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.

We relate previously defined quantum characteristic classes to Morse theoretic aspects of the Hofer length functional on Ham (M, ω). As an application we prove a theorem which can be interpreted as stating that this functional is “virtually” a perfect Morse-Bott functional. This can be applied to study the topology and Hofer geometry of Ham(M, ω). We also use this to give a prediction for the index of some geodesics for this functional, which was recently partially verified by Yael Karshon and Jennifer Slimowitz[5].

We study the topology of a complete asymptotically hyperbolic Einstein manifold of which its conformal boundary has positive Yamabe invariant. We prove that all maps from such manifold into any nonpositively curved manifold are homotopically trivial. Our proof is based on a Bochner type argument on harmonic maps.

We give a local classification of generalized complex structures. About a point, a generalized complex structure is equivalent to a product of a symplectic manifold with a holomorphic Poisson manifold. We use a Nash-Moser type argument in the style of Conn’s linearization theorem.

This paper uses Morse-theoretic techniques to compute the equivariant Betti numbers of the space of semistable rank two degree zero Higgs bundles over a compact Riemann surface, a method in the spirit of Atiyah and Bott’s original approach for semistable holomorphic bundles. This leads to a natural proof that the hyperk¨ahler Kirwan map is surjective for the non-fixed determinant case.