The conformal Killing equation on forms -- prolongations and applications

We construct a conformally invariant vector bundle connection such that its equation of parallel transport is a first order system that gives a prolongation of the conformal Killing equation on differential forms. Parallel sections of this connection are related bijectively to solutions of the conformal Killing equation. We construct other conformally invariant connections, also giving prolongations of the conformal Killing equation, that bijectively relate solutions of the conformal Killing equation on $k$-forms to a twisting of the conformal Killing equation on (k - l)-forms for various integers l. These tools are used to develop a helicity raising and lowering construction in the general setting and on conformally Einstein manifolds.Comment: 37 page

Equivalence of the coupled-mode and Floquet-Bloch formalisms in periodic optical waveguides

A comparison of two theories used to analyze distributed feedback lasers and periodic optical devices finds them, contrary to some claims, to be formally equivalent

Conformal Dirichlet-Neumann Maps and Poincar\'e-Einstein Manifolds

A conformal description of Poincare-Einstein manifolds is developed: these structures are seen to be a special case of a natural weakening of the Einstein condition termed an almost Einstein structure. This is used for two purposes: to shed light on the relationship between the scattering construction of Graham-Zworski and the higher order conformal Dirichlet-Neumann maps of Branson and the author; to sketch a new construction of non-local (Dirichlet-to-Neumann type) conformal operators between tensor bundles.Comment: This is a contribution to the Proceedings of the 2007 Midwest Geometry Conference in honor of Thomas P. Branson, published in SIGMA (Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications) at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA

Conformal de Rham Hodge theory and operators generalising the Q-curvature

We look at several problems in even dimensional conformal geometry based around the de Rham complex. A leading and motivating problem is to find a conformally invariant replacement for the usual de Rham harmonics. An obviously related problem is to find, for each order of differential form bundle, a ``gauge'' operator which completes the exterior derivative to a system which is both elliptically coercive and conformally invariant. Treating these issues involves constructing a family of new operators which, on the one hand, generalise Branson's celebrated Q-curvature and, on the other hand, compose with the exterior derivative and its formal adjoint to give operators on differential forms which generalise the critical conformal power of the Laplacian of Graham-Jenne-Mason-Sparling. We prove here that, like the critical conformal Laplacians, these conformally invariant operators are not strongly invariant. The construction draws heavily on the ambient metric of Fefferman-Graham and its relationship to the conformal tractor connection and exploring this relationship will be a central theme of the lectures.Comment: 30 pages. Instructional lecture

Higher symmetries of the conformal powers of the Laplacian on conformally flat manifolds

On locally conformally flat manifolds we describe a construction which maps generalised conformal Killing tensors to differential operators which may act on any conformally weighted tensor bundle; the operators in the range have the property that they are symmetries of any natural conformally invariant differential operator between such bundles. These are used to construct all symmetries of the conformally invariant powers of the Laplacian (often called the GJMS operators) on manifolds of dimension at least 3. In particular this yields all symmetries of the powers of the Laplacian $\Delta^k$, $k\in \mathbb{Z}>0$, on Euclidean space $\mathbb{E}^n$. The algebra formed by the symmetry operators is described explicitly.Comment: 33 pages, minor revisions. To appear in J. Math. Phy