On the L^2-cohomology of negatively curved manifolds

DOI10.1215/S0012-7094-04-12215-8MaRDI QIDQ707486zbMATH OpenFDO

Publication date 9 February 2005

Published in Duke Mathematical Journal (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1215/S0012-7094-04-12215-8

\(L^2\)-harmonic form pinched negative curvature weighted \(L^2\)-cohomology

Methods of global Riemannian geometry, including PDE methods; curvature restrictions (53C21) Hodge theory in global analysis (58A14) Differential complexes (58J10)

Review text

Let \(M\) be an \(n\)-dimensional complete Riemannian manifold of finite volume. If the sectional curvature \(K\) of \(M\) is negatively pinched and \(-b^2\leq K\leq -a^2< 0\), \(na-(n- 2)b> 0\). Then the space of \(L^2\)-harmonic \(k\)-forms \({\mathcal H}^k(M)\) is shown to satisfy \[ {\mathcal H}^k(M)\cong\begin{cases} h^k(M)\quad &\text{if }k= (n-1)/2,\\ \text{Im}(H^{n/2}_c(M)\to H^{n/2}(M))\quad &\text{if }k= n/2,\\ H^k_c(M)\quad &\text{if }k> (n+1)/2.\end{cases} \] Moreover, if \(K\) is a constant and \(n\) is odd, then \[ {\mathcal H}^{(n\pm 1)/2}(M)\cong \text{Im} (H^{(n\pm 1)/2}_c(M)\to H^{(n\pm 1)/2}(M)), \] (theorem 0.1). Validity of these isomorphisms were asked by \textit{J. Lott} for arbitrary complete Riemannian manifolds of finite volumes whose sectional curvatures are negative and pinched [Am. J. Math. 123, No. 2, 185--205 (2001; Zbl 0980.58021)]. In this paper, counterexamples of Lott's questions are also given. To prove theorem 0.1, the exactness of the sequence \[ \begin{matrix} H^{k-1}_c(D) &@>e>> H^{k-1}_c(M) &@>r>> H^{k-1}_c(M\setminus D) &@>b>> H^k_2(M,\partial D)\\ &@>e>> H^k_2(M) &@>r>> H^k_2(M\setminus D) &@>b>> H^{k+1}_c(D)\\ &@>e>> H^{k+1}_c(M) &@>r>> H^{k+1}_2(M\setminus D) &@>b>> H^{k+2}_2(D)\end{matrix} \] is shown. Here \(D\) is a bounded open subset of \(M\) with smooth boundary, \(0\) is not in the essential spectre of \(\Delta_k\) and \(H^k_2(M)\) is the reduced \(k\)th \(L^2\)-cohomology \[ \{\alpha\in L^2(\Lambda^k T^* M)| d\alpha= 0\}/\overline{dC^\infty_0(\Lambda^{k-1} T^* M)}^{L^2} \] of \(M\) (theorem 0.2. proven in \S1). \(L^k_2(M)\) is isomorphic to \({\mathcal H}^k(M)\). Taking the quotient of \(L^2\)-closed forms by \(\{\alpha\in L^29\Lambda^{k-1} T^* M| d\alpha\in L^2\}\), the absolute \(L^2\)-cohomology is defined. It is isomorphic to \[ {\mathcal H}^k_A(M)= \{\alpha\in L^2(\Lambda^k T^* M)| d\alpha= \delta a= 0,\,i_\nu\alpha= 0\}. \] Here \(i_\nu\alpha\) is the interior product of \(\alpha\) and the normal vector \(\nu\) of \(\partial M\). Modifying the measure on \(M\) by multiplying \(e^U\), \(\delta\) is changed to \(\delta_U=e^{-U}\delta e^U\), with \(U: M\to\mathbb{R}\) is a smooth function. The weighted \(L^2\)-cohomology \(H^k_{2,U}(M)\) is defined by this modified measure, and we have \[ H^k_{2,U}(M)\cong{\mathcal H}^k_U(M)= \{\alpha\in L^2_U(\Lambda^k T^* M)| d\alpha= \delta_U\alpha= 0\}. \] \textit{T. Ohsawa} showed under suitable conditions on the series \(U_p: M\to\mathbb{R}\); \(U_p| L= U| L\), \(p> p_0\), for any compact set of \(M\), the existence of a \(q\) such that the natural map \(H^k_{2,U_p}(M)\to H^k_{2,U}(M)\) is an isomorphism if \(p\geq q\) [Publ. Res. Inst. Math. Sci. 18, 191--232 (1982; Zbl 0526.32016), definition 4.1 and theorem 4.2 in \S4]. By this fact, under the assumptions of theorem 0.1, \(H^{n-k}_2(M)\cong H^{n-k}_c(M)\) is derived (proposition 5.1). Theorem 0.1 follows from theorem 0.2 and proposition 5.1. In \S6, the last section, the case \(M= D\cup_i B_i\), \(D\) is a compact manifold with boundary, \(B_i= ]0,\infty[\times K_i\) with the metric \(dr^2+ F^2_i(r) d\theta^2_i\), is treated and it is shown if \(F_i'/F_i< C< 0\) for all \(i\), then theorem 0.1 holds, but if \(F_i//F_i> C> 0\) for all \(i\), then \[ H^k_2(M)\cong \begin{cases} H^k_c(M)\quad &\text{if }k\leq (n-1)/2,\\ H^k(M)\quad &\text{if }k\geq (n+1)/2,\end{cases} \] (theorem 6.1). \textit{R. Masseo} showed if \(M\) is conformally compact, then \[ H^k_2(M)\cong \begin{cases} H^k_c(M)\quad &\text{if }k\leq (n-1)/2,\\ H^k(M)\quad &\text{if }k\geq (n+1)/2,\end{cases} \] [J. Differ. Geom. 28, No. 2, 309--339 (1988; Zbl 0656.53042)]. This paper is concluded with a simple proof of this theorem as an application of theorem 6.1 (theorem 6.2).

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