A general comparison theorem for \(p\)-harmonic maps in homotopy class (Q412433)

We recall that a \(C^1\)-map \(u\) between Riemannian manifolds \(M\) and \(N\) is called \(p\)-harmonic, \(p>1\), if its \(p\)-tension field defined as \(\mathrm{div}(|du|^{p-2}du)\) vanishes everywhere in the weak sense. By taking into account the existence result for \(p\)-harmonic maps in a homotopy class of \textit{S. W. Wei} [in: Elliptic and parabolic methods in geometry. Proceedings of a workshop, Minneapolis, MN, 1994. Wellesley, MA: A K Peters. 171--203 (1996; Zbl 0871.58030)], a generalization of a result in [\textit{R. Schoen} and \textit{S.-T. Yau}, Lectures on harmonic maps. Cambridge, MA: International Press (1997; Zbl 0886.53004)] is given here when \(M\) is \(p\)-parabolic, \(p\geq 2\) and \(N\) is complete: (1) There is no other \(p\)-harmonic map of finite \(p\)-energy homotopic to a given \(p\)-harmonic map of finite \(p\)-energy from \(M\) to \(N\) (with \(\mathrm{Sect}^N < 0\)), unless \(u(M)\) is contained in a geodesic of \(N\). (2) If \(\mathrm{Sect}^N \leq 0\) and \(u\) and \(v\) are \(p\)-harmonic maps from \(M\) to \(N\) of finite \(p\)-energy, then there is a continuous one-parameter family of maps \(u_t\) from \(M\) to \(N\) with \(u_0 = u\) and \(u_1 = v\) such that the \(p\)-energy of \(u_t\) is independent of \(t \in [0,1]\). Moreover, if \(N\) is compact, then \(u_t\) is a \(p\)-harmonic map for each \(t \in [0,1]\).