In this text we introduce the torsion of spinor connections. In terms of the torsion we give conditions on a spinor connection to produce Killing vector fields. We relate the Bianchi type identities for the torsion of spinor connections with Jacobi identities for vector fields on supermanifolds. Furthermore, we discuss applications of this notion of torsion.
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 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 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…
It is known that the bundle of Dirac spinors is produced as a direct sum of two bundles - the bundle of chiral spinors and its Hermitian conjugate bundle. In this paper some aspects of metric connections for chiral and Dirac spinors are resumed and their relation is studied.
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 show that on every Spin(7) manifold there always exists a unique linear connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion preserving a nontrivial spinor and the Spin(7) structure. We express its torsion and the Riemannian scalar curvature in terms of the fundamental 4-form. We present an explicit formula for the Riemannian covariant derivative of the fundamental 4-form in terms of its exterior differential. We show the vanishing of the (\hat)-A genus and obtain a linear relation between Betti numbers of a compact Spin(7) manifolds which are locally but not globally conformally equivalent to a …
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 o…
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…
Index theorems for the Dirac operator allow one to study spinors on manifolds with boundary and torsion. We analyse the modifications of the boundary Chern-Simons correction and APS eta invariant in the presence of torsion. The bulk contribution must also be modified and is computed using a supersymmetric quantum mechanics representation. Here we find agreement with existing results which employed heat kernel and Pauli-Villars techniques. Nonetheless, this computation also provides a stringent check of the Feynman rules of de Boer et al. for the computation of quantum mechanical path integrals…
Any Spin(7)-manifold admits a metric connection \nabla^c with totally skew-symmetric torsion T^c preserving the underlying structure. We classify those with \nabla^c-parallel T^c\neq0 and non-Abelian isotropy algebra iso(T^c)<spin(7). These are isometric to either Riemannian products or homogeneous naturally reductive spaces, each admitting two \nabla^c-parallel spinor fields.
It is well-known that 7-dimensional 3-Sasakian manifolds carry a one-parametric family of compatible G_2 structures and that they do not admit a characteristic connection. In this note, we show that there is nevertheless a distinguished cocalibrated G_2 structure in this family whose characteristic connection along with its parallel spinor field can be used for a thorough investigation of the geometric properties of 7-dimensional 3-Sasakian manifolds. Many known and some new properties can be easily derived from the properties of this connection and the spinor field, yielding thus an appropria…
Extended spinor connections associated with composite spin-tensorial bundles are considered. Commutation relationships for covariant and multivariate differentiations and corresponding curvature spin-tensors are derived.
The present note deals with the properties of metric connections $\nabla$ with vectorial torsion $V$ on semi-Riemannian manifolds $(M^n,g)$. We show that the $\nabla$-curvature is symmetric if and only if $V^{\flat}$ is closed, and that $V^\perp$ then defines an $(n-1)$-dimensional integrable distribution on $M^n$. If the vector field $V$ is exact, we show that the $V$-curvature coincides up to global rescaling with the Riemannian curvature of a conformally equivalent metric. We prove that it is possible to construct connections with vectorial torsion on warped products of arbitrary dimension …
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.
We consider Dirac operators on odd-dimensional compact spin manifolds which are twisted by a product bundle. We show that the space of connections on the twisting bundle which yield an invertible operator has infinitely many connected components if the untwisted Dirac operator is invertible and the dimension of the twisting bundle is sufficiently large.
Two explicit formulas for metric connections in the bundle of Dirac spinors are studied. Their equivalence is proved. The explicit formula relating the spinor curvature tensor with the Riemann curvature tensor is rederived.
On a Riemannian almost product manifold $(M,P,g)$ we consider a linear connection preserving the almost product structure $P$ and the Riemannian metric $g$ and having a totally skew-symmetric torsion. We determine the class of the manifolds $(M,P,g)$ admitting such a connection and prove that this connection is unique in terms of the covariant derivative of $P$ with respect to the Levi-Civita connection. We find a necessary and sufficient condition the curvature tensor of the considered connection to have similar properties like the ones of the Kähler tensor in Hermitian geometry. We pay atten…
In analogy to the concept of a non-metric dual connection, which is essential in defining statistical manifolds, we develop that of a torsion dual connection. Consequently, we illustrate the geometrical meaning of such a torsion dual connection and show how the use of both connections preserves the cracking of parallelograms in spaces equipped with a connection and its torsion dual. The coefficients of such a torsion dual connection are essentially computed by demanding a vanishing mutual torsion among the two connections. For this manifold we then prove two basic Theorems. In particular, if b…
The theory of spinors is developed for locally anisotropic (la) spaces, in brief la-spaces, which in general are modeled as vector bundles provided with nonlinear and distinguished connections and metric structures (such la-spaces contain as particular cases the Lagrange, Finsler and, for trivial nonlinear connections, Kaluza-Klein spaces). The la-spinor differential geometry is constructed. The distinguished spinor connections are studied and compared with similar ones on la-spaces. We derive the la-spinor expressions of curvatures and torsions and analyze the conditions when the distinguishe…
In this short note we study flat metric connections with antisymmetric torsion $T \neq 0$. The result has been originally discovered by Cartan/Schouten in 1926 and we provide a new proof not depending on the classification of symmetric spaces. Any space of that type splits and the irreducible factors are compact simple Lie group or a special connection on $S^7$. The latter case is interesting from the viewpoint of $G_2$-structures and we discuss its type in the sense of the Fernandez-Gray classification. Moreover, we investigate flat metric connections of vectorial type.
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…
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…
The internal space of a N=4 supersymmetric model with Wess-Zumino term has a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion and holonomy in $\SP(n)$. We study the mathematical background of this type of connections. In particular, we relate it to classical Hermitian geometry construct homogeneous as well as inhomogeneous examples, characterize it in terms of holomorphic data, develop its potential theory and reduction theory.
We present an introduction to the geometry of higher order vector and co-vector bundles (including higher order generalizations of the Finsler geometry and Kaluza--Klein gravity) and review the basic results on Clifford and spinor structures on spaces with generic local anisotropy modeled by anholonomic frames with associated nonlinear connection structures. We emphasize strong arguments for application of Finsler like geometries in modern string and gravity theory and noncommutative geometry and noncommutative field theory and gravity.
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 study an energy functional on the universal spinor bundle over a closed $n$-dimensional spin manifold $M$. The critical points of this functional, which is modelled on the total torsion functional of $G_2$-structures in seven dimensions, are pairs of Ricci-flat metrics and real parallel spinor fields provided that $n$ equals $3$ or $7$. We then modify the functional to obtain the analogue in arbitrary dimensions. Finally we apply the universal spinor bundle approach to solve some ODEs problems concerning $G_2$-structures.
In this paper we define a Dirichlet-to-Neumann map for a twisted Dirac Laplacian acting on bundle-valued spinors over a spin manifold. We show that this map is a pseudodifferential operator of order 1 whose symbol determines the Taylor series of the metric and connection at the boundary. We go on to show that if two real-analytic connections couple to a spinor via the Yang--Mills--Dirac equations with appropriate boundary conditions, and have equal Dirichlet-to-Neumann maps, then the two connections are locally gauge equivalent. In the abelian case, the connections are globally gauge equivalen…
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.
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 study Spin(9)-structures on 16-dimensional Riemannian manifolds and characterize the geometric types admitting a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion.
For a complex flat vector bundle over a fibered manifold, we consider the 1-parameter family of certain deformed sub-signature operators introduced by Ma-Zhang. We compute the adiabatic limit of the Bismut-Freed connection associated to this family and show that the Bismut-Lott analytic torsion form shows up naturally under this procedure.
We study 5-dimensional Riemannian manifolds that admit an almost contact metric structure. We classify these structures by their intrinsic torsion and review the literature in terms of this scheme. Moreover, we determine necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of metric connections with vectorial, totally skew-symmetric or traceless cyclic torsion that are compatible with the almost contact metric structure. Finally, we examine explicit examples of almost contact metric 5-manifolds from this perspective.
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 t…
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.
The goal of this paper is to introduce the lifting theory that has an important role in geometry. Therefore, using the lifts of differential geometric structures we show that tangent bundle TM of paracomplex manifold M admits para-complex torsion-free affine connection.
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…
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.
Let $(M,ω)$ be a symplectic manifold admitting a metaplectic structure (a symplectic analogue of the Riemannian spin structure) and a torsion-free symplectic connection $\nabla.$ Symplectic Killing spinor fields for this structure are sections of the symplectic spinor bundle satisfying a certain first order partial differential equation and they are the main topic of this paper. We derive a necessary condition satisfied by a symplectic Killing spinor field. The advantage of this condition consists in the fact that it is expressed by a zeroth order operator. This condition helps us substantiona…
On a main class of the almost contact manifolds with B-metric, it is described the family of the linear connections preserving the manifold's structures by 4 parameters. In this family there are determined the canonical-type connection and the connection with zero parameters.
We present a characterization, in terms of torsion-free generalized connections, for the integrability of various generalized structures (generalized almost complex structures, generalized almost hypercomplex structures, generalized almost Hermitian structures and generalized almost hyper-Hermitian structures) defined on Courant algebroids. We develop a new, self-contained, approach for the theory of Dirac generating operators on regular Courant algebroids with scalar product of neutral signature. As an application we provide a criterion for the integrability of generalized almost Hermitian st…
We review the geometric setting of the field theory with locally anisotropic interactions. The concept of locally anisotropic space is introduced as a general one for various type of extensions of Lagrange and Finsler geometry and higher dimension (Kaluza--Klein type) spaces. The problem of definition of spinors on generalized Finsler spaces is solved in the framework of the geometry of Clifford bundles provided with compatible nonlinear and distinguished connections and metric structures. We construct the spinor differential geometry of locally anisotropic spaces and discuss some related issu…
Let $M$ be an $n-$dimensional differentiable manifold equipped with a torsion-free linear connection $\nabla $ and $T^{\ast }M$ its cotangent bundle. The present paper aims to study a metric connection $\widetilde{% \nabla }$ with nonvanishing torsion on $T^{\ast }M$ with modified Riemannian extension ${}\bar{g}_{\nabla ,c}$. First, we give a characterization of fibre-preserving projective vector fields on $(T^{\ast }M,{}\bar{g}%_{\nabla ,c})$ with respect to the metric connection $\widetilde{\nabla }$. Secondly, we study conditions for $(T^{\ast }M,{}\bar{g}_{\nabla ,c})$ to be semi-symmetric…
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…
We find sufficient conditions for a principal toric bundle over compact Kähler manifolds to admit Calabi-Yau connections with torsion. With the aids of a topological classification, we construct such geometry on $n(S^2\times S^4)#(n+1)(S^3\times S^3)$
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 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…
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.
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.
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 con…
We study symplectic manifolds $(M^{2l},ω)$ equipped with a symplectic torsion-free affine (also called Fedosov) connection $\nabla$ and admitting a metaplectic structure. Let $\mathcal{S}$ be the so called symplectic spinor bundle and let $R^S$ be the curvature tensor field of the symplectic spinor covariant derivative $\nabla^S$ associated to the Fedosov connection $\nabla.$ It is known that the space of symplectic spinor valued exterior differential 2-forms, $Γ(M,\bigwedge^2T^*M\otimes {\mathcal{S}}),$ decomposes into three invariant spaces with respect to the structure group, which is the m…