In this talk we introduce a new, conformally invariant generalization of harmonic maps that overcomes an important limitation of the known biharmonic maps. Starting from the bienergy functional, we add two lower-order terms to obtain a new functional that is conformally invariant in dimension 4. Although the Euler–Lagrange equation remains a fourth-order nonlinear elliptic equation, the ensuing maps exhibit qualitative features that contrast sharply with those of biharmonic maps. We illustrate these differences in the setting of isoparametric hypersurfaces.
A new generalization of harmonic maps
25.06.2025 11:30 - 12:45
Organiser:
T. Körber, A. Molchanova, F. Rupp
Location: