Stability and singularities of harmonic maps into 3-spheres (Q1406786)

In order to understand the possible singularities of minimizing (or, more generally, stable stationary) harmonic maps \(M^m\to N^n\), one has to understand the corresponding tangent maps. Tangent maps are smooth stable harmonic maps \(B^k\setminus\{0\}\to N\) (\(3\leq k\leq m\)) which are homogeneous of degree \(0\). They appear as blowup limit of minimizing (or stable stationary) harmonic maps around a singularity. For minimizing harmonic maps \(B^3\to S^2\), Brezis, Coron and Lieb have classified the possible tangent maps, finding that they are \(x\mapsto x/|x|\) up to a rotation [\textit{H. Brezis, J.-M. Coron}, and \textit{E. H. Lieb}, Commun. Math. Phys. 107, 649-705 (1986; Zbl 0608.58016)]. Here, the same question is answered for stable stationary harmonic maps, in particular for miniming ones, \(B^4\to S^3\). It is proved that every tangent map \(B^4\setminus\{0\}\to S^3\) is of topological degree \(0\) or \(\pm 1\). Furthermore, if it is of degree \(\pm 1\), then it is \(x\mapsto x/|x|\) up to an orthogonal transformation, and hence it is not strictly stable. For point singularities of weakly stable stationary harmonic maps, this means that the degree of the singularity is \(0\) or \(\pm 1\) and cannot be \(\pm 1\) if the map is locally strictly stable there. The proof uses the stability inequality for stable harmonic maps to spheres. This implies an upper bound on the energy of tangent maps. On the other hand, a lower bound is derived from an energy identity from [\textit{J. Ramanathan}, Rocky Mt. J. Math. 16, 783-790 (1986; Zbl 0611.58022)].