On extremals with prescribed Lagrangian densities

Abstract

Consider two manifolds~$M^m$ and $N^n$ and a first-order Lagrangian $L(u)$ for mappings $u:M\to N$, i.e., $L$ is an expression involving $u$ and its first derivatives whose value is an $m$-form (or more generally, an $m$-density) on~$M$. One is usually interested in describing the extrema of the functional $\Cal L(u) = \int_M L(u)$, and these are characterized locally as the solutions of the Euler-Lagrange equation~$E_L(u)=0$ associated to~$L$. In this note I will discuss three problems which can be understood as trying to determine how many solutions exist to the Euler-Lagrange equation which also satisfy $L(u) = Φ$, where $Φ$ is a specified $m$-form or $m$-density on~$M$. The first problem, which is solved completely, is to determine when two minimal graphs over a domain in the plane can induce the same area form without merely differing by a vertical translation or reflection. The second problem, described more fully below, arose in Professor Calabi's study of extremal isosystolic metrics on surfaces. The third problem, also solved completely, is to determine the (local) harmonic maps between spheres which have constant energy density.