We consider left-invariant distances d on a Lie group G with the property that there exists a multiplicative one-parameter group of Lie automorphisms (0,∞)→Aut(G), λ↦δλ, so that d(δ_λx,δ_λy)=λd(x,y), for all x,y∈G and all λ>0. First, we show that all such distances are admissible, that is, they induce the manifold topology. Second, we characterize multiplicative one-parameter groups of Lie automorphisms that are dilations for some left-invariant distance in terms of algebraic properties of their infinitesimal generator. Third, we show that an admissible left-invariant distance on a Lie group with at least one nontrivial dilating automorphism is bi-Lipschitz equivalent to one that admits a one-parameter group of dilating automorphisms. Moreover, the infinitesimal generator can be chosen to have spectrum in [1,∞). Fourth, we characterize the automorphisms of a Lie group that are a dilating automorphisms for some admissible distance. Finally, we characterize metric Lie groups admitting a one-parameter group of dilating automorphisms as the only locally compact, isometrically homogeneous metric spaces with metric dilations of all factors. Such metric spaces appear as tangents of doubling metric spaces with unique tangents.

A time-flat condition on spacelike 2-surfaces in spacetime is considered here. This condition is analogous to constant torsion condition for curves in three dimensional space and has been studied in [2, 4, 5, 12, 13]. In particular, any 2-surface in a static slice of a static spacetime is time-flat. In this article, we address the question in the title and prove several local and global rigidity theorems for such surfaces in the Minkowski spacetime.

We introduce a new equivalence relation for complete alge- braic varieties with canonical singularities, generated by birational equivalence, by flat algebraic deformations (of varieties with canon- ical singularities), and by quasi-´etale morphisms, i.e., morphisms which are unramified in codimension 1. We denote the above equivalence by A.Q.E.D. : = Algebraic-Quasi-´ Etale- Deformation. A completely similar equivalence relation, denoted by C-Q.E.D., can be considered for compact complex spaces with canonical sin- gularities. By a recent theorem of Siu, dimension and Kodaira dimension are invariants for A.Q.E.D. of complex varieties. We address the interesting question whether conversely two al- gebraic varieties of the same dimension and with the same Ko- daira dimension are Q.E.D. - equivalent (A.Q.E.D., or at least C-Q.E.D.), the answer being positive for curves by well known results. Using Enriques’ (resp. Kodaira’s) classification we show first that the answer to the C-Q.E.D. question is positive for special algebraic surfaces (those with Kodaira dimension at most 1), resp. for compact complex surfaces with Kodaira dimension 0, 1 and even first Betti number. The appendix by S¨onke Rollenske shows that the hypothesis of even first Betti number is necessary: he proves that any sur- face which is C-Q.E.D.-equivalent to a Kodaira surface is itself a Kodaira surface. We show also that the answer to the A.Q.E.D. question is pos- itive for complex algebraic surfaces of Kodaira dimension ≤ 1. The answer to the Q.E.D. question is instead negative for sur- faces of general type: the other appendix, due to Fritz Grunewald, is devoted to showing that the (rigid) Kuga-Shavel type surfaces of general type obtained as quotients of the bidisk via discrete groups constructed from quaternion algebras belong to countably many distinct Q.E.D. equivalence classes.

We define non-pluripolar products of an arbitrary number of closed positive (1, 1)-currents on a compact Kähler manifold$X$. Given a big (1, 1)-cohomology class$α$on$X$(i.e. a class that can be represented by a strictly positive current) and a positive measure$μ$on$X$of total mass equal to the volume of$α$and putting no mass on pluripolar sets, we show that$μ$can be written in a unique way as the top-degree self-intersection in the non-pluripolar sense of a closed positive current in$α$. We then extend Kolodziedj’s approach to sup-norm estimates to show that the solution has minimal singularities in the sense of Demailly if$μ$has$L$^{1+$ε$}-density with respect to Lebesgue measure. If$μ$is smooth and positive everywhere, we prove that$T$is smooth on the ample locus of$α$provided$α$is nef. Using a fixed point theorem, we finally explain how to construct singular Kähler–Einstein volume forms with minimal singularities on varieties of general type.

In this paper we prove a new matrix Li-Yau-Hamilton (LYH) estimate for K¨ahler-Ricci flow on manifolds with nonnegative bi- sectional curvature. The form of this new LYH estimate is obtained by the interpolation consideration originated in [Ch] by Chow. This new inequality is shown to be connected with Perelman’s entropy formula through a family of differential equalities. In the rest of the paper, we show several applications of this new estimate and its corresponding estimate for linear heat equation. These include a sharp heat kernel comparison theorem, generalizing the earlier result of Li and Tian [LT], a manifold version of Stoll’s theorem [St] on the characterization of ‘algebraic divisors’, and a localized monotonicity formula for analytic subvari- eties, which sharpens the Bishop volume comparison theorem. Motivated by the connection between the heat kernel estimate and the reduced volume monotonicity of Perelman [P], we prove a sharp lower bound of the fundamental solution to the forward conjugate heat equation, which in a certain sense dual to Perelman’s monotonicity of the reduced volume. As an application of this new monotonicity formula, we show that the blow-down limit of a certain type of long-time solution is a gradient expanding soliton, generalizing an earlier result of Cao. We also illustrate the connection between the new LYH estimate and the Hessian comparison theorem of [FIN] on the forward reduced distance. Localized monotonicity formulae on entropy and forward reduced volume are also derived.