Let X CPN be a smooth subvariety. We study a flow, called balancing flow, on the space of projectively equivalent embeddings of X which attempts to deform the given embedding into a balanced one. If L X is an ample line bundle, considering embeddings via H0(Lk) gives a sequence of balancing flows. We prove that, provided these flows are started at appropriate points, they converge to Calabi flow for as long as it exists. This result is the parabolic analogue of Donaldsons theorem relating balanced embeddings to metrics with constant scalar curvature [12]. In our proof we combine Donaldson乫s techniques with an asymptotic result of Liu and Ma [17] which, as we explain, describes the asymptotic behavior of the derivative of the map FS . Hilb whose fixed points are balanced metrics.

We define analytic torsion (X, E,H) 2 detH•(X, E,H) for the twisted de Rham complex, consisting of the spaces of differential forms on a compact oriented Riemannian manifold X valued in a flat vector bundle E, with a differential given by rE + H ^ · , where rE is a flat connection on E, H is an odd-degree closed differential form on X, and H•(X, E,H) denotes the cohomology of this Z2-graded complex. The definition uses pseudodifferential operators and residue traces. We show that when dimX is odd, (X, E,H) is independent of the choice of metrics on X and E and of the representative H in the cohomology class [H]. We define twisted analytic torsion in the context of generalized geometry and show that when H is a 3-form, the deformation H 7! H−dB, where B is a 2-form on X, is equivalent to deforming a usual metric g to a generalized metric (g,B). We demonstrate some basic functorial properties. When H is a top-degree form, we compute the torsion, define its simplicial counterpart, and prove an analogue of the Cheeger-M¨uller Theorem. We also study the twisted analytic torsion for T -dual circle bundles with integral 3- form fluxes.

We discuss the concepts of energy and mass in relativity. On a finitely extended spatial region, they lead to the notion of quasilocal energy/mass for the boundary 2-surface in spacetime. A new definition was found in [27] that satisfies the positivity, rigidity, and asymptotics properties. The definition makes use of the surface Hamiltonian term which arises from Hamilton-Jacobi analysis of the gravitation action. The reference surface Hamiltonian is associated with an isometric embedding of the 2-surface into the Minkowski space. We discuss this new definition of mass as well as the reference surface Hamiltonian. Most of the discussion is based on joint work with PoNing Chen and Shing-Tung Yau.

Let  $\sum $ be a compact oriented surface immersed in a four dimensional K¨ahler-Einsteinmanifold $(M, ω)$. We consider the evolution of $\sum$ in the direction of its mean curvature vector. It is proved that being symplectic is preserved along the flow and the flow does not develop type I singularity. When $M$ has two parallel K¨ahler forms $\omega " $ and $\omega ''$ that determine different orientations and  $\sum$ is symplectic with respect to both $\omega " $ and $\omega ''$, we prove the mean curvature flow of $\sum$  exists smoothly for all time. In the positive curvature case, the flow indeed converges at infinity.

We introduce a new geometric flow, called the chord shortening flow, which is the negative gradient flow for the length functional on the space of chords with end points lying on a fixed submanifold in Euclidean space. As an application, we give a simplified proof of a classical theorem of Lusternik and Schnirelmann (and a generalization by Riede and Hayashi) on the existence of multiple orthogonal geodesic chords. For a compact convex planar domain, we show that any convex chord not orthogonal to the boundary would shrink to a point in finite time under the flow.