Geometric Analysis in Conformal Geometry and Fully Nonlinear Elliptic Partial Differential Equations

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

The principal investigator's research interest lies at the intersection of conformal geometry and partial differential equations. Conformal geometry is the study of the set of angle-preserving transformations on a space. One focus will be on so-called conformal invariants, which form an important machinery from physicists' point of view and have deep connection to fundamental principles in general relativity. The mass concentration, a phenomenon that has widely appeared in biological and physical sciences, will also be at the center of the investigation. One of the main goals will be to connect different subfields in differential geometry. The generalization will significantly enlarge the scope of the applications. The project research aims to understand basic questions in conformal geometry by using partial differential equations. This includes problems of constructing and classifying conformal invariants, which originated from mathematical physics. It also includes studying the relationship between conformal invariants and other geometric quantities, and establishing geometric inequalities. The PI intends to develop weight theory in order to refine the analytic study of conformal invariants. She will also investigate global rigidity associated to extrinsic curvatures of higher orders on submanifolds.