arXiv · 2610.29360
Curvature, second variation and Jacobi fields in elastic diffeology
Abstract
We develop curvature theory on Blohmann's elastic diffeological spaces. We introduce curvature-tensorial connections, whose curvature factors uniquely through $T_3M$, and show that this property holds on finite-dimensional manifolds and is preserved on mapping spaces. Using a plotwise commutator identity and the elasticity axioms, we establish the classical curvature symmetries for curvature-tensorial Levi-Civita connections. We define sectional curvature and a curvature form on the algebraic exterior square, and demonstrate an obstruction to the usual Ricci trace construction: on $C^\infty(S^1,S^2)$, the relevant curvature endomorphism extends boundedly to the $L^2$ completion but is not trace class. We prove the second variation formula, identify the energy Hessian with the index form, and characterize its null space. Under additional hypotheses, we establish existence and uniqueness of Jacobi fields with prescribed initial data. Finally, non-positive sectional curvature excludes conjugate points, while a negative index direction obstructs length minimization.
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Yusuke Shiobara. 2026-10-21. Curvature, second variation and Jacobi fields in elastic diffeology. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.29360
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