We investigate the holonomy group of a linear metric connection with skew-symmetric torsion. In case of the euclidian space and a constant torsion form this group is always semisimple. It does not preserve any non-degenerated 2-form or any spinor. Suitable integral formulas allow us to prove similar properties in case of a compact Riemannian manifold equipped with a metric connection of skew-symmetric torsion. On the Aloff-Wallach space N(1,1) we construct families of connections admitting parallel spinors. Furthermore, we investigate the geometry of these connections as well as the geometry of the underlying Riemannian metric. Finally, we prove that any 7-dimensional 3-Sasakian manifold admits $\mathbb{P}^2$-parameter families of linear metric connections and spinorial connections defined by 4-forms with parallel spinors.
We study the Dirac spectrum on compact Riemannian spin manifolds $M$ equipped with a metric connection $\nabla$ with skew torsion $T\inΛ^3 M$ in the situation where the tangent bundle splits under the holonomy of $\nabla$ and the torsion of $\nabla$ is of `split' type. We prove an optimal lower bound for the first eigenvalue of the Dirac operator with torsion that generalizes Friedrich's classical Riemannian estimate.
We study holonomy algebras generated by an algebraic element of the Clifford algebra, or equivalently, the holonomy algebras of certain spin connections in flat space. We provide series of examples in arbitrary dimensions and establish general properties of the holonomy algebras under some mild conditions on the generating element. We show that the first non-standard situation to look at appears in dimension 8 and concerns self-dual 4-forms. In this case complete structure results are obtained.
We study the existence of invariant metrics with holonomy $G_{2(2)}^* \subset SO(4,3)$ on compact nilmanifolds, i.e. on compact quotients of nilpotent Lie groups by discrete subgroups. We prove that, up to isomorphism, there exists only one indecomposable nilpotent Lie algebra admitting a torsion-free $G_{2(2)}^*$-structure such that the center is definite with respect to the induced inner product. In particular, we show that the associated compact nilmanifold admits a 3-parameter family of invariant metrics with full holonomy $G_{2(2)}^*$.
In this paper we provide examples of hypercomplex manifolds which do not carry HKT structure. We also prove that the existence of HKT structure is not stable under small deformations. Similarly we provide examples of compact complex manifolds with vanishing first Chern class which do not admit a Hermitian structure with restricted holonomy of its Bismut connection in SU(n). Again we prove that such property is not stable under small deformations.
We show that the Igusa-Klein topological torsion and the Bismut-Lott analytic torsion are equivalent for any flat vector bundle whose holonomy is a finite subgroup of $\mathrm{GL}_n(\mathbb{Q})$. Our proof uses Artin's induction theorem in representation theory to reduce the problem to the special case of trivial flat line bundles, which is a recent result of Puchol, Zhu and the second author. The idea of using Artin's induction theorem appeared in a paper of Ohrt on the same topic, of which our present work is an improvement.
We prove a Simons-type holonomy theorem for totally skew 1-forms with values in a Lie algebra of linear isometries. The only transitive case, for this theorem, is the full orthogonal group. We only use geometric methods and we do not use any classification (not even that of transitive isometric actions on the sphere or the list of rank one symmetric spaces). This result was independently proved, by using an algebraic approach, by Paul-Andy Nagy. We apply this theorem to prove that the canonical connection of a compact naturally reductive space is unique, provided the space does not split off, …
We consider the question: can the isotropy representation of an irreducible pseudo-Riemannian symmetric space be realized as a conformal holonomy group? Using recent results of Cap, Gover and Hammerl, we study the representations of SO(2,1), PSU(2,1) and PSp(2,1) as isotropy groups of irreducible symmetric spaces of signature (3,2), (4,4) and (6,8), respectively, describing the geometry induced by a conformal holonomy reduction to the corresponding subgroups. In the case of SO(2,1) we show that conformal manifolds with such a holonomy reduction are always locally conformally flat and hence thi…
We classify the holonomy algebras of manifolds admitting an indecomposable torsion free $G_2^*$-structure, i.e. for which the holonomy representation does not leave invariant any proper non-degenerate subspace. We realize some of these Lie algebras as holonomy algebras of left-invariant metrics on Lie groups.
In this note, we discuss symmetric brackets on skew-symmetric algebroids associated with a metric structure. Given a pseudo-Riemannian metric structure, we describe symmetric brackets induced by connections with totally skew-symmetric torsion in the language of Lie derivatives and differentials of functions. In particular, we obtain an explicit formula of the Levi-Civita connection. We also present some symmetric brackets on almost Hermitian manifolds. Especially, we discuss the first canonical Hermitian connection and show the formula for it in the case of nearly Kaehler manifolds using the p…
The invariant metric affine connections on Berger spheres which are Einstein with skew torsion are determined in both Riemannian and Lorentzian signature. Expressions of such connections are explicitly given. In particular, every Berger sphere with Lorentzian signature admits invariant metric affine connections Einstein with skew-torsion up to $\mathbb{S}^3$. For Riemannian signature, the existence of such connections strongly depends on the dimension of the sphere and on the scale of the deformation used for the Berger metric. In particular, there are Riemaniann Berger spheres, not Einstein, …
We develop a notion of Einstein manifolds with skew torsion on compact, orientable Riemannian manifolds of dimension four. We prove an analogue of the Hitchin-Thorpe inequality and study the case of equality. We use the link with self-duality to study the moduli space of 1-instantons on the 4-sphere for a family of metrics defined by Bonneau.
A geometry with parallel skew-symmetric torsion is a Riemannian manifold carrying a metric connection with parallel skew-symmetric torsion. Besides the trivial case of the Levi-Civita connection, geometries with non-vanishing parallel skew-symmetric torsion arise naturally in several geometric contexts, e.g. on naturally reductive homogeneous spaces, nearly Kähler or nearly parallel $\mathrm{G}_2$-manifolds, Sasakian and $3$-Sasakian manifolds, or twistor spaces over quaternion-Kähler manifolds with positive scalar curvature. In this paper we study the local structure of Riemannian manifolds c…
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.
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 develop Hodge theory for a Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$ with a background closed 3-form, H. Precisely, we prove that if the metric connections with torsion $\pm H$ have holonomy groups $G_\pm$, then the $d^H$-Laplacian preserves the irreducible representations of the Lie algebras of the holonomy groups on the space of forms.
For any triple $(M^n, g, \nabla)$ consisting of a Riemannian manifold and a metric connection with skew-symmetric torsion we introduce an elliptic, second order operator $Ω$ acting on spinor fields. In case of a reductive space and its canonical connection our construction yields the Casimir operator of the isometry group. Several non-homogeneous geometries (Sasakian, nearly Kähler, cocalibrated $\mathrm{G}_2$-structures) admit unique connections with skew-symmetric torsion. We study the corresponding Casimir operator and compare its kernel with the space of $\nabla$-parallel spinors.
That announcement gives the structure of totally reducible linear Lie algebras which are the Lie algebra of the holonomy group of (at least) one torsion-free connection. The result uses the (already known) classi cation of the irreducible ones and some previous (unpublished) works by the author giving the classi cation for the pseudo-riemannian totally reducible case. One describes those Lie subalgebras through a general structure theorem involving two constructions and some lists. These constructions give new examples of non irreducible totally reducible holonomy algebras and also recover som…
For a conformal manifold we introduce the notion of an ambient connection, an affine connection on an ambient manifold of the conformal manifold, possibly with torsion, and with conditions relating it to the conformal structure. The purpose of this construction is to realise the normal conformal tractor holonomy as affine holonomy of such a connection. We give an example of an ambient connection for which this is the case, and which is torsion free if we start the construction with a C-space, and in addition Ricci-flat if we start with an Einstein manifold. Thus for a $C$-space this example le…
We find geometric conditions on a four-dimensional Hermitian manifold endowed with a metric connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion under which the complex structure is a harmonic map from the manifold into its twistor space considered with a natural family of Riemannian metrics defined by means of the metric and the given connection on the base manifold.
We study the volume of compact Riemannian manifolds which are Einstein with respect to a metric connection with (parallel) skew-torsion. We provide a result for the sign of the first variation of the volume in terms of the corresponding scalar curvature. This generalizes a result of M. Ville, related with the first variation of the volume on a compact Einstein manifold.
We study almost Hermitian structures admitting a Hermitian connexion with totally skew-symmetric torsion or equivalently, those almost Hermitian structures with totally skew-symmetric Nijenhuis tensor. We investigate up to what extent the Nijenhuis tensor fails to be parallel with respect to the characteristic connexion. This is naturally described by means of an extension of the notion of Killing form to almost Hermitian geometry. In this context, we also make an essentially self-contained survey of nearly-Kaehler geometry, but from the perspective of non-integrable holonomy systems.
In the present work we consider an almost complex manifold with Norden metric (i.e. a metric with respect to which the almost complex structure is an antiisometry). On such a manifold we study a linear connection preserving the almost complex structure and the metric and having a totally skew-symmetric torsion tensor. We consider the case when the manifold admits a connection with parallel totally skew-symmetric torsion and the case when such connection has a Kaehler curvature tensor. We get necessary and sufficient conditions for an isotropic Kaehler manifold with Norden metric.
The reductive holonomy algebras for a torsion-free affine connection are analysed, with the goal of establishing which ones can correspond to a Ricci-flat connection with the same properties. Various families of holonomies are eliminated through different algebraic means, and examples are constructed (in this paper and in `Projective Geometry II: Holonomy Classification', by the same author) in the remaining cases, thus solving this problem completely, for reductive holonomy.
We prove a Berger-type theorem which asserts that if the orthogonal subgroup generated by the torsion tensor (pulled back to a point by parallel transport) of a metric connection with skew-symmetric torsion is not transitive on the sphere, then the space must be locally isometric to a Lie group with a bi-invariant metric or its symmetric dual (we assume the space to be locally irreducible). We also prove that a (simple) Lie group with a bi-invariant metric admits only two flat metric connections with skew-symmetric torsion: the two flat canonical connections. In particular, we get a refinement…
There is considered a connection with skew symmetric torsion on a quasi-Kähler manifold with Norden metric. Some necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for the corresponding curvature tensor to be Kählerian. In the case when this tensor is Kählerian, some relations are obtained between its scalar curvature and the scalar curvature of other curvature tensors. Conditions are given for the considered manifolds to be isotropic-Kähler.
Given an almost complex manifold (M, J), we study complex connections with trivial holonomy and such that the corresponding torsion is either of type (2,0) or of type (1,1) with respect to J. Such connections arise naturally when considering Lie groups, and quotients by discrete subgroups, equipped with bi-invariant and abelian complex structures.
This paper is a survey of results obtained by the authors on the geometry of connections with totally skew-symmetric torsion on the following manifolds: almost complex manifolds with Norden metric, almost contact manifolds with B-metric and almost hypercomplex manifolds with Hermitian and anti-Hermitian metric.
Bryant \cite{Br} proved the existence of torsion free connections with exotic holonomy, i.e. with holonomy that does not occur on the classical list of Berger \cite{Ber}. These connections occur on moduli spaces $\Y$ of rational contact curves in a contact threefold $\W$. Therefore, they are naturally contained in the moduli space $\Z$ of all rational curves in $\W$. We construct a connection on $\Z$ whose restriction to $\Y$ is torsion free. However, the connection on $\Z$ has torsion unless both $\Y$ and $\Z$ are flat. We also show the existence of a new exotic holonomy which is a certain si…
${\mathrm G}_2$-structures with parallel skew-symmetric torsion
Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS（巴黎萨克雷大学，法国国家科学研究中心）；Institute of Mathematics “Simion Stoilow” of the Romanian Academy（罗马尼亚科学院西米恩·斯托伊洛数学研究所）；Universität Stuttgart（斯图加特大学）
The paper is devoted to metric connections with parallel skew-symmetric torsion in Lorentzian signature. This is motivated by recent progress in the Riemannian signature and by possible applications to supergravity theories. We provide a complete information about holonomy algebras, torsion and curvature of the considered connections up to the corresponding objects from the Riemannian signature. Various examples are constructed. It is shown how to construct all simply connected Lorentzian naturally reductive homogeneous spaces of arbitrary dimension from Riemannian naturally reductive homogene…
A torsion-free G_2 structure admitting an infinitesimal isometry is shown to give rise to a 4-manifold equipped with a complex symplectic structure and a 1-parameter family of functions and 2-forms linked by second order equations. Reversing the process in various special cases leads to the construction of explicit metrics with holonomy equal to G_2.
In 1955, Berger \cite{Ber} gave a list of irreducible reductive representations which can occur as the holonomy of a torsion-free affine connection. This list was stated to be complete up to possibly a finite number of missing entries. In this paper, we show that there is, in fact, an infinite family of representations which are missing from this list, thereby showing the incompleteness of Berger's classification. Moreover, we develop a method to construct torsion-free connections with prescribed holonomy, and use it to give a complete description of the torsion-free affine connections 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…
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.
Geometries with parallel, skew-symmetric and closed torsion
Université Paris-Saclay（巴黎萨克雷大学）；CNRS（法国国家科学研究中心）；Institute of Mathematics “Simion Stoilow” of the Romanian Academy（罗马尼亚科学院西蒙·斯托伊洛数学研究所）；Universidade Estadual de Campinas（坎皮纳斯州立大学）
Our aim is to support the choice of two remarkable connections with torsion in a 3-Sasakian manifold, proving that, in contrast to the Levi-Civita connection, the holonomy group in the homogeneous cases reduces to a proper subgroup of the special orthogonal group, of dimension considerably smaller. We realize the computations of the holonomies in a unified way, by using as a main algebraic tool a nonassociative structure, that one of symplectic triple system.
It is considered a differentiable manifold equipped with a pseudo-Riemannian metric and an almost contact 3-struc\-ture so that an almost contact metric structure and two almost contact B-metric structures are generated. There are introduced the so-called associated Nijenhuis tensors for the studied structures. It is given a geometric interpretation of the vanishing of these tensors as a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of linear connections with totally skew-symmetric torsions preserving the structure. An example of a 7-dimensional manifold with connections of the consider…
The subgroups of GL(n,R) that act irreducibly on R^n and that can occur as the holonomy of a torsion-free affine connection on an n-manifold are classified, thus completing the work on this subject begun by M. Berger in the 1950s. The methods employed include representation theory, the theory of hermitian symmetric spaces, twistor theory, and Poisson geometry. The latter theory is especially important for the construction and classification of those torsion-free connections whose holonomy falls into one of the so-called `exotic' cases, i.e., those that were not included in Berger's original li…
We consider an almost complex manifold with Norden metric (i. e. a metric with respect to which the almost complex structure is an anti-isometry). On such a manifold we study a linear connection preserving the almost complex structure and the metric and having a totally skew symmetric torsion tensor (i. e. a 3-form). We prove that if a non-Kaehler almost complex manifold with Norden metric admits such connection then the manifold is quasi-Kaehlerian (i. e. has non-integrable almost complex structure). We prove that this connection is unique, determine its form, and construct an example of it o…
Adapted connections with skew-torsion on metric $f$-manifolds
Institute of Mathematics, Jagiellonian University in Kraków（克拉科夫雅盖隆大学数学研究所）；Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University（马萨里克大学理学院数学与统计系）
Some known results on torsionfree connections with skew-symmetric Ricci tensor on surfaces are extended to connections with torsion, and Wong's canonical coordinate form of such connections is simplified.
We study Spin(9)-structures on 16-dimensional Riemannian manifolds and characterize the geometric types admitting a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion.
The classification of Riemannian manifolds by the holonomy group of their Levi-Civita connection picks out many interesting classes of structures, several of which are solutions to the Einstein equations. The classification has two parts. The first consists of isolated examples: the Riemannian symmetric spaces. The second consists of geometries that can occur in continuous families: these include the Calabi-Yau structures and Joyce manifolds of string theory. One may ask how one can weaken the definitions and still obtain similar classifications. We present two closely related suggestions. The…
A hypercomplex structure on a smooth manifold is a triple of integrable almost complex structures satisfying quaternionic relations. The Obata connection is the unique torsion-free connection that preserves each of the complex structures. The holonomy group of the Obata connection is contained in $GL(n, \mathbb{H})$. There is a well-known construction of hypercomplex structures on Lie groups due to Joyce. In this paper we show that the holonomy of the Obata connection on SU(3) coincides with $GL(2, \mathbb{H})$.
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.
This paper is devoted to the first systematic investigation of manifolds that are Einstein for a connection with skew symmetric torsion. We derive the Einstein equation from a variational principle and prove that, for parallel torsion, any Einstein manifold with skew torsion has constant scalar curvature; and if it is complete of positive scalar curvature, it is necessarily compact and it has finite first fundamental group. The longest part of the paper is devoted to the systematic construction of large families of examples. We discuss when a Riemannian Einstein manifold can be Einstein with s…
We derive sufficient conditions for the vanishing of plurigenera, $p_m(J), m>0$, on compact (l|k)-strong, $ω^l\wedge \partial\bar\partial ω^k=0$, Kaehler manifolds with torsion. In particular, we show that the plurigenera of compact (l|k)-strong manifolds, k<n-1, for which the holonomy of the unique Hermitian connection with skew-symmetric torsion is contained in SU(n) vanish. As a consequence all generalized k-Gauduchon manifolds with holonomy of the Hermitian connection with skew-symmetric torsion contained in SU(n) do not admit holomorphic (n,0) forms. Furthermore we show that all conformal…
Killing forms on Riemannian manifolds are differential forms whose covariant derivative is totally skew-symmetric. We show that on a compact manifold with holonomy G2 or Spin7 any Killing form has to be parallel. The main tool is a universal Weitzenboeck formula. We show how such a formula can be obtained for any given holonomy group and any representation defining a vector bundle.
This article is a report on the status of the problem of classifying the irriducibly acting subgroups of GL(n,R) that can appear as the holonomy of a torsion-free affine connection. In particular, it contains an account of the completion of the classification of these groups by Chi, Merkulov, and Schwachhofer as well as of the exterior differential systems analysis that shows that all of these groups do, in fact, occur. Some discussion of the results of Joyce on the existence of compact examples with holonomy G_2 or Spin(7) is also included.
In this paper, we consider the symmetries of the Dirac operator derived from a connection with skew-symmetric torsion. We find that the generalized conformal Killing-Yano tensors give rise to symmetry operators of the massless Dirac equation, provided an explicitly given anomaly vanishes. We show that this gives rise to symmetries of the Dirac operator in the case of strong Kahler with torsion (KT) and strong hyper-Kahler with torsion (HKT) manifolds.
We give a new construction of compact Riemannian 7-manifolds with holonomy $G_2$. Let $M$ be a torsion-free $G_2$-manifold (which can have holonomy a proper subgroup of $G_2$) such that $M$ admits an involution $ι$ preserving the $G_2$-structure. Then $M/{\langle ι\rangle}$ is a $G_2$-orbifold, with singular set $L$ an associative submanifold of $M$, where the singularities are locally of the form $\mathbb R^3 \times (\mathbb R^4 / \{\pm 1\})$. We resolve this orbifold by gluing in a family of Eguchi-Hanson spaces, parametrized by a nonvanishing closed and coclosed $1$-form $λ$ on $L$. Much of…
By [arXiv:1604.00528], a list of possible holonomy algebras for pseudo-Riemannian manifolds with an indecomposable torsion free ${\rm G}_{2}^*$-structure is known. Here indecomposability means that the standard representation of the algebra on ${\mathbb R}^{4,3}$ does not leave invariant any proper non-degenerate subspace. The dimension of the socle of this representation is called the type of the Lie algebra. It is equal to one, two or three. In the present paper, we use Cartan's theory of exterior differential systems to show that all Lie algebras of Type I from the list in [arXiv:1604.00528…
We generalize Llarull's scalar curvature comparison to Riemannian manifolds admitting metric connections with parallel and alternating torsion and having a nonnegative curvature operator on 2-vectors. As a byproduct, we show that Euler number and signature of such manifolds are determined by their global holonomy representation. Our result holds in particular for all quotients of compact Lie groups of equal rank, equipped with a normal homogeneous metric. We also correct a mistake in the treatment of odd-dimensional spaces in arXiv:math/0010199 and arXiv:0705.0500
