Harmonic maps from a 2-torus to the 3-sphere (Q2276818)

The author studies the problem of constructing harmonic maps from a 2- torus to the 3-sphere \(S^ 3\cong SU(2)\). First, a gauge-theory formalism of the equations for a harmonic map of a Riemann surface to a compact Lie group is presented. Then the author shows that the equations reduce to algebraic geometry, in fact the geometry of a hyperelliptic curve with constraints. These constraints are difficult to handle in general, but the author successfully provides new examples of harmonic maps by finding suitable curves. It is shown that harmonic maps to \(S^ 3\) are by no means rigid in general. They admit deformations which are parametrized by a real torus whose dimension is the genus of the hyperelliptic curve.