Preprint D63/2009
The geometry of closed conformal vector fields on Riemannian spaces
Antonio Caminha
Keywords: Conformal vector fields; warped products; Jellett's theorem; Bernstein-type theorems
In this paper we examine different aspects of the geometry of closed conformal vector fields on Riemannian manifolds. We begin by getting obstructions to the existence of closed conformal and nonparallel vector fields on complete manifolds with nonpositive Ricci curvature, thus partially generalizing a theorem of T. K. Pan. Then we explain why it is so difficult to find examples, other than trivial ones, of spaces having at least two closed, conformal and homothetic vector fields. Finally we focus on isometric immersions, proving general Bernstein-type theorems for certain complete, not necessarily cmc, hypersurfaces of Riemannian manifolds furnished with closed conformal vector fields. In particular, we obtain a generalization of theorems J. Jellett and A. Barros and P. Sousa for complete cmc radial graphs over finitely punctured geodesic spheres of Riemannian space forms.