A structure theorem for polyharmonic maps between Riemannian manifolds (Q2217297)

In this paper, the author considers harmonicity of polyharmonic maps between Riemannian manifolds. For a map \(\phi : M \to N\) between Riemannian manifolds \((M, g)\) and \((N, h)\), the high energy for \(\phi\) is defined as \[ E_{2s}(\phi) = \int_M |\bar\Delta^{s-1}\tau(\phi)|^2 dv_g\quad \mbox{and} \quad E_{2s+1}(\phi) = \int_M |\bar \nabla\bar\Delta^{s-1}\tau(\phi)|^2 dv_g \] for even and odd cases, respectively. Here \(\tau(\phi)\) is the tension field of \(\phi\), and \(\bar\nabla\) and \(\bar\Delta\) denote the connection and the connection Laplacian on the pull-back bundle \(\phi^*N\), respectively. The critical points of high energy functional \(E_{2s}\) or \(E_{2s+1}\) are called \textit{polyharmonic maps of order \(k\)} or just \textit{\(k\)-harmonic maps}. The critical point of \(E_2\) is called a biharmonic map. Now let \((M, g)\) be a complete noncompact Riemannian manifold admitting a Euclidean type Sobolev inequality and let \(\phi : M \to N\) be a polyharmonic map of order \(k\). The author proves the following: (i) For \(k \ge 2\) being even and \(n > 2k-2\), if for some \(\epsilon >0\) small enough, \(\int_M |\bar \nabla^q d\phi|^{\frac{n}{q+1}}\, dv_g < \epsilon\) for all \(0 \le q \le k-2\), and \(\sum_{q=0}^{k-2} \int_M |\bar \nabla^q \bar \Delta^{\frac{k}{2}-1} \tau(\phi)|^2\, dv_g < \infty\), then \(\phi\) is harmonic; (ii) For \(k \ge 3\) being odd and \(n > 2k\), if for some \(\epsilon >0\) small enough, \(\int_M |\bar \nabla^q d\phi|^{\frac{n}{q+1}}\, dv_g < \epsilon\) for all \(0 \le q \le k-1\), and \(\sum_{q=0}^{k-1} \int_M |\bar \nabla^q \bar \Delta^{\frac{k-3}{2}} \tau(\phi)|^2\, dv_g < \infty\), then \(\phi\) is harmonic. As a corollary, the author shows a Liouville type theorem for polyharmonic maps of order \(k\). Namely, if \(\phi : M\to N\) is a polyharmonic map of order \(k\) satisfying the conditions mentioned above, and if \(M\) has positive Ricci curvature, then \(\phi\) must be constant.