We define solitons for the generalized Ricci flow on an exact Courant algebroid, building on the definitions of M. Garcia-Fernandez and J. Streets. We then define a family of flows for left-invariant Dorfman brackets on an exact Courant algebroid over a simply connected nilpotent Lie group, generalizing the bracket flows for nilpotent Lie brackets in a way that might make this new family of flows useful for the study of generalized geometric flows, such as the generalized Ricci flow. We provide explicit examples of both constructions on the Heisenberg group. We also discuss solutions to the generalized Ricci flow on the Heisenberg group.
Any expanding homogeneous Ricci soliton (in particular any homogeneous Einstein manifold of negative scalar curvature) can be obtained, up to isometry, from a Lie subgroup of a nilpotent Iwasawa group $N$ whose induced metric is a Ricci soliton. By nilpotent Iwasawa group we mean the nilpotent Lie group $N$ of the Iwasawa decomposition associated with a symmetric space of non-compact type. Motivated by this fact, in this paper we classify codimension one Lie subgroups of any nilpotent Iwasawa group $N$ whose induced metric is a Ricci soliton.
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Ricci Yang-Mills soliton equations on nilpotent Lie groups. In the 2-step nilpotent setting, we show that these equations are strictly weaker than the Ricci soliton equations. Using techniques from Geometric Invariant Theory, we develop a procedure to build many different kinds of Ricci Yang-Mills solitons. We finish this note by producing examples of Lie groups that do not admit Ricci soliton metrics but that do admit Ricci Yang-Mills soliton metrics.
We study solutions to generalized Ricci flow on four-manifolds with a nilpotent, codimension $1$ symmetry. We show that all such flows are immortal, and satisfy type III curvature and diameter estimates. Using a new kind of monotone energy adapted to this setting, we show that blowdown limits lie in a canonical finite-dimensional family of solutions. The results are new for Ricci flow.
It is known that a closed collapsed Riemannian $n$-manifold $(M,g)$ of bounded Ricci curvature and Reifenberg local covering geometry admits a nilpotent structure in the sense of Cheeger-Fukaya-Gromov with respect to a smoothed metric $g(t)$. We prove that a canonical nilpotent structure over a regular limit space that describes the collapsing of original metric $g$ can be defined and uniquely determined up to a conjugation, and prove that the nilpotent structures arising from nearby metrics $g_ε$ with respect to $g_ε$'s sectional curvature bound are equivalent to the canonical one.
The goal of this paper is to investigate which one of thenon-isometric left invariant Lorentz metrics on 4-dimensional nilpotent Lie groups $H_3 \times {\Bbb R}$ and $G_4$ satisfy in Ricci Soliton equation. Among the left-invariant Lorentzian metrics on $H_3 \times {\Bbb R}$, ~ $g_λ^{+}$ is a shrinking while $g_λ^{+}$ and $g_μ$ are expanding and also $g_0^1, g_0^2, g_0^3$ have Ricci solitons. We exhibit among the non-isometric left invariant Lorentz metric on the group $G_4$ only $g_1^λ, g_2^λ$ have Lorentz Ricci solitons and $g_2^λ$ is a shrinking.
We consider Ricci flow on two classes of nilpotent Lie groups that generalize the three-dimensional Heisenberg group: the higher-dimensional classical Heisenberg groups, and the groups of real unitriangular matrices. Each group is known to admit a Ricci soliton, but we construct them \textit{explicitly} on each group. In the first case, this is done using Lott's blowdown method, whereby we demonstrate convergence of arbitrary diagonal metrics to the solitons. In the second case, which is more complicated, we obtain the solitons using a suitable ansatz.
In this paper, we study the Ricci-Bourguignon flow on higher dimensional classical Heisenberg nilpotent Lie groups and construct a solution of this flow on Heisenberg and quaternion nilpotent Lie groups. In the end, we investigate the deformation of spectrum and length spectrum on compact nilmanifolds obtained of Heisenberg and quaternion nilpotent Lie groups.
In the homogeneous case, the only curvature behavior which is still far from being understood is Ricci negative. In this paper, we study which nilpotent Lie algebras admit a Ricci negative solvable extension. Different unexpected behaviors were found. On the other hand, given a nilpotent Lie algebra, we consider the space of all the derivations such that the corresponding solvable extension has a metric with negative Ricci curvature. Using the nice convexity properties of the moment map for the variety of nilpotent Lie algebras, we obtain a useful characterization of such derivations and some …
We introduce a combinatorial method to construct indefinite Ricci-flat metrics on nice nilpotent Lie groups. We prove that every nilpotent Lie group of dimension $\leq6$, every nice nilpotent Lie group of dimension $\leq7$ and every two-step nilpotent Lie group attached to a graph admits such a metric. We construct infinite families of Ricci-flat nilmanifolds associated to parabolic nilradicals in the simple Lie groups ${\rm SL}(n)$, ${\rm SO}(p,q)$, ${\rm Sp}(n,\mathbb R)$. Most of these metrics are shown not to be flat.
We prove that the Ricci flow g(t) starting at any metric on the euclidean space that is invariant by a transitive nilpotent Lie group N, can be obtained by solving an ODE for a curve of nilpotent Lie brackets. By using that this ODE is the negative gradient flow of a homogeneous polynomial, we obtain that g(t) is type-III, and, up to pull-back by time-dependent diffeomorphisms, that g(t) converges to the flat metric, and the rescaling |R(g(t))|g(t) converges smoothly to a Ricci soliton, uniformly on compact sets. The Ricci soliton limit is also invariant by some transitive nilpotent Lie group,…
This is partly an expository paper, where the authors' work on pseudoriemannian Einstein metrics on nilpotent Lie groups is reviewed. A new criterion is given for the existence of a diagonal Einstein metric on a nice nilpotent Lie group. Classifications of special classes of Ricci-flat metrics on nilpotent Lie groups of dimension $\leq8$ are obtained. Some related open questions are presented.
We exhibit families of Ricci-flat Kahler metrics on K3 surfaces which collapse to an interval, with Tian-Yau and Taub-NUT metrics occurring as bubbles. There is a corresponding continuous surjective map from the K3 surface to the interval, with regular fibers diffeomorphic to either 3-tori or Heisenberg nilmanifolds.
Let $(G,h)$ be a nilpotent Lie group endowed with a left invariant Riemannian metric, $\mathfrak{g}$ its Euclidean Lie algebra and $Z(\mathfrak{g})$ the center of $\mathfrak{g}$. By using an orthonormal basis adapted to the splitting $\mathfrak{g}=(Z(\mathfrak{g})\cap[\mathfrak{g},\mathfrak{g}])\oplus O^+\oplus (Z(\mathfrak{g})\cap[\mathfrak{g},\mathfrak{g}]^\perp)\oplus O^-$, where $O^+$ (resp. $O^-$) is the orthogonal of $Z(\mathfrak{g})\cap[\mathfrak{g},\mathfrak{g}]$ in $[\mathfrak{g},\mathfrak{g}]$ (resp. is the orthogonal of $Z(\mathfrak{g})\cap[\mathfrak{g},\mathfrak{g}]^\perp$ in $[\ma…
We determine all Ricci flat left invariant Lorentzian metrics on simply connected 2-step nilpotent Lie groups. We show that the $2k+1$-dimensional Heisenberg Lie group $H_{2k+1}$ carries a Ricci flat left invariant Lorentzian metric if and only if $k=1$. We show also that for any $2\leq q\leq k$, $H_{2k+1}$ carries a Ricci flat left invariant pseudo-Riemannian metric of signature $(q,2k+1-q)$ and we give explicite examples of such metrics.
Given a nilpotent Lie algebra, we study the space of all diagonalizable derivations such that the corresponding one-dimensional solvable extension admits a left-invariant metric with negative Ricci curvature. It has been conjectured by Lauret-Will that such a space coincides with an open and convex subset of derivations defined in terms of the moment map for the variety of nilpotent Lie algebras. We prove the validity of the conjecture in dimension 5, as well as for Heisenberg and standard filiform Lie algebras.
This paper consists of two parts. First, motivated by classic results, we determine the subsets of a given nilpotent Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ (respectively, of the Grassmannian of two-planes of $\mathfrak{g}$) whose sign of Ricci (respectively, sectional) curvature remains unchanged for an arbitrary choice of a positive definite inner product on $\mathfrak{g}$. In the second part we study the subsets of $\mathfrak{g}$ which are, for some inner product, the eigenvectors of the Ricci operator with the maximal and with the minimal eigenvalue, respectively. We show that the closures of these sub…
We study the question of the existence of left-invariant Sasaki contact structures on the seven-dimensional nilpotent Lie groups. It is shown that the only Lie group allowing Sasaki structure with a positive definite metric tensor is the Heisenberg group. We find a complete list of the 22 classes of seven-dimensional nilpotent Lie groups which admit pseudo-Sasaki structure. We also present a list of 25 classes of seven-dimensional nilpotent Lie groups admitting a $K$-contact structure, but not the pseudo-Sasaki structure. All the contact structures considered are central extensions of six-dime…
In this paper, we study Lorentzian left invariant Einstein metrics on nilpotent Lie groups. We show that if the center of such Lie groups is degenerate then they are Ricci-flat and their Lie algebras can be obtained by the double extension process from an abelian Euclidean Lie algebra. We show that all nilpotent Lie groups up to dimension $5$ endowed with a Lorentzian Einstein left invariant metric have degenerate center and we use this fact to give a complete classification of these metrics. We show that if $\mathfrak{g}$ is the Lie algebra of a nilpotent Lie group endowed with a Lorentzian l…
Every finite dimensional real representation of a compact real semisimple Lie algebra determines a metric 2-step nilpotent Lie algebra and a corresponding simply connected metric 2-step nilpotent Lie group N. We study the differential geometry of N using representation theory of the complexified complex semisimple Lie algebra.
We answer in the affirmative the question posed by Conti and Rossi on the existence of nilpotent Lie algebras of dimension 7 with an Einstein pseudo-metric of nonzero scalar curvature. Indeed, we construct a left-invariant pseudo-Riemannian metric $g$ of signature $(3, 4)$ on a nilpotent Lie group of dimension 7, such that $g$ is Einstein and not Ricci-flat. We show that the pseudo-metric $g$ cannot be induced by any left-invariant closed $G_2^*$-structure on the Lie group. Moreover, some results on closed and harmonic $G_2^*$-structures on an arbitrary 7-manifold $M$ are given. In particular,…
A Lie algebra is called nonsoliton if it does not admit a soliton inner product. We demonstrate that the subset of nonsoliton Lie algebras in the moduli space of indecomposable n-dimensional N-graded nilpotent Lie algebras is discrete if and only if n <= 7.
In this paper we study contact structure on 2-step nilpotent, Heisenberg type Lie groups. We decompose this Lie groups to center and orthogonal complement, then investigate properties of both orthogonal Lie subgroups. Finally, we provide a connection between matchings in groups and field extensions and 2-step nilpotent Lie groups.
We study complex product structures on nilpotent Lie algebras, establishing some of their main properties, and then we restrict ourselves to 6 dimensions, obtaining the classification of 6-dimensional nilpotent Lie algebras admitting such structures. We prove that any complex structure which forms part of a complex product structure on a 6-dimensional nilpotent Lie algebra must be nilpotent in the sense of Cordero-Fernández-Gray-Ugarte. A study is made of the torsion-free connection associated to the complex product structure and we consider also the associated hypercomplex structures on the 1…
We study the Ricci tensor of left-invariant pseudoriemannian metrics on Lie groups. For an appropriate class of Lie groups that contains nilpotent Lie groups, we introduce a variety with a natural $\mathrm{GL}(n,\mathbb{R})$ action, whose orbits parametrize Lie groups with a left-invariant metric; we show that the Ricci operator can be identified with the moment map relative to a natural symplectic structure. From this description we deduce that the Ricci operator is the derivative of the scalar curvature $s$ under gauge transformations of the metric, and show that Lie algebra derivations with…
A flat pseudo-Euclidean Lie algebra is a real Lie algebra with a non degenerate symmetric bilinear form and a left symmetric product whose the commutator is the Lie bracket and such that the left multiplications are skew-symmetric. We show that the center of a flat pseudo-Euclidean nilpotent Lie algebra of signature $(2,n-2)$ must be degenerate and all flat pseudo-Euclidean nilpotent Lie algebras of signature $(2,n-2)$ can be obtained by using the double extension process from flat Lorentzian nilpotent Lie algebras. We show also that the center of a flat pseudo-Euclidean 2-step nilpotent Lie a…
In this article we show that the only 2-step nilpotent Lie groups which carry a non-degenerate left invariant Killing-Yano 2-form are the complex Lie groups. In the case of 2-step nilpotent complex Lie groups arising from connected graphs, we prove that the space of left invariant Killing-Yano 2-forms is one-dimensional.
We study relation of the Ricci Flow on 3-dimensional Lie groups and 4-dimensional Ricci-flat manifolds. In particular, we construct Ricci-flat cohomogeneity one metrics with respect to 3-dimensional Lie groups.
We completely describe the signatures of the Ricci curvature of left-invariant Riemannian metrics on arbitrary real nilpotent Lie groups. The main idea in the proof is to exploit a link between the kernel of the Ricci endomorphism and closed orbits in a certain representation of the general linear group, which we prove using the `real GIT' framework for the Ricci curvature of nilmanifolds.
We establish necessary and sufficient conditions for existence of isometric immersions of a simply connected Riemannian manifold into a two-step nilpotent Lie group. This comprises the case of immersions into $H$-type groups.
We determine the moduli space of metric 2-step nilpotent Lie algebras of dimension up to 6. This space is homeomorphic to a cone over a 4-dimensional contractible simplicial complex.
The goals of this article are twofold : 1) to compute the conjugate locus of a geodesic that lies in the center of a simply connected, 2-step nilpotent Lie group with a left invariant metric 2) compare the isometry types of two such nilpotent Lie groups whose conjugate loci for central geodesics are "the same" in a suitable sense. The first goal is achieved. The second is elusive, but we obtain a partial result.
In this paper, we consider left-invariant para-complex structures on six-dimensional nilpotent Lie groups. A complete list of six-dimensional nilpotent Lie groups that admit para-Kähler structures is obtained, explicit expressions for para-complex structures are found, and curvature properties of associated para-Kähler metrics are investigated. It is shown that paracomplex structures are nilpotent and the corresponding para-Kähler metrics are Ricci-flat.
We prove injectivity and a support theorem for the X-ray transform on $2$-step nilpotent Lie groups with many totally geodesic $2$-dimensional flats. The result follows from a general reduction principle for manifolds with uniformly escaping geodesics.
In this paper we get a necessary and sufficient condition for the Ricci operator of a solvable metric Lie algebra to have at least two negative eigenvalues. In particular, this condition implies that the Ricci operator of every non-unimodular solvable metric Lie algebra or every non-abelian nilpotent metric Lie algebra has this property.
In this paper an alternative definition of the Rumin complex $(E_0^\bullet,d_c)$ is presented, one that relies on a different concept of weights of forms. In this way, the Rumin complex can be constructed on any nilpotent Lie group equipped with a Carnot-Carathéodory metric. Moreover, this construction allows for the direct application of previous non-vanishing results of $\ell^{q,p}$ cohomology to all nilpotent Lie groups that admit a positive grading.
We study HKT structures on nilpotent Lie groups and on associated nilmanifolds. We exhibit three weak HKT structures on $\R^8$ which are homogeneous with respect to extensions of Heisenberg type Lie groups. The corresponding hypercomplex structures are of a special kind, called abelian. We prove that on any 2-step nilpotent Lie group all invariant HKT structures arise from abelian hypercomplex structures. Furthermore, we use a correspondence between abelian hypercomplex structures and subspaces of ${\frak sp}(n)$ to produce continuous families of compact and noncompact of manifolds carrying no…
In this work we study the problem of existence of symplectic structures on free nilpotent Lie algebras. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for even dimensional ones. The one dimensional central extension for odd dimensional free nilpotent Lie algebras is also considered.
In this paper we study some affine structures on nilpotent Lie algebras endowed with a contact form. These affine structures are constructed from an affine structure on a symplectic Lie algebra by a central extension.
We consider a method popular in the literature of associating a two-step nilpotent Lie algebra with a finite simple graph. We prove that the two-step nilpotent Lie algebras associated with two graphs are Lie isomorphic if and only if the graphs from which they arise are isomorphic.
We classify the nilpotent Lie algebras of real dimension eight and minimal center that admit a complex structure. Furthermore, for every such nilpotent Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$, we describe the space of complex structures on $\mathfrak{g}$ up to isomorphism. As an application, the nilpotent Lie algebras having a non-trivial abelian $J$-invariant ideal are classified up to eight dimensions.
We present the classification of real nilpotent quasi-filiform Lie algebras endowed with a complex structure. A nilpotent Lie algebra g is called quasi-filiform is the nilindex is equal to dim(n)-2. We recall that the filiform case (nilindex =dim(g)-1) has already been studied.
We classify real 6-dimensional nilpotent Lie algebras for which the corresponding Lie group has a left-invariant complex structure, and estimate the dimensions of moduli spaces of such structures.
We associate a two-step nilpotent Lie algebra to an arbitrary Schreier graph. We then use properties of the Schreier graph to determine necessary and sufficient conditions for this Lie algebra to extend to a three-step nilpotent Lie algebra. As an application, if we start with pairs of non-isomorphic Schreier graphs coming from Gassmann-Sunada triples, we prove that the pair of associated two-step nilpotent Lie algebras are always isometric. In contrast, we use a well-known pair of Schreier graphs to show that the associated three-step nilpotent extensions need not be isometric.
We study nilpotent Lie algebras endowed with a complex structure and a quadratic structure which is pseudo-Hermitian for the given complex structure. We propose several methods to construct such Lie algebras and describe a method of double extension by planes to get an inductive description of all of them. As an application, we give a complete classification of nilpotent quadratic Lie algebras where the metric is Lorentz-Hermitian and we fully classify all nilpotent pseudo-Hermitian quadratic Lie algebras up to dimension 8 and their inequivalent pseudo-Hermitian metrics.
Verifying a conjecture of Gromov we establish a generalized Margulis Lemma for manifolds with lower Ricci curvature bound. Among the various applications are finiteness results for fundamental groups of compact $n$-manifolds with upper diameter and lower Ricci curvature bound modulo nilpotent normal subgroups.
In math.DG/0312243 we developed a general classification scheme for metric Lie algebras, i.e. for finite-dimensional Lie algebras equipped with a non-degenerate invariant inner product. Here we determine all nilpotent Lie algebras l with dim l'=2 which are used in this scheme. Furthermore, we classify all nilpotent metric Lie algebras of dimension at most 10.
To any connected and simply connected nilpotent Lie group N, one can associate its group of affine transformations Aff(N). In this paper, we study simply transitive actions of a given nilpotent Lie group G on another nilpotent Lie group N, via such affine transformations. We succeed in translating the existence question of such a simply transitive affine action to a corresponding question on the Lie algebra level. As an example of the possible use of this translation, we then consider the case where dim(G)=dim(N) less than 6. Finally, we specialize to the case of abelian simply transitive affi…
A 2-step nilpotent Lie algebra n is said to be of type (p,q)if dim(n)=p+q and dim([n,n])=p. By considering a class of 2-step nilpotent Lie algebras naturally attached to graphs, we prove that there exist indecomposable, 2-step nilpotent Lie groups of type (p,q) which do not admit a nilsoliton metric for every pair (p,q) such that 20 < q and q-2 < p < 1/2q^2-5/2q+10. This improves a result due to Jablonski.
Let N be a nilpotent Lie group and let S be an invariant geometric structure on N (cf. symplectic, complex or hypercomplex). We define a left invariant Riemannian metric on N compatible with S to be "minimal", if it minimizes the norm of the invariant part of the Ricci tensor among all compatible metrics with the same scalar curvature. We prove that minimal metrics (if any) are unique up to isometry and scaling, they develop soliton solutions for the invariant Ricci flow and are characterized as the critical points of a natural variational problem. The uniqueness allows us to distinguish geome…
