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 consider Einstein-like QKT manifold and find closed relations with Einstein-Weyl geometry in dimension four.
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 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.
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 curvat…
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 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…
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.
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.
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…
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 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.
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.
We study the classification of special almost hermitian manifolds in Gray and Hervella's type classes. We prove that the exterior derivatives of the symplectic form and the complex volume form contain all the information about the intrinsic torsion of the $\SUn(n)$-structure. Furthermore, we apply the obtained results to almost hyperhermitian geometry. Thus, we show that the exterior derivatives of the three K{ä}hler forms of an almost hyperhermitian manifold are sufficient to determine the three covariant derivatives of such forms, i.e., the three mentioned exterior derivatives determine the …
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 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…
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.
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.
We give a procedure for constructing an $8n$-dimensional HKT Lie algebra starting from a $4n$-dimensional one by using a quaternionic representation of the latter. The strong (respectively, weak, hyper-Kähler, balanced) condition is preserved by our construction. As an application of our results we obtain a new compact HKT manifold with holonomy in $SL(n,\Bbb H)$ which is not a nilmanifold. We find in addition new compact strong HKT manifolds. We also show that every Kähler Lie algebra equipped with a flat, torsion-free complex connection gives rise to an HKT Lie algebra. We apply this method …
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…
To give an almost quaternionic structure on a 4n-manifold $M$ is equivalent to give its bundle of twistors $Z(Q)\longrightarrow M$. When $Q$ is invariant under a torsion free connection, $Z(Q) $ can be provided with an almost complex structure $ \mathbb J $. In the case $ n = 1 $ Atiyah, Hitchin and Singer have related the integrability of $ \mathbb J $ to the geometry of $ (M, Q) $. For $ n> 1 $ Salamon showed that the almost complex structure $ \mathbb J $ on $ Z (Q) $ is always integrable. The purpose of this article is to extend these results to the generalized complex geometry. We begin b…
A manifold (M,I,J,K) is called hypercomplex if I,J,K are complex structures satisfying quaternionic relations. A quaternionic Hermitian metric is called HKT (hyperkaehler with torsion) if $Idω_I = Jd ω_J=Kdω_K$, where $ω_I,ω_J, ω_K$ are Hermitian forms associated with I, J, K. A Hermitian metric $ω$ on a complex manifold is called balanced if $d^*ω=0$. We show that balanced HKT metrics are precisely the quaternionic Calabi-Yau metrics defined in terms of the quaternionic Monge-Ampere equation. In particular, a balanced HKT-metric is unique in its cohomology class, and it always exists if the q…
A hypercomplex manifold is a manifold equipped with a triple of complex structures $I, J, K$ satisfying the quaternionic relations. We define a quaternionic analogue of plurisubharmonic functions on hypercomplex manifolds, and interpret these functions geometrically as potentials of HKT (hyperkähler with torsion) metrics, and prove a quaternionic analogue of A.D. Aleksandrov and Chern-Levine-Nirenberg theorems.
In the first part, we define and investigate new classes of almost 3-contact metric manifolds, with two guiding ideas in mind: first, what geometric objects are best suited for capturing the key properties of almost 3-contact metric manifolds, and second, the newly defined classes should admit 'good' metric connections with skew torsion. In particular, we introduce the Reeb commutator function and the Reeb Killing function, we define the new classes of canonical almost 3-contact metric manifolds and of 3-$(α,δ)$-Sasaki manifolds (including as special cases 3-Sasaki manifolds, quaternionic Heis…
The geometry arising from Michelson & Strominger's study of N=4B supersymmetric quantum mechanics with superconformal D(2,1;alpha)-symmetry is a hyperKaehler manifold with torsion (HKT) together with a special homothety. It is shown that different parameters alpha are related via changes in potentials for the HKT target spaces. For alpha not 0 or -1, we describe how each such HKT 4m-manifold M is derived from a space N of dimension 4m-4 which is quaternionic Kaehler with torsion and carries an Abelian instanton.
Penrose's two-spinor notation for $4$-dimensional Lorentzian manifolds can be extended to two-component notation for quaternionic manifolds, which is a very useful tool for calculation. We construct a family of quaternionic complexes over unimodular quaternionic manifolds by elementary calculation. On complex quaternionic manifolds, which are essentially the complexification of real analytic quaternionic Kähler manifolds, the existence of these complexes was established by Baston by using twistor transformations and spectral sequences. Unimodular quaternionic manifolds constitute a nice and la…
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 consider the geometry determined by a torsion-free affine connection whose holonomy lies in the subgroup U*(2m), a real form of GL(2m,C), otherwise denoted by SL(m,H).U(1). We show in particular how examples may be generated from quaternionic Kähler or hyperkähler manifolds with a circle action.
A discussion of torsion of Riemannian G-structures leads to a survey of contributions of Alfred Gray and others on almost Hermitian manifolds, G_2-manifolds, curvature identities, volume expansions, plotting geodesics, and the geometry of nilmanifolds. The paper concludes with a new example of a compact 8-manifold with a quaternionic 4-form that is closed but not parallel.
The structure of nearly Kähler manifolds was studied by Gray in several papers. More recently, a relevant progress on the subject has been done by Nagy. Among other results, he proved that a strict and complete nearly Kähler manifold is locally a Riemannian product of homogeneous nearly Kähler spaces, twistor spaces over quaternionic K{ähler manifolds and six-dimensional nearly Kähler manifolds, where the homogeneous nearly Kähler factors are also 3-symmetric spaces. In the present paper, using the lists of $3$-symmetric spaces given by Wolf & Gray, we display the exhaustive list of irreducibl…
We consider locally conformal Kaehler geometry as an equivariant (homothetic) Kaehler geometry: a locally conformal Kaehler manifold is, up to equivalence, a pair (K,Γ) where K is a Kaehler manifold and Γa discrete Lie group of biholomorphic homotheties acting freely and properly discontinuously. We define a new invariant of a locally conformal Kaehler manifold (K,Γ) as the rank of a natural quotient of Γ, and prove its invariance under reduction. This equivariant point of view leads to a proof that locally conformal Kaehler reduction of compact Vaisman manifolds produces Vaisman manifolds and…
We investigate curvature properties of 3-$(α,δ)$-Sasaki manifolds, a special class of almost 3-contact metric manifolds generalizing 3-Sasaki manifolds (corresponding to $α= δ= 1$) that admit a canonical metric connection with skew torsion and define a Riemannian submersion over a quaternionic Kähler manifold with vanishing, positive or negative scalar curvature, according to $δ= 0$, $αδ> 0$ or $αδ< 0$. We shall investigate both the Riemannian curvature and the curvature of the canonical connection, with particular focus on their curvature operators, regarded as symmetric endomorphisms of the …
A hypercomplex manifold $M$ is a manifold equipped with three complex structures satisfying quaternionic relations. Such a manifold admits a canonical torsion-free connection preserving the quaternion action, called Obata connection. A quaternionic Hermitian metric is a Riemannian metric on which is invariant with respect to unitary quaternions. Such a metric is called HKT if it is locally obtained as a Hessian of a function averaged with quaternions. HKT metric is a natural analogue of a Kahler metric on a complex manifold. We push this analogy further, proving a quaternionic analogue of Buch…
The investigation of strings and M-theory involves the understanding of various BPS solitons which in a certain approximation can be thought of as solutions of ten- and eleven-dimensional supergravity theories. These solitons have a brane or a intersecting brane interpretation, saturate a bound and are associated with parallel spinors with respect to a connection of the spin bundle of spacetime. A class of intersecting brane configurations is examined and it is shown that the geometry of spacetime is hyper-Kähler with torsion. A relation between these hyper-Kähler geometries with torsion and q…
The object of study in the present dissertation are some topics in differential geometry of smooth manifolds with additional tensor structures and metrics of Norden type. There are considered four cases depending on the dimension of the manifold: 2n, 2n + 1, 4n and 4n + 3. The studied tensor structures, which are counterparts in the different related dimensions, are the almost complex/contact/hypercomplex structure and the almost contact 3-structure. The considered metric on the 2n-dimensional case is the Norden metric, and the metrics in the other three cases are generated by it. The purpose …
We find that the target space of two-dimensional (4,0) supersymmetric sigma models with torsion coupled to (4,0) supergravity is a QKT manifold, that is, a quaternionic Kähler manifold with torsion. We give four examples of geodesically complete QKT manifolds one of which is a generalisation of the LeBrun geometry. We then construct the twistor space associated with a QKT manifold and show that under certain conditions it is a Kähler manifold with a complex contact structure. We also show that, for every 4k-dimensional QKT manifold, there is an associated 4(k+1)-dimensional hyper-Kähler one.
We compute explicit transgression forms for the Euler and Pontrjagin classes of a Riemannian manifold $M$ of dimension 4 under a conformal change of the metric, or a change to a Riemannian connection with torsion. These formulae describe the singular set of some connections with singularities on compact manifolds as a residue formula in terms of a polynomial of invariants. We give some applications for minimal submanifolds of Kaehler manifolds. We also express the difference of the first Chern class of two almost complex structures, and in particular an obstruction to the existence of a homoto…
We present a new simple proof of the fact that certain group manifolds as well as certain homogeneous spaces G/H of dimension 4n admit a quaternionic triple of integrable complex structures that are covariantly constant with respect to the same torsionful Bismut connection, i.e. exhibit the HKT geometry. The key observation is that different complex structures are interrelated by automorphisms of the Lie algebra. To construct the quaternion triples, one only needs to construct the proper automorphisms, which is a more simple problem.
In this article we introduce $A$-valued Einstein-Hilbert-Palatini functional ($A$-EHP) over a n-manifold $M$, where $A$ is an arbitrary graded algebra, as a generalization of the functional arising in the study of the first order formulation of gravity. We show that if $A$ is weak $(k,s)$-solvable, then $A$-EHP is non-null only if $n<k+s+3$. We prove that essentially all algebras modeling classical geometries (except semi-Riemannian geometries with specific signatures) satisfy this condition for $k=1$ and $s=2$, including Hitchin's generalized complex geometry, Pantilie's generalized quaternio…
Let M be a manifold with Grassmann structure, i.e. with an isomorphism of the cotangent bundle T^*M\cong E\otimes H with the tensor product of two vector bundles E and H. We define the notion of a half-flat connection \nabla^W in a vector bundle W\to M as a connection whose curvature F\in S^2E\otimes\wedge^2 H\otimes W \subset\wedge^2 T^*M\otimes W. Under appropriate assumptions, for example, when the Grassmann structure is associated with a quaternionic Kaehler structure on M, half-flatness implies the Yang-Mills equations. Inspired by the harmonic space approach, we develop a local construct…
