Differential Geometry of Identity Maps: A Survey

Abstract

An identity map idM:M→M is a bijective map from a manifold M onto itself which carries each point of M return to the same point. To study the differential geometry of an identity map idM:M→M, we usually assume that the domain M and the range M admit metrics g and g′, respectively. The main purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive survey on the differential geometry of identity maps from various differential geometric points of view.

Keywords

• identity map
• harmonic map
• biharmonic map
• Gauss map
• Laplace map
• harmonic metrics