Homotopically energy-minimizing harmonic maps of tori into \(\mathbb{R} P^3\) (Q5930118)

The author determines the homotopically energy-minimizing harmonic maps of flat tori into the 3-dimensional real projective space \(\mathbb{R} P^3\). To fix notation, let us assume that the domain torus is represented by \(\mathbb{R}^2/[1,z]\), where \(1,z\) are lattice vectors such that \(\Im z>0\). Let \(\langle 1\rangle\), \(\langle z\rangle\) denote the generators of the fundamental group of the torus. Since \(\pi_1(\mathbb{R} P^3)=\mathbb{Z}_2\), there are four possible homotopy classes for maps \(\varphi:\mathbb{R}^2/[1,z]\to \mathbb{R} P^3\), parametrized by \((\varphi(\langle 1\rangle),\varphi(\langle z\rangle))\in\mathbb{Z}_2^2\). Let \(SL(2,\mathbb{Z})\) be the modular group acting on the upper half plane \(H\) and \(\Gamma'\) be the subgroup of matrices \(l k\choose m n\) with \(l\) odd and \(n\) even (so \(m\) is odd). Furthermore, we write \(\Upsilon:=\{z\in H:|z-{1\over 2}|={1\over 2}\}\). Then the energy-minimizing harmonic maps are classified as follows: For \((\varphi(\langle 1\rangle),\varphi(\langle z\rangle))=(0,0)\), the constant maps are the unique minimizers. For \((\varphi(\langle 1\rangle),\varphi(\langle z\rangle))=(0,1)\) and \(z\in H \setminus\Gamma'\Upsilon\), the energy minimizer is unique up to isometries of \(\mathbb{R} P^3\), and the image is a geodesic. For \((\varphi(\langle 1\rangle),\varphi(\langle z\rangle))=(0,1)\) and \(z\in \Gamma'\Upsilon\), there is a one parameter family of minimizers with all Clifford tori in \(\mathbb{R} P^3\) as images, as well as two limit minimizers with geodesics as image. Every energy minimizing map in this class is one of the above, up to isometries of \(\mathbb{R} P^3\). The minimal energy in this class is \(E(z)=\pi^2/(2 \Im z)\) if \(z\in\{z\in H: |z-{1\over 2}|\geq{1\over 2},0\leq\Re z\leq 1\}\). \(E(z)\) is invariant by \(\Gamma'\) and not smooth on \(\Gamma'\Upsilon\). The cases \((\varphi(\langle 1\rangle),\varphi(\langle z\rangle))=(1,0)\) and \((\varphi(\langle 1\rangle),\varphi(\langle z\rangle))=(1,1)\) can be reduced to the previous one by conformal transformations.