Green's function for the Hodge Laplacian on some classes of Riemannian and Lorentzian symmetric spaces (Q1048051)

The main goal of the paper under review is to compute the Green function for the Hodge Laplacian of the products that are of the form \(M \times \Sigma\), where M is a simply connected \(n\)-dimensional Riemannian or Lorentzian manifold of constant curvature and \(\Sigma\) is a simply connected Riemannian surface of constant curvature. This class of spaces contains the Robinson-Bertotti solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations and the de Sitter and anti-de Sitter spaces. The authors' approach is based on a generalization to the case of differential forms of the method of spherical means [\textit{P. Günther}, Huygens' Principle and Hyperbolic Equations. Perspectives in Mathematics, 5. Boston, MA etc.: Academic Press (1988; Zbl 0655.35003)] and on the use of Riesz distributions on manifolds. Note that the method of spherical means is applied to the computation of the Green function for the scalar wave equation in symmetric spaces [\textit{S. Helgason}, Geometric Analysis on Symmetric Spaces. Mathematical Surveys and Monographs. 39. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (1994; Zbl 0809.53057)]. The authors obtain an expression of the Green function for the Hodge Laplacian in terms of spherical means operators and the solutions of a fourth-order ordinary differential equation with four regular singular points called a ``fourth-order Heun equation'' when they deal with Riemannian products. In the case of Lorentzian products, they use Riesz distributions, to find the expression of the Green function for the Hodge Laplacian which involves a fourth-order radial equation of Heun type.