In this article, we study the small sphere limit of the Wang-Yau quasi-local energy defined in [18,19]. Given a point p in a spacetime N , we consider a canonical family of surfaces approaching p along its future null cone and evaluate the limit of the Wang-Yau quasi-local energy. The evaluation relies on solving an "optimal embedding equation" whose solutions represent critical points of the quasi-local energy. For a spacetime with matter fields, the scenario is similar to that of the large sphere limit found in [7]. Namely, there is a natural solution which is a local minimum, and the limit of its quasi-local energy recovers the stress-energy tensor at p . For a vacuum spacetime, the quasi-local energy vanishes to higher order and the solution of the optimal embedding equation is more complicated. Nevertheless, we are able to show that there exists a solution which is a local minimum and that the limit of its quasi-local energy is related to the Bel-Robinson tensor. Together with earlier work [7], this completes the consistency verification of the Wang-Yau quasi-local energy with all classical limits.

In 1986, R. D. Cook proposed differential geometry to assess local influence of minor perturbations of statistical models. We construct a conformally invariant curvature, the conformal normal curvature, for the same purpose. This curvature provides a measure of local influence ranging from 0 to 1, with objective benchmarks to judge largeness. We study various approaches to using the conformal normal curvature and the relationships between these approaches.

We give simple conditions on an ambient manifold that are necessary and sufficient for isoperimetric inequalities to hold.

Suppose A and B are normed division algebras, i.e. R,C,H or O, we introduce and study Grassmannians of linear subspaces in (A ⊗ B)n which are complex/Lagrangian/maximal isotropic with respect to natural two tensors on (A ⊗ B)n. We show that every irreducible compact symmetric space must be one of these Grassmannian spaces, possibly up to a finite cover. This gives a simple and uniform description of all compact symmetric spaces. This generalizes the Tits magic square description for simple Lie algebras to compact symmetric spaces.

The Cauchy problem for the homogeneous real/complexMongeAmp`ere equation (HRMA/HCMA) arises from the initial value problem for geodesics in the space of K¨ahler metrics equipped with the Mabuchi metric. This Cauchy problem is believed to be ill-posed and a basic problem is to characterize initial data of (weak) solutions which exist up to time T . In this article, we use a quantization method to construct a subsolution of the HCMA on a general projective variety, and we conjecture that it solves the equation for as long as the unique solution exists. The subsolution, called the “quantum analytic continuation potential,” is obtained by (i) Toeplitz quantizing the Hamiltonian flow determined by the Cauchy data, (ii) analytically continuing the quantization, and (iii) taking a certain logarithmic classical limit. We then prove that in the case of torus invariant metrics (where the HCMA reduces to the HRMA) the quantum analytic continuation potential coincides with the well-known Legendre transform potential, and hence solves the equation as long as it is smooth. In the sequel [29], it is proved that the Legendre transform potential ceases to solve the HCMA once it ceases to be smooth. The results here and in the sequels in particular characterize the initial data of smooth geodesic rays.