Intrinsic torsion in quaternionic contact geometry
Diego Conti
备注：
45 pages; v2: added a remark concerning integrability of the vertical distribution, presentation improved; v3: corrected Condition 3 of Corollary 41, two remarks expanded (on p.26 and p.37), typos corrected
发表信息：
Ann. Sc. Norm. Super. Pisa Cl. Sci. 16 (2016), 2:625-674
We investigate quaternionic contact (qc) manifolds from the point of view of intrinsic torsion. We argue that the natural structure group for this geometry is a non-compact Lie group K containing Sp(n)H^*, and show that any qc structure gives rise to a canonical K-structure with constant intrinsic torsion, except in seven dimensions, when this condition is equivalent to integrability in the sense of Duchemin.
We prove that the choice of a reduction to Sp(n)H^* (or equivalently, a complement of the qc distribution) yields a unique K-connection satisfying natural conditions on torsion and curvature.
We show that the choice of a compatible metric on the qc distribution determines a canonical reduction to Sp(n)Sp(1) and a canonical Sp(n)Sp(1)-connection whose curvature is almost entirely determined by its torsion. We show that its Ricci tensor, as well as the Ricci tensor of the Biquard connection, has an interpretation in terms of intrinsic torsion.
If there exists a quaternionic Bertrand curve in E4, then its torsion or bitorsion vanishes. So we can say that there is no quaternionic Bertrand curves whose torsion and bitorsion are non-zero. Hence by using the method which is given by Matsuda and Yorozu [13], we give the definition of quaternionic (1,3)-Bertrand curve according to Type 2-Quaternionic Frame and obtain some results about these curves.
In this paper we show that the Ray-Singer complex analytic torsion is trivial for even dimensional Calabi-Yau manifolds. Then we define the quaternionic analytic torsion for quaternionic manifolds and prove that they are metric independent. In dimension four, the quaternionic analytic torsion equals to the self-dual analytic torsion. For higher dimensional manifolds, the self-dual analytic torsion is a conformal invariant.
We prove that every quaternionic-contact structure can be embedded in a quaternionic manifold and define a second fundamental form for a such embedding.
This paper constructs a family of coordinate systems about a point on a quaternionic contact manifold, called quaternionic contact pseudohermitian normal coordinates. Once defined, conformal variations of the quaternionic contact structure induce changes on the coordinates which are studied in an effort to simplify the torsion and curvature at the center point.
We define an (equivariant) quaternionic analytic torsion for antiselfdual vector bundles on quaternionic Kaehler manifolds, using ideas by Leung and Yi. We compute this torsion for vector bundles on quaternionic homogeneous spaces with respect to any isometry in the component of the identity, in terms of roots and Weyl groups.
The conformal infinity of a quaternionic-Kahler metric on a 4n-manifold with boundary is a codimension 3-distribution on the boundary called quaternionic contact. In dimensions 4n-1 greater than 7, a quaternionic contact structure is always the conformal infinity of a quaternionic-Kahler metric. On the contrary, in dimension 7, we prove a criterion for quaternionic contact structures to be the conformal infinity of a quaternionic- Kahler metric. This allows us to find the quaternionic-contact structures on the 7-sphere close to the conformal infinity of the quaternionic hyperbolic metric and w…
We explore the consequences of curvature and torsion on the topology of quaternionic contact manifolds with integrable vertical distribution. We prove a general Myers theorem and establish a Cartan-Hadamard result for almost qc-Einstein manifolds.
We construct left invariant quaternionic contact (qc) structures on Lie groups with zero and non-zero torsion and with non-vanishing quaternionic contact conformal curvature tensor, thus showing the existence of non-flat quaternionic contact manifolds. We prove that the product of the real line with a seven dimensional manifold, equipped with a certain qc structure, has a quaternionic Kaehler metric as well as a metric with holonomy contained in Spin(7). As a consequence we determine explicit quaternionic Kaehler metrics and Spin(7)-holonomy metrics which seem to be new. Moreover, we give expl…
The target space of a (4,0) supersymmetric two-dimensional sigma model with Wess-Zumino term has a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion and holonomy contained in Sp(n).Sp(1), QKT-connection. We study the geometry of QKT-connections. We find conditions to the existence of a QKT-connection and prove that if it exists it is unique. Studying conformal transformations we obtain a lot of (compact) examples of QKT manifolds. We present a (local) description of 4-dimensional homogeneous QKT structures relying on the known result of naturally reductive homogeneous Riemannian manifolds. We con…
We exploit the Cartan-Kähler theory to prove the local existence of real analytic quaternionic contact structures for any prescribed values of the respective curvature functions and their covariant derivatives at a given point on a manifold. We show that, in a certain sense, the different real analytic quaternionic contact geometries in $4n+3$ dimensions depend, modulo diffeomorphisms, on $2n+2$ real analytic functions of $2n+3$ variables.
In this note, we prove that the CR manifold which is induced from the canonical parabolic geometry of a quaternionic contact (qc) manifold via a Fefferman-type construction is equivalent to the CR twistor space of the qc manifold defined by O. Biquard.
Following the Cartans's original method of equivalence supported by methods of parabolic geometry, we provide a complete solution for the equivalence problem of quaternionic contact structures, that is, the problem of finding a complete system of differential invariants for two quaternionic contact manifolds to be locally diffeomorphic. This includes an explicit construction of the corresponding Cartan geometry and detailed information on all curvature components.
The main result is that the qc-scalar curvature of a seven dimensional quaternionic contact Einstein manifold is a constant. In addition, we characterize qc-Einstein structures with certain flat vertical connection and develop their local structure equations. Finally, regular qc-Ricci flat structures are shown to fibre over hyper-Kahler manifolds.
We answer in the affirmative a question posed by Ivanov and Vassilev on the existence of a seven dimensional quaternionic contact manifold with closed fundamental 4-form and non-vanishing torsion endomorphism. Moreover, we show an approach to the classification of seven dimensional solvable Lie groups having an integrable left invariant quaternionic contact structure. In particular, we prove that the unique seven dimensional nilpotent Lie group admitting such a structure is the quaternionic Heisenberg group.
In this paper we establish an analogue of the classical Lichnerowicz' theorem giving a sharp lower bound of the first non-zero eigenvalue of the sub-Laplacian on a compact seven-dimensional quaternionic contact manifold, assuming a lower bound of the qc-Ricci tensor, torsion tensor and its distinguished covariant derivatives.
We describe explicitly all quaternionic contact hypersurfaces (qc-hypersurfaces) in the flat quaternion space $\Hnn$ and the quaternion projective space. We show that up to a quaternionic affine transformation a qc-hypersurface in $\Hnn$ is contained in one of the three qc-hyperquadrics in $\Hnn$. Moreover, we show that an embedded qc-hypersurface in a hyper-Kähler manifold is qc-conformal to a qc-Einstein space and the Riemannian curvature tensor of the ambient hyper-Kähler metric is degenerate along the hypersurface.
We establish quaternionic contact (qc) versions of the so called Almost Schur Lemma, which give estimations of the qc scalar curvature on a compact qc manifold to be a constant in terms of the norm of the $[-1]$-component and the norm of the trace-free part of the $[3]$-component of the horizontal qc Ricci tensor and the torsion endomorphism, under certain positivity conditions.
A version of Lichnerowicz' theorem giving a lower bound of the eigenvalues of the sub-Laplacian under a lower bound on the Sp(1)Sp(1) component of the qc-Ricci curvature on a compact seven dimensional quaternionic contact manifold is established. It is shown that in the case of a seven dimensional compact 3-Sasakian manifold the lower bound is reached if and only if the quaternionic contact manifold is a round 3-Sasakian sphere.
We review the theory of quaternionic Kahler and hyperkahler structures. Then we consider the tangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold M with a metric connection D (with torsion) and with its well estabilished canonical complex structure. With an extra almost Hermitian structure on M it is possible to find a quaternionic Hermitian structure on TM, which is quaternionic Kahler if, and only if, D is flat and torsion free. We also review the symplectic nature of TM. Finally a proper S^3-bundle of complex structures is introduced, expanding to TM the well known twistor bundle of M.
We show that any compact quaternionic contact (qc) hypersurfaces in a hyper-Kähler manifold which is not totally umbilical has an induced qc structure, locally qc homothetic to the standard 3-Sasakian sphere. We also show that any nowhere umbilical qc hypersurface in a hyper-Kähler manifold is endowed with an involutive 7-dimensional distribution whose integral leafs are locally qc-conformal to the standard 3-Sasakian sphere.
We characterise the integrability of any co-CR quaternionic structure in terms of the curvature and a generalized torsion of the connection. Also, we apply this result to obtain, for example, the following. (1) New co-CR quaternionic structures built on vector bundles over a quaternionic manifold M, whose twistor spaces are holomorphic vector bundles over the twistor space Z of M. Moreover, all the holomorphic vector bundles over Z, which are positive and isotypic when restricted to the twistor lines, are obtained this way. (2) Under generic dimensional conditions, any manifold endowed with an…
A partial solution of the quaternionic contact Yamabe problem on the quaternionic sphere is given. It is shown that the torsion of the Biquard connection vanishes exactly when the trace-free part of the horizontal Ricci tensor of the Biquard connection is zero and this occurs precisely on 3-Sasakian manifolods. All conformal deformations sending the standard flat torsion-free quaternionic contact structure on the quaternionic Heisenberg group to a quaternionic contact structure with vanishing torsion of the Biquard connection are explicitly described. A '3-Hamiltonian form' of infinitesimal co…
We investigate the Fefferman spaces of conformal type which are induced, via parabolic geometry, by the quaternionic contact (qc) manifolds introduced by O.Biquard. Equivalent characterizations of these spaces are proved: as conformal manifolds with symplectic conformal holonomy of the appropriate signature; as pseudo-Riemannian manifolds admitting conformal Killing fields satisfying a conformally invariant system of conditions analog to G. Sparling's criteria; and as the total space of a SO(3)- or $S^3$-bundle over a qc manifold with the conformally equivalent metrics defined directly by Biqu…
It is shown that the qc Yamabe problem has a solution on any compact qc manifold which is non-locally qc equivalent to the standard 3-Sasakian sphere. Namely, it is proved that on a compact non-locally spherical qc manifold there exists a qc conformal qc structure with constant qc scalar curvature
A tensor invariant is defined on a quaternionic contact manifold in terms of the curvature and torsion of the Biquard connection involving derivatives up to third order of the contact form. This tensor, called quaternionic contact conformal curvature, is similar to the Weyl conformal curvature in Riemannian geometry and to the Chern-Moser tensor in CR geometry. It is shown that a quaternionic contact manifold is locally quaternionic contact conformal to the standard flat quaternionic contact structure on the quaternionic Heisenberg group, or equivalently, to the standard 3-sasakian structure o…
We prove a quaternionic contact versions of the Obata's sphere theorems. We show that if the first positive eigenvalue of the sub-Laplacian on a compact qc manifold of dimension bigger than seven takes the smallest possible value then, up to a homothety of the qc structure, the manifold is qc equivalent to the standard 3-Sasakian sphere. We also give a version of the theorem on non-compact qc manifold which is complete with respect to the associated Riemannian metric using the existence of a function with traceless horizontal Hessian. A qc version of the Liouville theorem is shown for qc-confo…
A complete solution to the quaternionic contact Yamabe problem on the seven dimensional sphere is given. Extremals for the Sobolev inequality on the seven dimensional Hesenberg group are explicitly described and the best constant in the $L^2$ Folland-Stein embedding theorem is determined.
We show that the CR structure on the twistor space of a quaternionic contact structure described by Biquard is normal if and only if the Ricci curvature of the Biquard connection commutes with the endomorphisms in the quaternionic structure of the contact distribution.
We show that the fundamental 4-form on a quaternionic contact manifold of dimension at least eleven is closed if and only if the torsion endomorphism of the Biquard connection vanishes. This condition characterizes quaternionic contact structures which are locally qc homothetic to 3-Sasakian structures.
The symmetry dimension of a geometric structure is the dimension of its symmetry algebra. We investigate symmetries of almost quaternionic structures of quaternionic dimension $n$. The maximal possible symmetry is realized by the quaternionic projective space $\mathbb{H}P^n$, which is flat and has the symmetry algebra $\mathfrak{sl}(n+1,\mathbb{H})$ of dimension $4n^2+8n+3$. For non-flat almost quaternionic manifolds we compute the next biggest (submaximal) symmetry dimension. We show that it is equal to $4n^2-4n+9$ for $n>1$ (it is equal to 8 for $n=1$). This is realized both by a quaternioni…
The target space of a (4,0) supersymmetric two-dimensional sigma model with Wess-Zumino term has a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion and holonomy contained in Sp(n)Sp(1) (resp. Sp(n)), QKT (resp. HKT)-spaces. We study the geometry of QKT, HKT manifold and their twistor spaces. We show that the Swann bundle of a QKT manifold admits a HKT structure with special symmetry if and only if the twistor space of the QKT manifold admits an almost hermitian structure with totally skew-symmetric Nijenhuis tensor, thus connecting two structures arising from quantum field theories and supersymm…
We apply the theory of Weyl structures for parabolic geometries developed by A. Cap and J. Slovak in to compute, for a quaternionic contact (qc) structure, the Weyl connection associated to a choice of scale, i.e. to a choice of Carnot-Carathéodory metric in the conformal class. The result of this computation has applications to the study of the conformal Fefferman space of a qc manifold. In addition to this application, we are also able to easily compute a tensorial formula for the qc analog of the Weyl curvature tensor in conformal geometry and the Chern-Moser tensor in CR geometry. This ten…
A quaternionic contact (qc) heat equation and the corresponding qc energy functional are introduced. It is shown that the qc energy functional is monotone non-increasing along the qc heat equation on a compact qc manifold provided certain positivity conditions are satisfied.
We construct explicit left invariant quaternionic contact structures on Lie groups with zero and non-zero torsion, and with non-vanishing quaternionic contact conformal curvature tensor, thus showing the existence of quaternionic contact manifolds not locally quaternionic contact conformal to the quaternionic sphere. We present a left invariant quaternionic contact structure on a seven dimensional non-nilpotent Lie group, and show that this structure is locally quaternionic contact conformal to the flat quaternionic contact structure on the quaternionic Heisenberg group. On the product of a se…
We show that a compact quaternionic contact manifold of dimension seven that satisfies a Lichnerowicz-type lower Ricci-type bound and has the $P$-function of any eigenfunction of the sub-Laplacian non-negative achieves its smallest possible eigenvalue only if the structure is qc-Einstein. In particular, under the stated conditions, the lowest eigenvalue is achieved if and only if the manifold is qc-equivalent to the standard $3$-Sasakian sphere.
We report on some aspects and recent progress in certain problems in the sub-Riemannian CR and quaternionic contact (QC) geometries. The focus are the corresponding Yamabe problems on the round spheres, the Lichnerowicz-Obata first eigenvalue estimates, and the relation between these two problems. A motivation from the Riemannian case highlights new and old ideas which are then developed in the settings of Iwasawa sub-Riemannian geometries.
Modelled on a real hypersurface in a quaternionic manifold, we introduce a quaternionic analogue of CR structure, called quaternionic CR structure. We define the strong pseudoconvexity of this structure as well as the notion of quaternionic pseudohermitian structure. Following the construction of the Tanaka-Webster connection in complex CR geometry, we construct a canonical connection associated with a quaternionic pseudohermitian structure, when the underlying quaternionic CR structure satisfies the ultra-pseudoconvexity which is stronger than the strong pseudoconvexity. Comparison to Biquard…
The main technical result of the paper is a Bochner type formula for the sub-laplacian on a quaternionic contact manifold. With the help of this formula we establish a version of Lichnerowicz' theorem giving a lower bound of the eigenvalues of the sub-Laplacian under a lower bound on the $Sp(n)Sp(1)$ components of the qc-Ricci curvature. It is shown that in the case of a 3-Sasakian manifold the lower bound is reached iff the quaternionic contact manifold is a round 3-Sasakian sphere. Another goal of the paper is to establish a-priori estimates for square integrals of horizontal derivatives of …
In this paper, we study the heat kernel associated to the intrinsic sublaplacian on a quaternionic contact manifold considered as a subriemannian manifold. More precisely, we explicitly compute the first two coefficients $c_0$ and $c_1$ appearing in the small time asymptotics expansion of the heat kernel on the diagonal. We show that the second coefficient $c_1$ depends linearly on the qc scalar curvature $κ$. Finally we apply our results to compact qc-Einstein manifolds and prove the spectral invariance of geometric quantities in the subriemannian setting.
In this note, we describe the geometry of the quaternionic Heisenberg groups from a Riemannian viewpoint. We show, in all dimensions, that they carry an almost $3$-contact metric structure which allows us to define the metric connection that equips these groups with the structure of a naturally reductive homogeneous space. It turns out that this connection, which we shall call the canonical connection because of its analogy to the $3$-Sasaki case, preserves the horizontal and vertical distributions and even the quaternionic contact structure of the quaternionic Heisenberg groups. We focus on t…
We apply the general theory of codimension one integrability conditions for $G$-structures developed in arXiv:1306.6817v3 [math.DG] to the case of quaternionic CR geometry. We obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for an almost CR quaternionic manifold to admit local immersions as an hypersurface of the quaternionic projective space. We construct a deformation of the standard quaternionic contact structure on the quaternionic Heisenberg group which does not admit local immersions in any quaternionic manifold.
Let Z be a compact complex (2n+1)-manifold which carries a {\em complex contact structure}, meaning a codimension-1 holomorphic sub-bundle D of TZ which is maximally non-integrable. If Z admits a Kähler-Einstein metric of positive scalar curvature, we show that it is the Salamon twistor space of a quaternion-Kähler manifold (M^{4n}, g). If Z also admits a second complex contact structure, then Z= CP_{2n+1}. As an application, we give several new characterizations of the Riemannian manifold HP_n=Sp(n+1)/( Sp(n)\times Sp(1)).
We prove a Bonnet-Myers type theorem for quaternionic contact manifolds of dimension bigger than 7. If the manifold is complete with respect to the natural sub-Riemannian distance and satisfies a natural Ricci-type bound expressed in terms of derivatives up to the third order of the fundamental tensors, then the manifold is compact and we give a sharp bound on its sub-Riemannian diameter.
We consider the unique Hermitian connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion on a Hermitian manifold. We prove that if the torsion is parallel and the holonomy is Sp(n)U(1), considered as a subgroup of U(2n) x U(1), then the manifold is locally isomorphic to the twistor space of a quaternionic Kaehler manifold with positive scalar curvature. If the manifold is complete, then it is globally isomorphic to such a twistor space.
Contact path geometries are curved geometric structures on a contact manifold comprising smooth families of paths modeled on the family of all isotropic lines in the projectivization of a symplectic vector space. Locally such a structure is equivalent to the graphs in the space of independent and depedent variables of the family of solutions of a system of an odd number of second order ODE's subject to a single maximally non-integrable constraint. A subclass of contact path geometries is distinguished by the vanishing of an invariant contact torsion. For this subclass the equivalence problem i…
We explicitly write down all eigenvalues of the Rumin Laplacian on the standard contact spheres, and express the analytic torsion functions associated with the {Rumin complex} in terms of the Riemann zeta function. In particular, we find that the functions vanish at the origin and determine the analytic torsions.
We study 5-dimensional Riemannian manifolds that admit an almost contact metric structure. We classify these structures by their intrinsic torsion and review the literature in terms of this scheme. Moreover, we determine necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of metric connections with vectorial, totally skew-symmetric or traceless cyclic torsion that are compatible with the almost contact metric structure. Finally, we examine explicit examples of almost contact metric 5-manifolds from this perspective.
A natural connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion on almost contact manifolds with B-metric is constructed. The class of these manifolds, where the considered connection exists, is determined. Some curvature properties for this connection, when the corresponding curvature tensor has the properties of the curvature tensor for the Levi-Civita connection and the torsion tensor is parallel, are obtained.
The space of the torsion (0,3)-tensors of the linear connections on almost contact manifolds with B-metric is decomposed in 15 orthogonal and invariant subspaces with respect to the action of the structure group. Three known connections, preserving the structure, are characterized regarding this classification.
We go further on the study of harmonicity for almost contact metric structures already initiated by Vergara-Diaz and Wood. By using the intrinsic torsion, we characterise harmonic almost contact metric structures in several equivalent ways and show conditions relating harmonicity and classes of almost contact metric structures. Additionally, we study the harmonicity of such structures as a map into the quotient bundle of the oriented orthonormal frames by the action of the structural group U(n)x1. Finally, by using a Bochner type formula proved by Bor and Hernandez Lamoneda, we display some ex…
We propose a definition for analytic torsion of the Rumin complex on contact manifolds. This is given by the derivative at zero of a well-chosen combination of zeta functions of a fourth-order modified Rumin Laplacian. The regular value at zero (before differentiation) of this well-chosen combination of zeta functions is shown to be a contact invariant. The variation of our analytic torsion is given as the integral of local terms, together with a global term coming from the null-space of the Laplacian.
For an almost contact metric manifold $N$, we find conditions for which either the total space of an $S^1$-bundle over $N$ or the Riemannian cone over $N$ admits a strong Kähler with torsion (SKT) structure. In this way we construct new 6-dimensional SKT manifolds. Moreover, we study the geometric structure induced on a hypersurface of an SKT manifold, and use such structures to construct new SKT manifolds via appropriate evolution equations. Hyper-Kähler with torsion (HKT) structures on the total space of an $S^1$-bundle over manifolds with three almost contact structures are also studied.
On a main class of the almost contact manifolds with B-metric, it is described the family of the linear connections preserving the manifold's structures by 4 parameters. In this family there are determined the canonical-type connection and the connection with zero parameters.
