On the homotopy class of maps with finite \(p\)-energy into non-positively curved manifolds (Q845789)

The authors prove a homotopic vanishing theorem for smooth maps with finite \(p\)-energy, \(p >2\), between Riemannian manifolds with some curvature conditions involving the spectrum of a Schrödinger operator. More precisely, let \(f : M \to N\) be a smooth map from a complete Riemannian manifold \((M, g)\) with Ricci curvature, \({\text{Ric}} \geq - k(x),k(x) \geq 0\), into a compact manifold of non-positive sectional curvature. Assume that \(f\) has finite \(p\)-energy \(|df|^p \in L^1(M)\) with \(p>2\) and the Schrödinger operator \(L = -\Delta - H k(x)\) satisfies \(\lambda_1(L) \geq 0\) for some \(H \geq p^2/4(p-1)\). Then \(f\) is homotopic to a constant. The proof follows from two facts. One is an existence result for a smooth harmonic map with finite energy in the homotopy class. The other is a Liouville type theorem for finite \(p\)-energy \(p\)-harmonic maps with \(p>2\). In fact the authors prove a little more general result, a Liouville type theorem. If \(u\) is a \(C^1\) \(p\)-harmonic map between Riemannian manifolds satisfying the conditions mentioned above such that \(\int_{B(R)} |du|^q = {\text o}(R)\) as \(R \to \infty\) for some \(q \geq p >2\), then \(u\) must be a constant.