Liouville's equation

For Liouville's equation in dynamical systems, see Liouville's theorem (Hamiltonian).

For Liouville's equation in quantum mechanics, see Von Neumann equation.

For Liouville's equation in Euclidean space, see Liouville–Bratu–Gelfand equation.

In differential geometry, Liouville's equation, named after Joseph Liouville, is the nonlinear partial differential equation satisfied by the conformal factor Template:Mvar of a metric Template:Math on a surface of constant Gaussian curvature Template:Mvar:

${\mathrm{\Delta }}_0\log f=-K{f}^2,$

where Template:Math is the flat Laplace operator

${\mathrm{\Delta }}_0=\frac{{\partial }^2}{\partial x^2}+\frac{{\partial }^2}{\partial y^2}=4\frac{\partial }{\partial z}\frac{\partial }{\partial \overline{z}}.$

Liouville's equation appears in the study of isothermal coordinates in differential geometry: the independent variables Template:Mvar are the coordinates, while Template:Mvar can be described as the conformal factor with respect to the flat metric. Occasionally it is the square Template:Math that is referred to as the conformal factor, instead of Template:Mvar itself.

Liouville's equation was also taken as an example by David Hilbert in the formulation of his nineteenth problem.

Other common forms of Liouville's equation

By using the change of variables Template:Math, another commonly found form of Liouville's equation is obtained:

${\mathrm{\Delta }}_{0}u=-K{e}^{2u}.$

Other two forms of the equation, commonly found in the literature, are obtained by using the slight variant Template:Math of the previous change of variables and Wirtinger calculus: ${\mathrm{\Delta }}_{0}u=-2K{e}^u⟺\frac{{\partial }^{2}u}{\partial z\partial \overline{z}}=-\frac{K}{2}{e}^u.$

Note that it is exactly in the first one of the preceding two forms that Liouville's equation was cited by David Hilbert in the formulation of his nineteenth problem.Template:Efn

A formulation using the Laplace–Beltrami operator

In a more invariant fashion, the equation can be written in terms of the intrinsic Laplace–Beltrami operator

${\mathrm{\Delta }}_{\mathrm{L}\mathrm{B}}=\frac{1}{f^2}{\mathrm{\Delta }}_0$

as follows:

${\mathrm{\Delta }}_{\mathrm{L}\mathrm{B}}\log f=-K.$

Properties

Relation to Gauss–Codazzi equations

Liouville's equation is equivalent to the Gauss–Codazzi equations for minimal immersions into the 3-space, when the metric is written in isothermal coordinates $z$ such that the Hopf differential is $\mathrm{d}{z}^2$.

General solution of the equation

In a simply connected domain Template:Math, the general solution of Liouville's equation can be found by using Wirtinger calculus. Its form is given by

$u(z,\overline{z})=\ln \left(4\frac{{|\mathrm{d}f(z)/\mathrm{d}z|}^2}{(1+K{|f(z)|}^2{)}^2}\right)$

where Template:Math is any meromorphic function such that

• Template:Math for every Template:Math.
• Template:Math has at most simple poles in Template:Math.

Application

Liouville's equation can be used to prove the following classification results for surfaces:

Template:EquationRef. A surface in the Euclidean 3-space with metric Template:Math, and with constant scalar curvature Template:Mvar is locally isometric to:

1. the sphere if Template:Math;
2. the Euclidean plane if Template:Math;
3. the Lobachevskian plane if Template:Math.

See also

• Liouville field theory, a two-dimensional conformal field theory whose classical equation of motion is a generalization of Liouville's equation

Works cited

• Template:Citation.
• Template:Citation.
• Template:Citation, translated into English by Mary Frances Winston Newson as Template:Citation.