We prove metric rigidity for complete manifolds supporting solutions of certain second order differential systems, thus extending classical works on a characterization of space-forms. Along the way, we also discover new characterizations of space-forms. We next generalize results concerning metric rigidity via equations involving vector fields.

We construct a Laplace isospectral deformation of metrics on an orbifold quotient of a nilmanifold. Each orbifold in the deformation contains singular points with order two isotropy. Isospectrality is obtained by modifying a generalization of Sunada's theorem due to DeTurck and Gordon.

We completely classify three-dimensional Lorentz manifolds, curvature homogeneous up to order one, equipped with Einstein-like metrics. New examples arise with respect to both homogeneous examples and three-dimensional Lorentz manifolds admitting a degenerate parallel null line field.

We classify the left-invariant metrics with nonnegative sectional curvature on $\SO(3)$ and $U(2)$.

We show that given a stable weighted configuration on the asymptotic boundary of a locally compact Hadamard space, there is a polygon with Gauss map prescribed by the given weighted configuration. Moreover, the same result holds for semistable configurations on arbitrary Euclidean buildings.

A sharp upper bound on the first $S^{1}$ invariant eigenvalue of the Laplacian for $S^1$ invariant metrics on $S^2$ is used to find obstructions to the existence of $S^1$ equivariant isometric embeddings of such metrics in $(\R^3,\can)$. As a corollary we prove: If the first four distinct eigenvalues have even multiplicities then the metric cannot be equivariantly, isometrically embedded in $(\R^3,\can)$. This leads to generalizations of some classical results in the theory of surfaces.

We investigate the geometry of manifolds with bounded Ricci curvature in $L^1$-sense. In particular, we generalize the classical volume comparison theorem to our situation and obtain a generalized sphere theorem.

We prove an analogue of mean curvature comparison theorem in the case where the Ricci curvature below a positive constant is small in $L^1$-norm.

Recently [8], a harmonic theory was developed for a compact contact manifold from the viewpoint of the transversal geometry of contact flow. A contact flow is a typical example of geodesible flow. As a natural generalization of the contact flow, the present paper develops a harmonic theory for various flows on compact manifolds. We introduce the notions of $H$-harmonic and $H^*$-harmonic spaces associated to a H\"ormander flow. We also introduce the notions of basic harmonic spaces associated to a weak basic flow. One of our main results is to show that in the special case of isometric flow these harmonic spaces are isomorphic to the cohomology spaces of certain complexes. Moreover, we find an obstruction for a geodesible flow to be isometric.

In this paper we show that two minimal hypersurfaces in a manifold with positive Ricci curvature must intersect. This is then generalized to show that in manifolds with positive Ricci curvature in the integral sense two minimal hypersurfaces must be close to each other. We also show what happens if a manifold with nonnegative Ricci curvature admits two nonintersecting minimal hypersurfaces.

We obtain a homotopy splitting of the forget control map for controlled homeomorphisms over closed manifolds of nonpositive curvature.

We shall provide a characterization of all isoparametric hypersurfaces $M$'s in a real space form $\tilde{M}(c)$ by observing the extrinsic Wshape of geodesics of $M$ in the ambient manifold $\tilde{M}(c)$.

Bessa [Be] proved that for given $n$ and $i_0$, there exists an $\varepsilon(n,i_0)>0$ depending on $n,i_0$ such that if $M$ admits a metric $g$ satisfying $\Ric_{(M,g)} \ge n-1$, $\inj_{(M,g)} \ge i_0>0$ and $\diam_{(M,g)} \ge \pi-\varepsilon$, then $M$ is diffeomorphic to the standard sphere. In this note, we improve this result by replacing a lower bound on the injectivity radius with a lower bound of the conjugate radius.