Cur- vature Hypersurfaces in a Lie Groups with a Biinvariant Metric. � Manuscripta Math. 111 (2003), 459�470. [5] S. Kobayashi, Isometric Imbeddings of Compact Symmetric Spaces. � Tohoku Math. J. 20 (1968), 21�25. [6] S. Kobayashi and K. Nomizu, Foundations of Di�erential Geometry. Vol. II. Inter- science Publishers John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1969. xv+470 p. [7] J. Milnor, Curvatures of Left Invariant Metrics on Lie Groups. � Adv. Math. 21 (1976), 293�329. [8] Ye.V. Petrov, The Gauss Map of Hypersurfaces in 2-Step Nilpotent Lie Groups. � J. Math. Phys., Anal., Geom. 2 (2006), 186�206. [9] E.A. Ruh and J. Vilms, The Tension Field of the Gauss Map. � Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 149 (1970), 569�573. [10] H. Urakawa, Calculus of Variations and Harmonic Maps. Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 1993. xiv+251 p. Journal of Mathematical Physics, Analysis, Geometry, 2008, vol. 4, No. 2 293
id nasplib_isofts_kiev_ua-123456789-106507
institution Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
issn 1812-9471
language English
last_indexed 2025-12-07T18:54:42Z
publishDate 2008
publisher Фізико-технічний інститут низьких температур ім. Б.І. Вєркіна НАН України
record_format dspace
spelling Petrov, Ye.V.
2016-09-29T18:09:48Z
2016-09-29T18:09:48Z
2008
Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups / Ye.V. Petrov // Журнал математической физики, анализа, геометрии. — 2008. — Т. 4, № 2. — С. 278-293. — Бібліогр.: 10 назв. — англ.
1812-9471
https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/106507
In this paper we find a criterion for the Gauss map of an immersed smooth submanifold in some Lie group with left invariant metric to be harmonic. Using the obtained expression we prove some necessary and sufficient conditions for the harmonicity of this map in the case of totally geodesic submanifolds in Lie groups admitting biinvariant metrics. We show that, depending on the structure of the tangent space of a submanifold, the Gauss map can be harmonic in all biinvariant metrics or nonharmonic in some metric. For 2-step nilpotent groups we prove that the Gauss map of a geodesic is harmonic if and only if it is constant.
en
Фізико-технічний інститут низьких температур ім. Б.І. Вєркіна НАН України
Журнал математической физики, анализа, геометрии
Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups
Article
published earlier
spellingShingle Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups
Petrov, Ye.V.
title Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups
title_full Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups
title_fullStr Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups
title_full_unstemmed Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups
title_short Submanifolds with the Harmonic Gauss Map in Lie Groups
title_sort submanifolds with the harmonic gauss map in lie groups
url https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/106507
work_keys_str_mv AT petrovyev submanifoldswiththeharmonicgaussmapinliegroups