Related papers: A Morse complex for Lorentzian geodesics

A geodesic $g$ is Morse, for every $L \geq 1, A \geq 0$ there exists a $C=C_g(L,A)$ such that any $(L,A)$-quasi-geodesic connecting two points on $g$ stays $C$-close to $g$. The Morse lemma implies that in a hyperbolic space every geodesic…

We prove a generalized version of the Morse index theorem for geodesics endowed with a non positive definite metric tensor (semi-Riemannian manifolds). We apply the result to obtain lower estimates on the number of geodesics joining two…

Given a Lorentzian manifold $(M,g)$, a geodesic $\gamma$ in $M$ and a timelike Jacobi field $\mathcal Y$ along $\gamma$, we introduce a special class of instants along $\gamma$ that we call $\mathcal Y$-pseudo conjugate (or focal relatively…

The aim of this paper is to extend the Morse theory for geodesics to the conical manifolds. We define these manifolds as submanifolds of $\R^n$ with a finite number of conical singularities. To formulate a good Morse theory we must use an…

We show that any two non-conjugate points on a forward or backward complete connected Finsler manifold can be joined by infinitely many geodesics which are not covered by finitely many closed ones, provided that the Betti numbers of the…

Following the lines of the celebrated Riemannian result of Gromoll and Meyer, we use infinite dimensional equivariant Morse theory to establish the existence of infinitely many geometrically distinct closed geodesics in a class of globally…

We relate the topology of the Morse boundary of a group to geometric and algorithmic properties of the group. In particular, we show that a group has $\sigma$-compact Morse boundary if and only if it is Morse local-to-global. We also…

We prove sufficient conditions for the existence of conjugate points along geodesics of a left-invariant metric on a Lie group, using a reformulation of the index form in terms of the adjoint action. In the compact semisimple case, with an…

In this paper we exhibit Morse geodesics, often called "hyperbolic directions", in infinite unbounded torsion groups. The groups studied are lacunary hyperbolic groups and constructed using graded small cancellation conditions. In all…

The computation of the index of the Hessian of the action functional in semi-Riemannian geometry at geodesics with two variable endpoints is reduced to the case of a fixed final endpoint. Using this observation, we give an elementary proof…

We prove an extension of the Index Theorem for Morse-Sturm systems of the form $-V''+RV=0$, where R is symmetric with respect to a (non positive) symmetric bilinear form, and thus the corresponding differential operator is not self-adjoint.…

We prove a semi-Riemannian version of the celebrated Morse Index Theorem for geodesics in semi-Riemannian manifolds; we consider the general case of both endpoints variable on two submanifolds. The key role of the theory is played by the…

We show that, on a complete and possibly non-compact Riemannian manifold of dimension at least 2 without close conjugate points at infinity, the existence of a closed geodesic with local homology in maximal degree and maximal index growth…

Perturbed geodesics are trajectories of particles moving on a semi-Riemannian manifold in the presence of a potential. Our purpose here is to extend to perturbed geodesics on semi-Riemannian manifolds the well known Morse Index Theorem.…

We give a Morse-theoretic characterization of simple closed geodesics on Riemannian $2$-spheres. On any Riemannian $2$-sphere endowed with a generic metric, we show there exists a simple closed geodesic with Morse index $1$, $2$ and $3$. In…

Given a compact manifold with a non-empty boundary and equipped with a generic Morse function (that is, no critical point on the boundary and the restriction to the boundary is a Morse function), we already knew how to construct two Morse…

A geodesic bicombing on a metric space selects for every pair of points a geodesic connecting them. We prove existence and uniqueness results for geodesic bicombings satisfying different convexity conditions. In combination with recent work…

We show that every closed Lorentzian surface contains at least two closed geodesics. Explicit examples show the optimality of this claim. Refining this result we relate the least number of closed geodesics to the causal structure of the…

We determine the complete conjugate locus along all geodesics parallel or perpendicular to the center (Theorem 2.3). When the center is 1-dimensional we obtain formulas in all cases (Theorem 2.5), and when a certain operator is also…

A new technique for the study of geodesic connectedness in a class of Lorentzian manifolds is introduced. It is based on arguments of Brouwer's topological degree for the solution of functional equations. It is shown to be very useful for…