The equations for a G_2-structure with torsion on a product M^7 = N^6 x S^1 are studied in relation to the induced SU(3)-structure on N^6. All solutions are found in the case when the Lee-form of the G_2-structure is non-zero and N^6 is a six-dimensional nilmanifold with half-integrable SU(3)-structure. Special properties of the torsion of these solutions are discussed.
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 work we study the geodesic flow on nilmanifolds associated to graphs. We are interested in the construction of first integrals to show complete integrability on some compact quotients. Also examples of integrable geodesic flows and of non-integrable ones are shown.
Let (J,g) be a Hermitian structure on a compact nilmanifold M with invariant complex structure J and compatible metric g, which is not required to be invariant. We give classifications of 6-dimensional nilmanifolds M admitting strong Kähler with torsion, balanced or locally conformal Kähler structures (J,g).
We provide families of compact astheno-Kähler nilmanifolds and we study the behaviour of the complex blowup of such manifolds. We prove that the existence of an astheno-Kähler metric satisfying an extra differential condition is not preserved by blowup. We also study the interplay between Strong Kähler with torsion metrics and geometrically Bott-Chern metrics. We show that Fino-Parton-Salamon nilmanifolds are geometrically-Bott-Chern-formal, whereas we obtain negative results on the product of two copies of primary Kodaira surface, Inoue surface of type $\mathcal{S}_M$ and on the product of a …
In the classification theorems of Vinberg and Yakimova for commutative nilmanifolds, the relevant nilpotent groups have a very surprising analytic property. The manifolds are of the form $G/K = N \rtimes K/K$ where, in all but three cases, the nilpotent group $N$ has irreducible unitary representations whose coefficients are square integrable modulo the center $Z$ of $N$. Here we show that, in those three "exceptional" cases, the group $N$ is a semidirect product $N_1 \rtimes \mathbb{R}$ or $N_1 \rtimes \mathbb{C}$ where the normal subgroup $N_1$ contains the center $Z$ of $N$ and has irreduci…
A nilmanifold is a quotient of a nilpotent group $G$ by a co-compact discrete subgroup. A complex nilmanifold is one which is equipped with a $G$-invariant complex structure. We prove that a complex nilmanifold has trivial canonical bundle. This is used to study hypercomplex nilmanifolds (nilmanifolds with a triple of $G$-invariant complex structures which satisfy quaternionic relations). We prove that a hypercomplex nilmanifold admits an HKT (hyperkahler with torsion) metric if and only if the underlying hypercomplex structure is abelian. Moreover, any $G$-invariant HKT-metric on a nilmanifol…
We study evolution of (strong Kähler with torsion) SKT structures via the pluriclosed flow on complex nilmanifolds, i.e. on compact quotients of simply connected nilpotent Lie groups by discrete subgroups endowed with an invariant complex structure. Adapting to our case the techniques introduced by Jorge Lauret for studying Ricci flow on homogeneous spaces we show that for SKT Lie algebras the pluriclosed flow is equivalent to a bracket flow and we prove a long time existence result in the nilpotent case. Finally, we introduce a natural flow for evolving tamed symplectic forms on a complex man…
We introduce spin-harmonic structures, a class of geometric structures on Riemannian manifolds of low dimension which are defined by a harmonic unitary spinor. Such structures are related to SU(2) (dim=4,5), SU(3) (dim=6) and G_2 (dim=7) structures; in dimension 8, a spin-harmonic structure is equivalent to a balanced Spin(7) structure. As an application, we obtain examples of compact 8-manifolds endowed with non-integrable Spin(7) structures of balanced type.
The characteristic connection of an almost hermitian structure is a hermitian connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion. The case of parallel torsion in dimension six is of particular interest. In this work, we give a full classification of the algebraic types of the torsion form, and, based on this, undertake a systematic investigation into the possible geometries. Numerous naturally reductive spaces are constructed and classified as well as examples on nilmanifolds given.
Let T be the nilpotent group of 4 x 4 real upper triangular matrices. In this note we show that the Euler equations of certain left-invariant riemannian metrics on T have a horseshoe. We also show, with the aid of a numerical computation of a Melnikov-type integral, that the Euler equations of the sub-riemannian Carnot metric on T has a horseshoe. This sharpens an earlier result of Montgomery, Shapiro and Stolin who had shown that the equations are algebraically non-integrable.
We show that a 7-dimensional non-compact Ricci-flat Riemannian manifold with Riemannian holonomy G_2 can admit non-integrable G_2 structures of type R + S^2_0(R^7) + R^7 in the sense of Fernández and Gray. This relies on the construction of some G_2 solvmanifolds, whose Levi-Civita connection is known to give a parallel spinor, admitting a 2-parameter family of metric connections with non-zero skew-symmetric torsion that has parallel spinors as well. The family turns out to be a deformation of the Levi-Civita connection. This is in contrast with the case of compact scalar-flat Riemannian spin …
We discuss the construction of Sp(2)Sp(1)-structures whose fundamental form is closed. In particular, we find 10 new examples of 8-dimensional nilmanifolds that admit an invariant closed 4-form with stabiliser Sp(2)Sp(1). Our constructions entail the notion of SO(4)-structures on 7-manifolds. We present a thorough investigation of the intrinsic torsion of such structures, leading to the construction of explicit Lie group examples with invariant intrinsic torsion.
We study the types of non-integrable $\mathrm{G}$-structures on Riemannian manifolds. In particular, geometric types admitting a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion are characterized. 8-dimensional manifolds equipped with a $\Spin(7)$-structure play a special role. Any geometry of that type admits a unique connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion. Under weak conditions on the structure group we prove that this geometry is the only one with this property. Finally, we discuss the automorphism group of a Riemannian manifold with a fixed non-integrable $\mathrm{G}$-structure.
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…
This review article intends to introduce the reader to non-integrable geometric structures on Riemannian manifolds and invariant metric connections with torsion, and to discuss recent aspects of mathematical physics--in particular superstring theory--where these naturally appear. Connections with skew-symmetric torsion are exhibited as one of the main tools to understand non-integrable geometries. To this aim a a series of key examples is presented and successively dealt with using the notions of intrinsic torsion and characteristic connection of a $G$-structure as unifying principles. % The G…
In this paper we compute the Reidemeister torsion of a isoenergetic surface for the integrable Hamiltonian system on the four-dimensional symplectic manifold. We use the spectral sequence defined by the filtration and following Witten-Floer ideas we bring into play the orbits connecting the critical submanifolds.
Let $X$ be a compact Kähler manifold. We extend the notion of Quillen metric to the set of integrable line bundles on $X$. In particular, we prove that the notion of holomorphic analytic torsion extends to integrable line bundles $\bar{L}$, such that $H^q(X,L)=0$ for $q\geq 1$.
We classify nilmanifolds with an invariant symplectic half-flat structure. We solve the half-flat evolution equations in one example, writing down the resulting Ricci-flat metric. We study the geometry of the orbit space of 6-manifolds with an SU(3)-structure preserved by a U(1) action, giving characterizations in the symplectic half-flat and integrable case.
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.
We extend the spectral theory of generalized Laplacians to integrable metrics on compact Riemann surfaces. As a consequence, we attach in a direct way, a holomorphic analytic torsion to any integrable metrics. We also provide a different approach to define the holomorphic analytic torsion. We prove that both approaches agree.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a hyper-parahermitian connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion (HPKT-structure) are presented. It is shown that any HPKT-structure is locally generated by a real (potential) function. An invariant first order differential operator is defined on any almost hyper-paracomplex manifold showing that it is two-step nilpotent exactly when the almost hyper-paracomplex structure is integrable. A local HPKT-potential is expressed in terms of this operator. Examples of (locally) invariant HPKT-structures with closed as well as non-closed tors…
We compute the scalar curvature of 7-dimensional ${G}_2$-manifolds admitting a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion. We prove the formula for the general solution of the Killing spinor equation and express the Riemannian scalar curvature of the solution in terms of the dilation function and the NS 3-form field. In dimension n=7 the dilation function involved in the second fermionic string equation has an interpretation as a conformal change of the underlying integrable ${G}_2$-structure into a cocalibrated one of pure type $W_3$.
We study the moduli space of SU(3) structure manifolds X that form the internal compact spaces in four-dimensional N=1/2 domain wall solutions of heterotic supergravity with flux. Together with the direction perpendicular to the four-dimensional domain wall, X forms a non-compact 7-manifold Y with torsionful G2 structure. We use this G2 embedding to explore how X(t) varies along paths C(t) in the SU(3) structure moduli space. Our analysis includes the Bianchi identities which strongly constrain the flow. We show that requiring that the SU(3) structure torsion is preserved along the path leads …
Recent work Bobienski-Nurowski on 5-dimensional Riemannian manifolds with an SO(3) structure prompts us to investigate which Lie groups admit such a geometry. The case in which the SO(3) structure admits a compatible connection with torsion is considered. This leads to a classification under special behaviour of the onnection, which enables to recover all known examples, plus others bearing torsion of pure type. Suggestive relations with special structures in other dimensions are highlighted, with attention to eight-dimensional SU(3) geometry.
Any two equivalent discrete curves must have the same invariants at the corresponding points under an affine transformation. In this paper, we construct the moving frame and invariants for the discrete centroaffine curves, which could be used to discriminate the same discrete curves from different graphics, and estimate whether a polygon flow is stable or periodically stable. In fact, using the similar method as the Frenet-Serret frame, a discrete curve can be uniquely identified by its centroaffine curvatures and torsions. In 1878, Darboux studied the problem of midpoint iteration of polygons…
We introduce integrable complex structures on twistor spaces fibered over complex manifolds. We then show, in particular, that the twistor spaces associated with generalized Kahler, SKT and strong HKT manifolds all naturally admit complex structures. Moreover, in the strong HKT case we construct a metric and three compatible complex structures on the twistor space that have equal torsions.
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.
We show that locally every beta-integrable (2,n)-Segre structure can be reduced to a torsion-free S^1*GL(n,R)-structure. This is done by observing that such reductions correspond to sections with holomorphic image of a certain `twistor bundle'. For the homogeneous (2,n)-Segre structure on the oriented 2-plane Grassmannian, the reductions are shown to be in one-to-one correspondence with the smooth quadrics in CP^{n+1} without real points.
We construct a pair of compact, eight-dimensional, two-step Riemannian nilmanifolds $M$ and $M'$ which are isospectral for the Laplace operator on functions and such that $M$ has completely integrable geodesic flow in the sense of Liouville, while $M'$ has not. Moreover, for both manifolds we analyze the structure of the submanifolds of the unit tangent bundle given by to maximal continuous families of closed geodesics with generic velocity fields. The structure of these submanifolds turns out to reflect the above (non)integrability properties. On the other hand, their dimension is larger than…
We consider the nonstandard inclusion of SO(3) in SO(5) associated with a 5-dimensional irreducible representation. The tensor $Υ$ representing this reduction is found to be given by a ternary symmetric form with special properties. A 5-dimensional manifold $(M,g,Υ)$ with Riemannian metric $g$ and ternary form generated by such a tensor has a corresponding SO(3) structure, whose Gray-Hervella type classification is established using so(3)-valued connections with torsion. Structures with antisymmetric torsions, we call them the nearly integrable SO(3) structures, are studied in detail. In parti…
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…
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.
Microlocal index theorems and analytic torsion invariants in the geometric theory of partial differential equations
Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences(保加利亚科学院数学与信息学研究所);University of Angers, CNRS, LAREMA, SFR MATHSTIC and IITP RAS(昂热大学、法国国家科学研究中心、LAREMA、SFR MATHSTIC 和俄罗斯科学院信息传输问题研究所);Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), IAiFi Institute(麻省理工学院(MIT)、IAiFi研究所);Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications(北京国际数学研究中心);Yau Mathematical Sciences Center, Tsinghua University(清华大学丘成桐数学科学中心)
In this paper we establish partial structure results on the geometry of compact Hermitian manifolds of semipositive Griffiths curvature. We show that after appropriate arbitrary small deformation of the initial metric, the null spaces of the Chern-Ricci two-form generate a holomorphic, integrable distribution. This distribution induces an isometric, holomorphic, almost free action of a complex Lie group on the universal cover of the manifold. Our proof combines the strong maximum principle for the Hermitian Curvature Flow (HCF), new results on the interplay of the HCF and the torsion-twisted c…
Contact path geometries are curved geometric structures on a contact manifold comprising smooth families of paths modeled on the family of all isotropic lines in the projectivization of a symplectic vector space. Locally such a structure is equivalent to the graphs in the space of independent and depedent variables of the family of solutions of a system of an odd number of second order ODE's subject to a single maximally non-integrable constraint. A subclass of contact path geometries is distinguished by the vanishing of an invariant contact torsion. For this subclass the equivalence problem i…
Let $S$ be a compact oriented finite dimensional manifold and $M$ a finite dimensional Riemannian manifold, let ${\rm Imm}_f(S,M)$ the space of all free immersions $φ:S \to M$ and let $B^+_{i,f}(S,M)$ the quotient space ${\rm Imm}_f(S,M)/{\rm Diff}^+(S)$, where ${\rm Diff}^+(S)$ denotes the group of orientation preserving diffeomorphisms of $S$. In this paper we prove that if $M$ admits a parallel $r$-fold vector cross product $φ\in Ω^r(M, TM)$ and $\dim S = r-1$ then $B^+_{i,f}(S,M)$ is a formally Kähler manifold. This generalizes Brylinski's, LeBrun's and Verbitsky's results for the case tha…
We show that torsion-free four-dimensional $\mathrm{GL}(2)$-structures are flat up to a coframe transformation with a mapping taking values in a certain subgroup $H\subset\mathrm{SL}(4,\mathbb{R})$ which is isomorphic to a semidirect product of the three-dimensional continuous Heisenberg group $H_3(\mathbb{R})$ and the Abelian group $\mathbb{R}$. In addition, we show that the relevant PDE system is integrable in the sense that it admits a dispersionless Lax-pair.
Manifolds endowed with three foliations pairwise transversal are known as 3-webs. Equivalently, they can be algebraically defined as biparacomplex or complex product manifolds, i.e., manifolds endowed with three tensor fields of type $(1,1)$, $F$, $P$ and $J=F \circ P$, where the two first are product and the third one is complex, and they mutually anti-commute. In this case, it is well known that there exists a unique torsion-free connection parallelizing the structure. In the present paper, we study connections attached to non-integrable almost biparacomplex manifolds.
We study the geometric properties of a $2m$-dimensional complex manifold $\mathcal{M}$ admitting a holomorphic reduction of the frame bundle to the structure group $P \subset \mathrm{Spin}(2m,\mathbb{C})$, the stabiliser of the line spanned by a pure spinor at a point. Geometrically, $\mathcal{M}$ is endowed with a holomorphic metric $g$, a holomorphic volume form, a spin structure compatible with $g$, and a holomorphic pure spinor field $ξ$ up to scale. The defining property of $ξ$ is that it determines an almost null structure, ie an $m$-plane distribution $\mathcal{N}_ξ$ along which $g$ is …
We study the geometric properties of a $(2m+1)$-dimensional complex manifold $\mathcal{M}$ admitting a holomorphic reduction of the frame bundle to the structure group $P \subset \mathrm{Spin}(2m+1,\mathbb{C})$, the stabiliser of the line spanned by a pure spinor at a point. Geometrically, $\mathcal{M}$ is endowed with a holomorphic metric $g$, a holomorphic volume form, a spin structure compatible with $g$, and a holomorphic pure spinor field $ξ$ up to scale. The defining property of $ξ$ is that it determines an almost null structure, i.e.\ an $m$-plane distribution $\mathcal{N}_ξ$ along whic…