Harmonic unit vector fields on 3-manifolds

Abstract

We investigate harmonic unit vector fields with totally geodesic integral curves on 3-manifolds. Under mild curvature assumptions, we classify both the vector fields and the manifolds that support them. Our results are inspired by Carriere's classification of Riemannian flows on compact three-manifolds, as well as by the works of Geiges and Belgun on Killing vector fields on Sasakian manifolds.