Skip to main content
Log in

Some characterizations of spheres by conformal vector fields

  • Published:
ANNALI DELL'UNIVERSITA' DI FERRARA Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, we consider conformal characterizations of standard sphere in terms of conformal vector fields on closed Riemannian manifolds. We firstly prove that each closed Riemannian manifold with Ricci curvature being non-negative in certain direction and constant scalar curvature is isometric to standard sphere if and only if it admits a non-trivial closed conformal vector field. In the case of non-constant scalar curvature, we show that each closed Riemannian manifold of dimension two with positive Gauss curvature carrying a non-trivial closed conformal vector field is conformal to a round sphere and we generalize the result to high dimensions in two directions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Yano, K.: Integral formulas in Riemannian geometry. New York (1970)

  2. Yano, K.: On harmonic and Killing vector fields. Annal. Math. 55, 38–45 (1952)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  3. Yano, K., Nagano, T.: Einstein spaces admitting a one-parameter group of conformal transformations. Annl. Math. 69, 451–461 (1959)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  4. Obata, M.: Certain conditions for a Riemannian manifold to be isometric with a sphere. J. Math. Soc. Japan 14, 333–340 (1962)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  5. Bourguignon, J.P., Ezin, J.P.: Scalar curvature functions in a conformal class of metrics and conformal transformations. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 301, 723–736 (1987)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  6. Ejiri, N.: A negative answer to a conjecture of conformal transformations of Riemannian manifolds. J. Math. Soc. Japan 33, 261–266 (1981)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  7. Bishop, R.L., Goldberg, S.I.: A characterization of the Euclidean sphere. Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 72, 122–124 (1966)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  8. Nagano, T.: The conformal transformation on a space with parallel Ricci tensor. J. Math. Soc. Japan 11, 104 (1959)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  9. Tanno, S., Weber, W.: Closed conformal vector fields. J. Diff. Geom. 3, 361–366 (1969)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  10. Xu, X.: On the existence and uniqueness of solutions of Möbius equations. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 337, 927–945 (1993)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. Yano, K.: On Riemannian manifolds with constant scalar curvature admitting a conformal transformation group. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 55, 472–476 (1966)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  12. Deshmukh, S.: Characterizing spheres by conformal vector fields. Ann. Univ. Ferrara 56, 231–236 (2010)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  13. Deshmukh, S., Turki, N.B.: A note on \(\varphi \) -analytic conformal vector fields. Anal. Math. Phys. 9, 181–195 (2019)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  14. Deshmukh, S., Al-Solamy, F.: Characterizing spheres and Euclidean spaces by conformal vector field. Ann. Mat. Pura Appl. 196, 2135–2145 (2017)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  15. Deshmukh, S.: Characterizations of Einstein manifolds and odd-dimensional spheres. J. Geom. Phys. 61(11), 2058–2063 (2011)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  16. Deshmukh, S., Al-Solamy, F.: A note on conformal vector fields on a Riemannian manifold. Colloquium Mathematicum. 136(1), 65–73 (2014)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  17. Deshmukh, S., Al-Solamy, F.: Conformal vector fields and conformal transformations on a Riemannian manifold. Balkan J. Geom. Appl. 17, 9–16 (2012)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  18. Petersen, P.: Riemannian geometry, vol. 171. Springer, New York (2006)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  19. Tashiro, Y.: Complete Riemannian manifolds and some vector fields. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 117, 251–275 (1965)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  20. Huang, L., Mo, X.: On conformal fields of a Randers metric with isotropic Scurvature. Illinois J. Math. 57(3), 685–696 (2013)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the anonymous referee.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jian Ye.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ye, J. Some characterizations of spheres by conformal vector fields. Ann Univ Ferrara 69, 49–58 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11565-022-00400-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11565-022-00400-1

Keywords

Mathematics Subject Classification

Navigation