Exponentially harmonic maps between surfaces (Q2284984)

An exponentially harmonic map is a map \(\phi\) between Riemannian manifolds that is a critical point of the exponential energy \(\int_M e^{\frac{1}{2}|d\phi|^2} dv_g\). The Euler-Lagrange equation of this energy functional gives the equation of an exponentially harmonic map as \(\tau(\phi)+\frac{1}{2}d\phi(\nabla |d\phi|^2)=0,\) where \(\tau(\phi)\) is the tension field of the map \(\phi\) vanishing of which means the map is a harmonic map. Note [\textit{Y.-L. Ou} and \textit{B.-Y. Chen}, Biharmonic submanifolds and biharmonic maps in Riemannian geometry. Hackensack, NJ: World Scientific (2020; Zbl 1455.53002)] that the exponentially harmonic map equation can be put in the form \(\tau(\phi)+\tau_{\infty}(\phi)=0\), which gives an interesting link among harmonic, exponentially harmonic, and \(\infty\)-harmonic maps. It is well known that an exponentially harmonic map \(\phi: (M^m,g)\to (N^n,h)\) is a special case of an \(f\)-harmonic map, which, when \(m\ne 2\), is a harmonic map after a conformal change of the domain metric. In this sense, more interesting case to study exponentially harmonic maps is when the domain is a \(2\)-dimensional manifold. The paper under review studies exponentially harmonic maps between two surfaces. The main results of the paper include the existence of exponentially harmonic maps with given boundary values and minimizing the exponential energy with respect to the given boundary values, and the existence of exponentially harmonic map in certain homotopy class of maps between surfaces.