We study the noncommutative Riemannian geometry of the alternating group $A_4=(Z_2 \times Z_2)\cross Z_3$ using a recent formulation for finite groups. We find a unique `Levi-Civita' connection for the invariant metric, and find that it has Ricci-flat but nonzero Riemann curvature. We show that it is the unique Ricci-flat connection on $A_4$ with the standard framing (we solve the vacuum Einstein's equation). We also propose a natural Dirac operator for the associated spin connection and solve the Dirac equation. Some of our results hold for any finite group equipped with a cyclic conjugacy class of 4 elements. In this case the exterior algebra $Ω(A_4)$ has dimensions $1:4:8:11:12:12:11:8:4:1$ with top-form 9-dimensional. We also find the noncommutative cohomology $H^1(A_4)=C$.
We introduce the notion of a semi-Riemannian spectral triple which generalizes the notion of spectral triple and allows for a treatment of semi-Riemannian manifolds within a noncommutative setting. It turns out that the relevant spaces in noncommutative semi-Riemannian geometry are not Hilbert spaces any more but Krein spaces, and Dirac operators are Krein-selfadjoint. We show that the noncommutative tori can be endowed with a semi-Riemannian structure in this way. For the noncommutative tori as well as for semi-Riemannian spin manifolds the dimension, the signature of the metric, and the inte…
In order to investigate to what extent the calculus of classical (pseudo-)Riemannian manifolds can be extended to a noncommutative setting, we introduce pseudo-Riemannian calculi of modules over noncommutative algebras. In this framework, it is possible to prove an analogue of Levi-Civita's theorem, stating that there exists at most one torsion-free and metric connection for a given (metric) module, satisfying the requirements of a real metric calculus. Furthermore, the corresponding curvature operator has the same symmetry properties as the classical Riemannian curvature. As our main motivati…
In analogy with classical submanifold theory, we introduce morphisms of real metric calculi together with noncommutative embeddings. We show that basic concepts, such as the second fundamental form and the Weingarten map, translate into the noncommutative setting and, in particular, we prove a noncommutative analogue of Gauss equations for the curvature of a submanifold. Moreover, the mean curvature of an embedding is readily introduced, giving a natural definition of a noncommutative minimal embedding, and we illustrate the novel concepts by considering the noncommutative torus as a minimal s…
This paper studies geometric structures on noncommutative hypersurfaces within a module-theoretic approach to noncommutative Riemannian (spin) geometry. A construction to induce differential, Riemannian and spinorial structures from a noncommutative embedding space to a noncommutative hypersurface is developed and applied to obtain noncommutative hypersurface Dirac operators. The general construction is illustrated by studying the sequence $\mathbb{T}^{2}_θ \hookrightarrow \mathbb{S}^{3}_θ \hookrightarrow \mathbb{R}^{4}_θ$ of noncommutative hypersurface embeddings.
We study the quantum sphere $C_q[S^2]$ as a quantum Riemannian manifold in the quantum frame bundle approach. We exhibit its 2-dimensional cotangent bundle as a direct sum $Ω^{0,1}\oplusΩ^{1,0}$ in a double complex. We find the natural metric, volume form, Hodge * operator, Laplace and Maxwell operators. We show that the q-monopole as spin connection induces a natural Levi-Civita type connection and find its Ricci curvature and q-Dirac operator $D$. We find the possibility of an antisymmetric volume form quantum correction to the Ricci curvature and Lichnerowicz-type formulae for $D^2$. We als…
We prove the existence and uniqueness of Levi-Civita connections for strongly sigma-compatible pseudo-Riemannian metrics on tame differential calculi. Such pseudo-Riemannian metrics properly contain the classes of bilinear metrics as well as their conformal deformations. This extends the previous results in references 9 and 10. Star-compatibility of Levi-Civita connections for bilinear pseudo-Riemannian metrics are also discussed.
We develop the formalism for noncommutative differential geometry and Riemmannian geometry to take full account of the *-algebra structure on the (possibly noncommutative) coordinate ring and the bimodule structure on the differential forms. We show that *-compatible bimodule connections lead to braid operators $σ$ in some generality (going beyond the quantum group case) and we develop their role in the exterior algebra. We study metrics in the form of Hermitian structures on Hilbert *-modules and metric compatibility in both the usual and a cotorsion form. We show that the theory works well f…
We present a new, general approach to gauge theory on principal $G$-spectral triples, where $G$ is a compact connected Lie group. We introduce a notion of vertical Riemannian geometry for $G$-$C^\ast$-algebras and prove that the resulting noncommutative orbitwise family of Kostant's cubic Dirac operators defines a natural unbounded $KK^G$-cycle in the case of a principal $G$-action. Then, we introduce a notion of principal $G$-spectral triple and prove, in particular, that any such spectral triple admits a canonical factorisation in unbounded $KK^G$-theory with respect to such a cycle: up to a…
Associated to any (pseudo)-Riemannian manifold $M$ of dimension $n$ is an $n+1$-dimensional noncommutative differential structure $(Ω^1,\extd)$ on the manifold, with the extra dimension encoding the classical Laplacian as a noncommutative `vector field'. We use the classical connection, Ricci tensor and Hodge Laplacian to construct $(Ω^2,\extd)$ and a natural noncommutative torsion free connection $(\nabla,σ)$ on $Ω^1$. We show that its generalised braiding $σ:Ω^1\tensΩ^1\to Ω^1\tensΩ^1$ obeys the quantum Yang-Baxter or braid relations only when the original $M$ is flat, i.e their failure is g…
We consider noncommutative geometries obtained from a triangular Drinfeld twist and review the formulation of noncommutative gravity. A detailed study of the abelian twist geometry is presented, including the fundamental theorem of noncommutative Riemannian geometry. Inspired by [1, 2], we obtain solutions of noncommutative Einstein equations by considering twists that are compatible with the curved spacetime metric.
We show that arising out of noncmmutatve geometry is a natural family of {\em edge Laplacians} on the edges of a graph. The family includes a canonical edge Laplacian associated to the graph, extending the usual graph Laplacian on vertices, and we find its spectrum. We show that for a connected graph its eigenvalues are strictly positive aside from one mandatory zero mode, and include all the vertex degrees. Our edge Laplacian is not the graph Laplacian on the line graph but rather it arises as the noncommutative Laplace-Beltrami operator on differential 1-forms, where we use the language of d…
We outline the recent classification of differential structures for all main classes of quantum groups. We also outline the algebraic notion of `quantum manifold' and `quantum Riemannian manifold' based on quantum group principal bundles, a formulation that works over general unital algebras.
Studied are moduli spaces of self dual or anti-self dual connections on noncommutative 4-manifolds, especially deformation quantization of compact spin Riemannian 4-manifolds and their isometry groups have 2-torus subgroup. Then such moduli spaces of irreducible modules associated with highestweights of compact connected semisimple Lie groups are smooth manifolds with dimension determined by their weights. This is a generalization of Atiyah-Hitchin-Singer's classical result as well as Landi-Suijlekom's noncommutative 4-sphere case.
We construct noncommutative `Riemannian manifold' structures on dual quasitriangular Hopf algebras such as $C_q[SU_2]$ with its standard bicovariant differential calculus, using the quantum frame bundle formalism introduced previously. The metric is provided by the braided-Killing form on the braided-Lie algebra on the tangent space and the $n$-bein by the Maurer-Cartan form. We also apply the theory to finite sets and in particular to finite group function algebras $C[G]$ with differential calculi and Killing forms determined by a conjugacy class. The case of the permutation group $C[S_3]$ is…
We explore the differential geometry of finite sets where the differential structure is given by a quiver rather than as more usual by a graph. In the finite group case we show that the data for such a differential calculus is described by certain Hopf quiver data as familiar in the context of path algebras. We explore a duality between geometry on the function algebra vs geometry on the group algebra, i.e. on the dual Hopf algebra, illustrated by the noncommutative Riemannian geometry of the group algebra of $S_3$. We show how quiver geometries arise naturally in the context of quantum princi…
We formulate a quantum generalization of the notion of the group of Riemannian isometries for a compact Riemannian manifold, by introducing a natural notion of smooth and isometric action by a compact quantum group on a classical or noncommutative manifold described by spectral triples, and then proving the existence of a universal object (called the quantum isometry group) in the category of compact quantum groups acting smoothly and isometrically on a given (possibly noncommutative) manifold satisfying certain regularity assumptions. In fact, we identify the quantum isometry group with the u…
We prove a Koszul formula for the Levi-Civita connection for any pseudo-Riemannian bilinear metric on a class of centered bimodule of noncommutative one-forms. As an application to the Koszul formula, we show that our Levi-Civita connection is a bimodule connection. We construct a spectral triple on a fuzzy sphere and compute the scalar curvature for the Levi-Civita connection associated to a canonical metric.
A generalization of the notion of a (pseudo-) Riemannian space is proposed in a framework of noncommutative geometry. In particular, there are parametrized families of generalized Riemannian spaces which are deformations of classical geometries. We also introduce harmonic maps on generalized Riemannian spaces into Hopf algebras and make contact with integrable models in two dimensions.
This is a review of explicit computations of Connes distance in noncommutative geometry, covering finite dimensional spectral triples, almost-commutative geometries, and spectral triples on the algebra of compact operators. Several applications to physics are covered, like the metric interpretation of the Higgs field, and the comparison of Connes distance with the minimal length that emerges in various models of quantum spacetime. Links with other areas of mathematics are studied, in particular the horizontal distance in sub-Riemannian geometry. The interpretation of Connes distance as a nonco…
Noncommutative or `quantum' differential geometry has emerged in recent years as a process for quantizing not only a classical space into a noncommutative algebra (as familiar in quantum mechanics) but also differential forms, bundles and Riemannian structures at this level. The data for the algebra quantisation is a classical Poisson bracket, the data for the quantum differential forms is a Poisson-compatible connection it was recently shown that after this, classical data such as classical bundles, metrics etc. all become quantised in a canonical `functorial' way at least to 1st order in def…
We find a unique torsion free Riemannian spin connection for the natural Killing metric on the quantum group $C_q[SL_2]$, using a recent frame bundle formulation. We find that its covariant Ricci curvature is essentially proportional to the metric (i.e. an Einstein space). We compute the Dirac operator and find for $q$ an odd $r$'th root of unity that its eigenvalues are given by $q$-integers $[m]_q$ for $m=0,1,...,r-1$ offset by the constant background curvature. We fully solve the Dirac equation for $r=3$.
We initiate a study of projections and modules over a noncommutative cylinder, a simple example of a noncompact noncommutative manifold. Since its algebraic structure turns out to have many similarities with the noncommutative torus, one can develop several concepts in a close analogy with the latter. In particular, we exhibit a countable number of nontrivial projections in the algebra of the noncommutative cylinder itself, and show that they provide concrete representatives for each class in the corresponding $K_0$ group. We also construct a class of bimodules endowed with connections of cons…
We extend the results of Riemannian geometry over finite groups and provide a full classification of all linear connections for the minimal noncommutative differential calculus over a finite cyclic group. We solve the torsion-free and metric compatibility condition in general and show that there are several classes of solutions, out of which only special ones are compatible with a metric that gives a Hilbert $C^\ast$-module structure on the space of the one-forms. We compute curvature and scalar curvature for these metrics and find their continuous limits.
Gauge fields have a natural metric interpretation in terms of horizontal distance. The latest, also called Carnot-Caratheodory or subriemannian distance, is by definition the length of the shortest horizontal path between points, that is to say the shortest path whose tangent vector is everywhere horizontal with respect to the gauge connection. In noncommutative geometry all the metric information is encoded within the Dirac operator D. In the classical case, i.e. commutative, Connes's distance formula allows to extract from D the geodesic distance on a riemannian spin manifold. In the case of…
Our understanding of the notion of curvature in a noncommutative setting has progressed substantially in the past ten years. This new episode in noncommutative geometry started when a Gauss-Bonnet theorem was proved by Connes and Tretkoff for a curved noncommutative two torus. Ideas from spectral geometry and heat kernel asymptotic expansions suggest a general way of defining local curvature invariants for noncommutative Riemannian type spaces where the metric structure is encoded by a Dirac type operator. To carry explicit computations however one needs quite intriguing new ideas. We give an …
Many quantum groups and quantum spaces of interest can be obtained by cochain (but not cocycle) twist from their corresponding classical object. This failure of the cocycle condition implies a hidden nonassociativity in the noncommutative geometry already known to be visible at the level of differential forms. We extend the cochain twist framework to connections and Riemannian structures and provide examples including twist of the $S^7$ coordinate algebra to a nonassociative hyperbolic geometry in the same category as that of the octonions.
This paper proposes a new notion of smoothness of algebras, termed differential smoothness, that combines the existence of a top form in a differential calculus over an algebra together with a strong version of the Poincaré duality realized as an isomorphism between complexes of differential and integral forms. The quantum two- and three-spheres, disc, plane and the noncommutative torus are all smooth in this sense. Noncommutative coordinate algebras of deformations of several examples of classical orbifolds such as the pillow orbifold, singular cones and lens spaces are also differentially sm…
We define and study the theory of derivation-based connections on a recently introduced class of bimodules over an algebra which reduces to the category of modules whenever the algebra is commutative. This theory contains, in particular, a noncommutative generalization of linear connections. We also discuss the different noncommutative versions of differential forms based on derivations. Then we investigate reality conditions and a noncommutative generalization of pseudo-riemannian structures.
We discuss some of the issues to be addressed in arriving at a definitive noncommutative Riemannian geometry that generalises conventional geometry both to the quantum domain and to the discrete domain. This also provides an introduction to our 1997 formulation based on quantum group frame bundles. We outline now the local formulae with general differential calculus both on the base `quantum manifold' and on the structure group Gauge transforms with nonuniversal calculi, Dirac operator, Levi-Civita condition, Ricci tensor and other topics are also covered. As an application we outline an intri…
Motivated by the local formulae for asymptotic expansion of heat kernels in spectral geometry, we propose a definition of Ricci curvature in noncommutative settings. The Ricci operator of an oriented closed Riemannian manifold can be realized as a spectral functional, namely the functional defined by the zeta function of the full Laplacian of the de Rham complex, localized by smooth endomorphisms of the cotangent bundle and their trace. We use this formulation to introduce the Ricci functional in a noncommutative setting and in particular for curved noncommutative tori. This Ricci functional u…
Working within the recent formalism of Poisson-Riemannian geometry, we completely solve the case of generic spherically symmetric metric and spherically symmetric Poisson-bracket to find a unique answer for the quantum differential calculus, quantum metric and quantum Levi-Civita connection at semiclassical order $O(λ)$. Here $λ$ is the deformation parameter, plausibly the Planck scale. We find that $r,t,dr,dt$ are all forced to be central, i.e. undeformed at order $λ$, while for each value of $r,t$ we are forced to have a fuzzy sphere of radius $r$ with a unique differential calculus which is…
We review quantum gravity model building using the new formalism of `quantum Riemannian geometry' to construct this on finite discrete spaces and on fuzzy ones such as matrix algebras. The formalism starts with a `differential structure' as a bimodule $Ω^1$ of differential 1-forms over the coordinate algebra $A$, which could be noncommutative. A quantum metric is a noncommutative rank (0,2) tensor in $Ω^1\otimes_AΩ^1$, for which we then search for a quantum Levi-Civita connection (this is no longer unique or guaranteed). We outline the three models which have so far been constructed in this fo…
We recall the emergence of a generalized gauge theory from a noncommutative Riemannian spin manifold, viz. a real spectral triple $(A,H,D;J)$. This includes a gauge group determined by the unitaries in the $*$-algebra $A$ and gauge fields arising from a so-called perturbation semigroup which is associated to $A$. Our main new result is the interpretation of this generalized gauge theory in terms of an upper semi-continuous $C^*$-bundle on a (Hausdorff) base space $X$. The gauge group acts by vertical automorphisms on this $C^*$-bundle and can (under some mild conditions) be identified with the…
We first propose a conformal geometry for Connes-Landi noncommutative manifolds and study the associated scalar curvature. The new scalar curvature contains its Riemannian counterpart as the commutative limit. Similar to the results on noncommutative two tori, the quantum part of the curvature consists of actions of the modular derivation through two local curvature functions. Explicit expressions for those functions are obtained for all even dimensions (greater than two). In dimension four, the one variable function shows striking similarity to the analytic functions of the characteristic cla…
We describe basic concepts of noncommutative geometry and a general construction extending the familiar duality between ordinary spaces and commutative algebras to a duality between Quotient spaces and Noncommutative algebras. Basic tools of the theory, K-theory, Cyclic cohomology, Morita equivalence, Operator theoretic index theorems, Hopf algebra symmetry are reviewed. They cover the global aspects of noncommutative spaces, such as the transformation $θ\to 1/θ$ for the NC torus $\Tb_θ^2$, unseen in perturbative expansions in $θ$ such as star or Moyal products. We discuss the foundational pro…
Given a tame differential calculus over a noncommutative algebra $\mathcal{A}$ and an $\mathcal{A}$-bilinear pseudo-Riemannian metric $g_0,$ consider the conformal deformation $ g = k. g_0, $ $k$ being an invertible element of $\mathcal{A}.$We prove that there exists a unique connection $\nabla$ on the bimodule of one-forms of the differential calculus which is torsionless and compatible with $g.$ We derive a concrete formula connecting $\nabla$ and the Levi-Civita connection for the pseudo-Riemannian metric $g_0.$ As an application, we compute the Ricci and scalar curvature for a general conf…
We study noncommutative bundles and Riemannian geometry at the semiclassical level of first order in a deformation parameter $λ$, using a functorial approach. The data for quantisation of the cotangent bundle is known to be a Poisson structure and Poisson preconnection and we now show that this data defines to a functor $Q$ from the monoidal category of classical vector bundles equipped with connections to the monodial category of bimodules equipped with bimodule connections over the quantised algebra. We adapt this functor to quantise the wedge product of the exterior algebra and in the Riema…
We give a new definition of Levi-Civita connection for a noncommutative pseudo-Riemannian metric on a noncommutative manifold given by a spectral triple. We prove the existence-uniqueness result for a class of modules of one forms over a large class of noncommutative manifolds, including the matrix geometry of the fuzzy 3-sphere, the quantum Heisenberg manifolds and Connes-Landi deformations of spectral triples on the Connes-Dubois Violette-Rieffel-deformation of a compact manifold equipped with a free toral action. It is interesting to note that in the example of the quantum Heisenberg manifo…
We explore factorizations of noncommutative Riemannian spin geometries over commutative base manifolds in unbounded KK-theory. After setting up the general formalism of unbounded KK-theory and improving upon the construction of internal products, we arrive at a natural bundle-theoretic formulation of gauge theories arising from spectral triples. We find that the unitary group of a given noncommutative spectral triple arises as the group of endomorphisms of a certain Hilbert bundle; the inner fluctuations split in terms of connections on, and endomorphisms of, this Hilbert bundle. Moreover, we …
