Minimal and harmonic unit vector fields in \(G_2(\mathbb{C}^{m+2})\) and its dual space (Q1573760)

A unit vector field on a Riemannian manifold \((M,g)\) can be considered as a mapping of \(M\) into its unit tangent sphere bundle \(T_1M\) which we equip with the Sasaki metric~\(g_S\). In analogy with the notions of harmonic maps and minimal immersions, one can then define harmonic and minimal unit vector fields as those that satisfy the critical point conditions for the energy functional or the volume functional on the set of all unit vector fields. In recent research, whole families of harmonic and minimal unit vector fields have been constructed by various authors. In this article, the authors work on the complex two-plane Grassmannian \(G_2({\mathbb C}^{m+2})\), \(m\geq 3\). This space carries both a Kähler structure~\(J\) and a quaternionic structure~\(\mathcal J\). Now consider those connected real hypersurfaces \((M,g)\) for which both \(J(M^\perp)\) and \({\mathcal J}(M^\perp)\) are invariant for the shape operator of \(M\). These are tubes about special totally geodesic submanifolds. It is proved that the Hopf vector fields on these hypersurfaces define minimal immersions of \((M,g)\) into \((T_1M,g_S)\) and harmonic maps between these spaces. It is further shown that the radial unit vector fields about the special totally geodesic submanifolds are minimal and harmonic as well. Similar results hold true for the dual space \(G_2({\mathbb C}^{m+2})^*\).