Conformally Invariant Variational Problems. - SAM
Conformally Invariant Variational Problems. - SAM
Conformally Invariant Variational Problems. - SAM
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A straightforwardbut importantconsequence of theoremX.7<br />
is the following conservative form of Willmore surfaces equations.<br />
Corollary X.3. An immersion Φ ⃗ of a 2-dimensional manifold<br />
Σ 2 is Willmore if and only if the 1-form given by<br />
∗ g<br />
[dH ⃗ −3π ⃗n (dH)+⋆(∗ ⃗ g d⃗n∧ H) ⃗ ]<br />
is closed.<br />
✷<br />
The analysis questions for Willmore immersions we raised in<br />
the previous subsection can be studied basically from two point<br />
of views<br />
i) By working with the maps ⃗ Φ themseves.<br />
ii) By workingwiththe immersedsurface: theimage ⃗ Φ(Σ 2 ) ⊂<br />
R m .<br />
The drawback of the first approach is the huge invariance group<br />
of the problem containing the positive diffeomorphism group of<br />
Σ 2 . The drawback of the second approach comes from the fact<br />
that the Euler Lagrange equation is defined on an unknown object<br />
⃗ Φ(Σ 2 ). In thiscourse we shalltake the first approachbut by<br />
trying to ”break” as much as we can the symmetry invariance<br />
given by the action of positive diffeomorphisms of Σ 2 . From<br />
Gauge theory and in particular from Yang-Mills theory a natural<br />
way to ”break” a symmetry group is to look for Coulomb<br />
gauges. As we will explain the concept of Coulomb gauge transposed<br />
to the present setting of immersions of 2-dimensional<br />
manifolds is given by the Isothermal coordinates (or conformal<br />
parametrization). We shall make an intensive use of these conformal<br />
parametrization and therefore we shall make an intensive<br />
use of the conservative form of Willmore surfaces equation<br />
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