Harmonic maps of bounded symmetric domains (Q1907200)

The author studies, among others, image shrinking property and Liouville-type theorems for harmonic maps from bounded symmetric domains. Using a generalized maximum principle (cf. Theorem 3.1) he proves the following theorem: Theorem 3.2. Let \(M\) be a complete Riemannian manifold with \(\text{Ric} \geq -c(1 + r^2(\log (r + 2))^2)\), where \(r\) is the distance function from a fixed point \(x_0 \in M\) and \(c\) is a positive constant. Let \(H^k\) \((k = 0,\dots, n - 1)\) be a \(k\)-dimensional totally geodesic submanifold of the hyperbolic space \(H^n\). Let \(B_R(H^k) \subset H^n\) be a tubular neighborhood of radius \(R\) around \(H^k\). Suppose \(f : M \to B_R(H^k)\) is a harmonic map with the energy density \(e(f)\). Then either \(\text{inf }e(f) = 0\) or \(f(M) \subset H^k\). In section 4 the author studies complete spacelike surfaces \(M\) in \(R^4_2\) with nonzero parallel mean curvature and restricted Gauss map. Let \(\gamma = (\gamma_1,\gamma_2) : M \to H^2 \times H^2\) be the Gauss map of \(M\). He proves that neither of the images of \(\gamma_1\) and \(\gamma_2\) can lie in a bounded range in \(H^2\). Furthermore, if the image of \(\gamma_1\) (or \(\gamma_2\)) lies in a tubular neighborhood of \(H^1\) in \(H^2\), then \(M\) is a hyperbolic cylinder \(H^1(c) \times\mathbb{R}\) in some \(R^3_1 \subset R^4_2\), or a product of two hyperbolic lines \(H^1 \times H^1\). In section 5 the author uses a generalized Laplacian comparison theorem (cf. Theorem 5.1) to show the following Liouville-type theorem: Theorem 5.2. Let \(M\) be an \(m\)-dimensional Cartan-Hadamard manifold with sectional curvature \(K\) satisfying \(-a^2 \leq K \leq 0\) and Ricci curvature bounded from above by \(-b^2\). Let \(f\) be a harmonic map from \(M\) into any Riemannian manifold with moderate divergent energy. If \(b \geq 2a\), then \(f\) is constant. This theorem can be applied to the cases of symmetric domains (cf. Theorem 5.3).