Convexity of energy functions of harmonic maps homotopic to covering maps of surfaces

Abstract

We study the strict convexity of the energy function of harmonic maps at their critical points from a Riemann surface to a Riemann surface, or to the product of negatively curved surfaces. When the target is a Riemann surface and when the map is of nonzero degree, we obtain a precise formula for the second derivative of the energy function along a Weil–Petersson geodesic, which implies that the energy function is strictly convex at its critical points. When the target is the product of two surfaces where each projection of the harmonic map is homotopic to a covering map, we also prove the strict convexity of the associated energy function. As an application we prove that the energy function has a unique critical point in these cases.