On the heat flow for harmonic maps with potential (Q1840703)

Let \(M\) and \(N\) be connected Riemannian manifolds with boundary, \(M\) compact, \(N\) complete. For any smooth function \(G\) on \(N\), the functional \(E_G\) is defined for suitable mappings \(u:M\to N\) by \(E_G(u)=(1/2)\int_M[|du|^2-2G(u)]\). If \(G\equiv 0\), this is the usual energy, with harmonic maps as critical points. Critical points of \(E_G\) are called harmonic maps with potential. The corresponding heat flow equation is \(u_t=\tau(u)+\nabla G(u)\), where \(\tau(u)\) is the tension field. In the current paper, several theorems about the harmonic map heat flow are generalized to the heat flow of harmonic maps with potential. First of all, for smooth initial values, smooth solutions exist uniquely for some positive time. If \(N\) is compact and the sectional curvatures of \(N\) are nonpositive, the solution exist for all times and sub-converges to a harmonic map with potential \(G\). Hence every continuous map is homotopic to a harmonic map with potential \(G\) in this case. All those results generalize the well-known theorems of \textit{J. Eells jun.} and \textit{J. H. Sampson} [Am. J. Math. 86, 109-160 (1964; Zbl 0122.40102)]. The last two theorems remain valid if \(N\) is merely complete and the Hessian of \(G\) has suitable upper bounds. Finally, examples are given in which blow up of solutions really occurs in finite time.