We use classical (Penrose) two-component spinors to set up the differential geometry of two parabolic contact structures in five dimensions, namely $G_2$ contact geometry and Legendrean contact geometry. The key players in these two geometries are invariantly defined directional derivatives defined only in the contact directions. We explain how to define them and their usage in constructing basic invariants such as the harmonic curvature, the obstruction to being locally flat from the parabolic viewpoint. As an application, we calculate the invariant torsion of the $G_2$ contact structure on the configuration space of a flying saucer (always a five-dimensional contact manifold).
We collect our recent results ([5] and [8]) and we get the equivalence of the three notions of the title under some conditions. We then use this equivalence in order to prove some consequences about Sasakian manifolds, complex almost contact structures and complex k-contact structures.
We classify locally homogeneous quasi-Sasakian manifolds in dimension five that admit a parallel spinor $ψ$ of algebraic type $F \cdot ψ= 0$ with respect to the unique connection $\nabla$ preserving the quasi-Sasakian structure and with totally skew-symmetric torsion. We introduce a certain conformal transformation of almost contact metric manifolds and discuss a link between them and the dilation function in 5-dimensional string theory. We find natural conditions implying conformal invariances of parallel spinors. We present topological obstructions to the existence of parallel spinors in the…
We give a classification of $1^{st}$ order invariant differential operators acting between sections of certain bundles associated to Cartan geometries of the so called metaplectic contact projective type. These bundles are associated via representations, which are derived from the so called higher symplectic, harmonic or generalized Kostant spinor modules. Higher symplectic spinor modules are arising from the Segal-Shale-Weil representation of the metaplectic group by tensoring it by finite dimensional modules. We show that for all pairs of the considered bundles, there is at most one $1^{st}$…
We develop a spinorial description of CR structures of arbitrary codimension. More precisely, we characterize almost CR structures of arbitrary codimension on (Riemannian) manifolds by the existence of a Spin$^{c, r}$ structure carrying a partially pure spinor field. We study various integrability conditions of the almost CR structure in our spinorial setup, including the classical integrability of a CR structure as well as those implied by Killing-type conditions on the partially pure spinor field. In the codimension one case, we develop a spinorial description of strictly pseudoconvex CR man…
We present a complete classification and the construction of $\mathrm{Mp}(2n+2,\mathbb{R})$-equivariant differential operators acting on the principal series representations, associated to the contact projective geometry on $\mathbb{RP}^{2n+1}$ and induced from the irreducible $\mathrm{Mp}(2n,\mathbb{R})$-submodules of the Segal-Shale-Weil representation twisted by a one-parameter family of characters. The proof is based on the classification of homomorphisms of generalized Verma modules for the Segal-Shale-Weil representation twisted by a one-parameter family of characters, together with a ge…
In this paper, we write down Seiberg-Witten equations on contact metric manifolds of dimension 5. Any contact metric manifold has a spin^c structure. For Dirac equation we use Dirac type operators associated to the generalized Tanaka-Webster connection on spin^c spinor bundle of a contact metric manifold. For curvature equation we need to self-duality concept. Self-duality concept is significant on odd dimensional manifolds, particularly, on 5-dimensional contact manifolds. Finally, we give a global solution to these equations on strictly pseudoconvex CR manifolds.
We develop an invariant approach to $SU(2)$--structures on spin $5$--manifolds. We characterize (via spinor approach) the subspaces in the spinor bundle which induce the same group isomorphic to $SU(2)$. Moreover, we show how to induce quaternionic structure on the contact distribution of considered $SU(2)$--structure. We conclude with the invariance of certain components of the covariant derivative $\nablaφ$, where $φ$ is any spinor field defining considered $SU(2)$--structure. This shows, what expected, that (at least some of) the intrinsic torsion modules, can be derived invariantly with th…
This paper is devoted to the systematic investigation of the cone construction for Riemannian $G$ manifolds M, endowed with an invariant metric connection with skew torsion $\nabla^c$, a `characteristic connection'. We show how to define a $\bar G$ structure on the cone $\bar M=M\x \R^+$ with a cone metric, and we prove that a Killing spinor with torsion on $M$ induces a spinor on $\bar M$ that is parallel w.\,r.\,t. the characteristic connection of the $\bar G$ structure. We establish the explicit correspondence between classes of metric almost contact structures on $M$ and almost hermitian c…
There are studied in details 5-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian manifolds equipped with the structure analogous to the almost cosymplectic (almost coKaehler) structure. The curvature by assumption commutes with the structure affinor and all these manifolds are Walker spaces. There are obtained classifications for manifolds for contact Ricci potential, locally flat manifolds and described all connected, simply connected Lie groups admiting left-invariant structure. There are some other more general results.
We describe all almost contact metric, almost hermitian and $G_2$-structures admitting a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion tensor, and prove that there exists at most one such connection. We investigate its torsion form, its Ricci tensor, the Dirac operator and the $\nabla$-parallel spinors. In particular, we obtain solutions of the type II string in dimension $n=5,6$ and 7.
We consider a generalization of Einstein-Sasaki manifolds, which we characterize in terms both of spinors and differential forms, that in the real analytic case corresponds to contact manifolds whose symplectic cone is Calabi-Yau. We construct solvable examples in seven dimensions. Then, we consider circle actions that preserve the structure, and determine conditions for the contact reduction to carry an induced structure of the same type. We apply this construction to obtain a new hypo-contact structure on S^2\times T^3.
We consider Legendrian contact structures on odd-dimensional complex analytic manifolds. We are particularly interested in integrable structures, which can be encoded by compatible complete systems of second order PDEs on a scalar function of many independent variables and considered up to point transformations. Using the techniques of parabolic differential geometry, we compute the associated regular, normal Cartan connection and give explicit formulas for the harmonic part of the curvature. The PDE system is trivializable by means of point transformations if and only if the harmonic curvatur…
We prove that a K-contact Lie group of dimension five or greater is the central extension of a symplectic Lie group by complexifying the Lie algebra and applying a result from complex contact geometry, namely, that, if the adjoint action of the complex Reeb vector field on a complex contact Lie algebra is diagonalizable, then it is trivial.
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 consider the CR Yamabe equation with critical Sobolev exponent on a closed contact manifold M of dimension 2n + 1. The problem of finding solutions with minimum energy has been resolved for all dimensions except dimension 5 (n = 2). In this paper we prove the existence of minimum energy solutions in the 5-dimensional case when M is spin. The proof is based on a positive mass theorem built up through a spinorial approach.
We calculate the relevant Spencer cohomology of the minimal Poincaré superalgebra in 5 spacetime dimensions and use it to define Killing spinors via a connection on the spinor bundle of a 5-dimensional lorentzian spin manifold. We give a definition of bosonic backgrounds in terms of this data. By imposing constraints on the curvature of the spinor connection, we recover the field equations of minimal (ungauged) 5-dimensional supergravity, but also find a set of field equations for an $\mathfrak{sp}(1)$-valued one-form which we interpret as the bosonic data of a class of rigid supersymmetric th…
We study the equations governing rigid N=1 supersymmetry in five dimensions. If the supersymmetry spinor satisfies a reality condition, these are foliations admitting families of almost complex structures on the leaves. In other words, all these manifolds have families of almost Cauchy-Riemann (CR) structures. After deriving integrability conditions under which circumstances the almost CR structure defines a CR manifold or a transversally holomorphic foliation (THF), we discuss implications on localization. We also discuss potential global obstructions to the existence of solutions.
We construct $Q$-curvature operators on $d$-closed $(1,1)$-forms and on $\overline{\partial}_b$-closed $(0,1)$-forms on five-dimensional pseudohermitian manifolds. These closely related operators give rise to a new formula for the scalar $Q$-curvature. As applications, we give a cohomological characterization of CR five-manifolds which admit a $Q$-flat contact form; and we show that every closed, strictly pseudoconvex CR five-manifold with trivial first real Chern class admits a $Q$-flat contact form provided the $Q$-curvature operator on $\overline{\partial}_b$-closed $(0,1)$-forms is nonnega…
We determine the geometry of supersymmetric heterotic string backgrounds for which all parallel spinors with respect to the connection $\hat\nabla$ with torsion $H$, the NS$\otimes$NS three-form field strength, are Killing. We find that there are two classes of such backgrounds, the null and the timelike. The Killing spinors of the null backgrounds have stability subgroups $K\ltimes\bR^8$ in $Spin(9,1)$, for $K=Spin(7)$, SU(4), $Sp(2)$, $SU(2)\times SU(2)$ and $\{1\}$, and the Killing spinors of the timelike backgrounds have stability subgroups $G_2$, SU(3), SU(2) and $\{1\}$. The former admit…
In this paper we examine a new class of five dimensional (5D) exact solutions in extra dimension gravity possessing Lie algebroid symmetry. The constructions provide a motivation for the theory of Clifford nonholonomic algebroids elaborated in Ref. hep-th/0501217. Such Einstein-Dirac spacetimes are parametrized by generic off--diagonal metrics and nonholonomic frames (vielbeins) with associated nonlinear connection structure. They describe self-consistent propagations of (3D) Dirac wave packets in 5D nonholonomically deformed Taub NUT spacetimes and have two physically distinct properties: Fis…
Using the Hard Lefschetz Theorem for Sasakian manifolds, we find two examples of compact K-contact nilmanifolds with no compatible Sasakian metric in dimensions five and seven, respectively
We construct a versal family of deformations of CR structures in five dimensions, using a differential complex closely related to the differential form complex introduced by Rumin for contact manifolds.
