Generalized Lawson tori and Klein bottles

Using Takahashi theorem we propose an approach to extend known families of minimal tori in spheres. As an example, the well-known two-parametric family of Lawson tau-surfaces including tori and Klein bottles is extended to a three-parametric family of tori and Klein bottles minimally immersed in spheres. Extremal spectral properties of the metrics on these surfaces are investigated. These metrics include i) both metrics extremal for the first non-trivial eigenvalue on the torus, i.e. the metric on the Clifford torus and the metric on the equilateral torus and ii) the metric maximal for the first non-trivial eigenvalue on the Klein bottle.Comment: 17 pages, v.2: minor correction

Discrete matrix Riccati equations with superposition formulas

An ordinary differential equation is said to have a superposition formula if its general solution can be expressed as a function of a finite number of particular solution. Nonlinear ODE's with superposition formulas include matrix Riccati equations. Here we shall describe discretizations of Riccati equations that preserve the superposition formulas. The approach is general enough to include $q$-derivatives and standard discrete derivatives.Comment: 20 pages; v.2: a misprint correcte

Conformally maximal metrics for Laplace eigenvalues on surfaces

The paper is concerned with the maximization of Laplace eigenvalues on surfaces of given volume with a Riemannian metric in a fixed conformal class. A significant progress on this problem has been recently achieved by Nadirashvili-Sire and Petrides using related, though different methods. In particular, it was shown that for a given $k$, the maximum of the $k$-th Laplace eigenvalue in a conformal class on a surface is either attained on a metric which is smooth except possibly at a finite number of conical singularities, or it is attained in the limit while a "bubble tree" is formed on a surface. Geometrically, the bubble tree appearing in this setting can be viewed as a union of touching identical round spheres. We present another proof of this statement, developing the approach proposed by the second author and Y. Sire. As a side result, we provide explicit upper bounds on the topological spectrum of surfaces.Comment: 52 pages, 3 figures, added a section on explicit constant in Korevaar's inequality, minor correction

Conformally maximal metrics for Laplace eigenvalues on surfaces

The paper is concerned with the maximization of Laplace eigenvalues on surfaces of given volume with a Riemannian metric in a fixed conformal class. A significant progress on this problem has been recently achieved by Nadirashvili-Sire and Petrides using related, though different methods. In particular, it was shown that for a given k, the maximum of the k-th Laplace eigenvalue in a conformal class on a surface is either attained on a metric which is smooth except possibly at a finite number of conical singularities, or it is attained in the limit while a "bubble tree" is formed on a surface. Geometrically, the bubble tree appearing in this setting can be viewed as a union of touching identical round spheres. We present another proof of this statement, developing the approach proposed by the second author and Y. Sire. As a side result, we provide explicit upper bounds on the topological spectrum of surfaces