We prove that many aspects of the differential geometry of embedded Riemannian manifolds can be formulated in terms of multi-linear algebraic structures on the space of smooth functions. In particular, we find algebraic expressions for Weingarten’s formula, the Ricci curvature, and the Codazzi-Mainardi equations. For matrix analogues of embedded surfaces, we define discrete curvatures and Euler characteristics, and a non-commutative GaussBonnet theorem is shown to follow. We derive simple expressions for the discrete Gauss curvature in terms of matrices representing the embedding coordinates, and explicit examples are provided. Furthermore, we illustrate the fact that techniques from differential geometry can carry over to matrix analogues by proving that a bound on the discrete Gauss curvature implies a bound on the eigenvalues of the discrete Laplace operator.

Making use of the extended flux homomorphism defined in [13] on the group Symp§g of symplectomorphisms of a closed ori- ented surface §g of genus g ≥ 2, we introduce new characteristic classes of foliated surface bundles with symplectic, equivalently area-preserving, total holonomy. These characteristic classes are stable with respect to g and we show that they are highly non- trivial. We also prove that the second homology of the group Ham§g of Hamiltonian symplectomorphisms of §g, equipped with the discrete topology, is very large for all g ≥ 2.

We consider a regularization method for mean curvature flow of a submanifold of arbitrary codimension in the Euclidean space,through higher order equations. We prove that the regularized problems converge to the mean curvature flow for all times before the first singularity.

Let Y be a non-singular projective manifold with an ample canonical sheaf, and let V be a Q-variation of Hodge structures of weight one on Y with Higgs bundle E1,0 ⊕ E0,1, coming from a family of Abelian varieties. If Y is a curve the Arakelov inequality says that the slopes satisfy μ(E1,0) − μ(E0,1) ≤ μ(­1 Y ). We prove a similar inequality in the higher dimensional case. If the latter is an equality, and if the discriminant of E1,0 or the one of E0,1 is zero, one hopes that Y is a Shimura variety, and V a uniformizing variation of Hodge structures. This is verified, in case the universal covering of Y does not contain factors of rank> 1. Part of the results extend to variations of Hodge structures over quasi-projective manifolds U.

The mean curvature flow is the gradient flow of volume functionals on the space of submanifolds. We prove a fundamental regularity result of the mean curvature flow in this paper: a Lipschitz submanifold with small local Lipschitz norm becomes smooth instantly along the mean curvature flow. This generalizes the regularity theorem of Ecker and Huisken for Lipschitz hypersurfaces. In particular, any submanifold of the Euclidean space with a continuous induced metric can be smoothed out by the mean curvature flow. The smallness assumption is necessary in the higher codimension case in view of an example of Lawson and Osserman. The stationary phase of the mean curvature flow corresponds to minimal submanifolds. Our result thus generalizes Morrey’s classical theorem on the smoothness of $C_1$ minimal submanifolds.