Curvatures of Sobolev metrics on diffeomorphism groups (Q2637469)

Let \((M,g)\) be a smooth closed orientable Riemannian manifold of dimension \(n\) and \(\mathrm{Diff}(M)\) be the group of all smooth diffeomorphisms of \(M\). The Lie algebra of the group \(\mathrm{Diff}(M)\) consists of vector fields \(u\) on \(M\). The Riemannian metric \(g\) on \(M\) defines a natural right-invariant weak Riemannian structure on the group \(\mathrm{Diff}(M)\): if \(u,v \in T_{e}\mathrm{Diff}(M)\), then \((u,v)_e =\int_M g(u,v)d\mu(g)\). In this paper, right-invariant \(H^1\)-Sobolev metrics on the group \(\mathrm{Diff}(M)\) are considered also: \[ \langle u, v\rangle_{e} = \int_M \Big( a g(u, v) + bg(\delta u^{\flat}, \delta u^{\flat}) + cg(du^{\flat}, du^{\flat})\Big) \, d\mu(g), \] for any vector fields \(u, v\) on \(M\). Here \(d\) is the exterior derivative, \(\delta = \pm {*} d*\) is its (formal) adjoint, \(a,b,c\) are non-negative constants and \(\flat\) and \(\sharp\) denote the standard ``musical isomorphisms'' of the metric corresponding to lowering and raising of indices. It is well-known that many conservative partial differential equations correspond to geodesic equations on groups of diffeomorphisms. Stability of their solutions can be studied by examining sectional curvature of these groups: negative curvature in all sections implies exponential growth of perturbations and hence suggests instability, while positive curvature suggests stability. In the first part of the paper, the authors consider that is currently known about the curvature-stability relation in this context and provide detailed calculations for several equations of continuum mechanics associated to Sobolev \(H^0\) and \(H^1\) energies. In the second part, the authors prove that in most cases (with some notable exceptions) the sectional curvature assumes both signs. Contents of this paper: Introduction; Preliminaries: metrics and geodesic equations; The Euler-Arnold equations on Lie groups: examples; Further examples of infinite-dimensional geodesic equations; Global aspects of infinite-dimensional Riemannian geometry; Degenerate distance functions; Completeness and minimizing geodesics; Exponential map and extendability of geodesics; Jacobi fields, curvature, and stability; The sign of the curvature: previous results; The sign of the curvature: the one dimensional case; The sign of the curvature: higher dimensions; The \(H^1\)-metric on \(\mathrm{Diff}(T^n)\): the EPDiff equation; The \(L^2\)-metric on \(\mathrm{Diff}(T^n)\): the Burgers equation; The homogeneous \(\dot{H}^1\)-metric on \(\mathrm{Diff}_{\mu,ex}(T^2)\); Appendix. Semi-direct products and curvature formulas.