This paper is based on the author's talk at 1997 Taniguchi Symposium ``Integrable Systems and Algebraic Geometry''. We consider an approach to the theory of Frobenius manifolds based on the geometry of flat pencils of contravariant metrics. It is shown that, under certain homogeneity assumptions, these two objects are identical. The flat pencils of contravariant metrics on a manifold $M$ appear naturally in the classification of bihamiltonian structures of hydrodynamics type on the loop space $L(M)$. This elucidates the relations between Frobenius manifolds and integrable hierarchies.
The structure of a Frobenius manifold encodes the geometry associated with a flat pencil of metrics. However, as shown in the authors' earlier work, much of the structure comes from the compatibility properties of the pencil rather than from the flatness of the pencil itself. In this paper conformally flat pencils of metrics are studied and examples, based on a modification of the Saito construction, are studied.
A Poisson pencil is called flat if all brackets of the pencil can be simultaneously locally brought to a constant form. Given a Poisson pencil on a 3-manifold, we study under which conditions it is flat. Since the works of Gelfand and Zakharevich, it is known that a pencil is flat if and only if the associated Veronese web is trivial. We suggest a simpler obstruction to flatness, which we call the curvature form of a Poisson pencil. This form can be defined in two ways: either via the Blaschke curvature form of the associated web, or via the Ricci tensor of a connection compatible with the pen…
We give a conjugacy relation on certain type of Frobenius manifold structures using the theory of flat pencils of metrics. It leads to a geometric interpretation for the inversion symmetry of solutions to Witten-Dijkgraaf-Verlinde-Verlinde (WDVV) equations
In this paper we study relations between various natural structures on F-manifolds. In particular, given an arbitrary Riemannian F-manifold we present a construction of a canonical flat F-manifold associated to it. We also describe a construction of a canonical homogeneous Riemannian F-manifold associated to an arbitrary exact homogeneous flat pencil of metrics satisfying a certain non-degeneracy assumption. In the last part of the paper we construct Legendre transformations for Riemannian F-manifolds.
We prove that the description of pencils of compatible (N x N)-metrics of constant Riemannian curvature is equivalent to a special class of integrable N-parametric deformations of quasi-Frobenius (in general, noncommutative) algebras.
Submanifolds of Frobenius manifolds are studied. In particular, so-called natural submanifolds are defined and, for semi-simple Frobenius manifolds, classified. These carry the structure of a Frobenius algebra on each tangent space, but will, in general, be curved. The induced curvature is studied, a main result being that these natural submanifolds carry a induced pencil of compatible metrics. It is then shown how one may constrain the bi-Hamiltonian hierarchies associated to a Frobenius manifold to live on these natural submanifolds whilst retaining their, now non-local, bi-Hamiltonian struc…
A general scheme for construction of flat pencils of contravariant metrics and Frobenius manifolds as well as related solutions to WDVV associativity equations is formulated. The advantage is taken from the Rota-Baxter identity and some relation being counterpart of the modified Yang-Baxter identity from the classical $r$-matrix formalism. The scheme for the construction of Frobenius manifolds is illustrated on the algebras of formal Laurent series and meromorphic functions on Riemann sphere.
We construct flat 3-webs via semi-simple geometric Frobenius manifolds of dimension three and give geometric interpretation of the Chern connection of the web. These webs turned out to be biholomorphic to the characteristic webs on the solutions of the corresponding associativity equation. We show that such webs are hexagonal and admit at least one infinitesimal symmetry at each singular point. Singularities of the web are also discussed.
We give a geometric interpretation of weighted homogeneous solutions to the associativity equation in terms of the web theory and construct a massive Frobenius 3-fold germ via a singular 3-web germ satisfying the following conditions: 1) the web germ admits at least one infinitesimal symmetry, 2) the Chern connection form is holomorphic, 3) the curvature form vanishes identically.
We consider Drinfeld-Sokolov bihamiltonian structure associated to a distinguished nilpotent elements of semisimple type and the space of common equilibrium points defined by its leading term. On this space, we construct a local bihamiltonian structure which form an exact Poisson pencil, defines an algebraic classical $W$-algebra, admits a dispersionless limit, and its leading term defines an algebraic Frobenius manifold. This leads to a uniform construction of algebraic Frobenius manifolds corresponding to regular cuspidal conjugacy classes in irreducible Weyl groups.
Given a flat metric one may generate a local Hamiltonian structure via the fundamental result of Dubrovin and Novikov. More generally, a flat pencil of metrics will generate a local bi-Hamiltonian structure, and with additional quasi-homogeneity conditions one obtains the structure of a Frobenius manifold. With appropriate curvature conditions one may define a curved pencil of compatible metrics and these give rise to an associated non-local bi-Hamiltonian structure. Specific examples include the F-manifolds of Hertling and Manin equipped with an invariant metric. In this paper the geometry su…
Flat coordinates for Frobenius manifolds defined on the orbit space of a Coxeter group W are specified through a certain system of generators of W-invariant polynomials. In this note, starting from basic invariants proposed by M.Mehta, we calculate flat coordinates for the exceptional groups of type E_7 and E_8, leading to a derivation of the potentials for the associated Frobenius structures.
The base space of a semi-universal unfolding of a hypersurface singularity carries a rich geometric structure, which was axiomatized as a CDV-structure by C. Hertling. For any CDV-structure on a Frobenius manifold M, the pull-back of the (1,0)-tangent bundle of M to the product of M by the complex line carries two natural holomorphic structures equipped with flat meromorphic connections. We show that, for any semi-simple CDV-structure, there is a formal isomorphism between these two bundles compatible with connections. Moreover, if we assume that the super-symmetric index Q vanishes, we give a…
We prove that the associativity equations of two-dimensional topological quantum field theories are very natural reductions of the fundamental nonlinear equations of the theory of submanifolds in pseudo-Euclidean spaces and give a natural class of potential flat torsionless submanifolds. We show that all potential flat torsionless submanifolds in pseudo-Euclidean spaces bear natural structures of Frobenius algebras on their tangent spaces. These Frobenius structures are generated by the corresponding flat first fundamental form and the set of the second fundamental forms of the submanifolds (i…
We connect two a priori unrelated topics, theory of geodesically equivalent metrics in differential geometry, and theory of compatible infinite dimensional Poisson brackets of hydrodynamic type in mathematical physics. Namely, we prove that a pair of geodesically equivalent metrics such that one is flat produces a pair of such brackets. We construct Casimirs for these brackets and the corresponding commuting flows. There are two ways to produce a large family of compatible Poisson structures from a pair of geodesically equivalent metrics one of which is flat. One of these families is $(n+1)(n+…
We prove a duality principle for a special class of submanifolds in pseudo-Euclidean spaces. This class of submanifolds with potential of normals is introduced in this paper. We prove also, for example, that an arbitrary Frobenius manifold can be realized as a certain flat submanifold of this very natural class.
We deal with the problem of description of nonsingular pairs of compatible flat metrics for the general $N$-component case. We describe the scheme of the integrating the nonlinear equations describing nonsingular pairs of compatible flat metrics (or, in other words, nonsingular flat pencils of metrics). It is based on the reducing this problem to a special reduction of the Lame equations and the using the Zakharov method of differential reductions in the dressing method (a version of the inverse scattering method).
The associativity of the multiplication on a Frobenius manifold is equivalent to the WDVV equation of a symmetric cubic form in flat coordinates. Frobenius manifold could be regarded a very special type of statistical manifold. There is a natural commutative product on each tangent space of a statistical manifold. We show that it is associative, hence making it into a manifold with Frobenius algebra structure, if and only if the sectional $K$-curvature vanishes. In other words, WDVV equation is equivalent to zero sectional $K$-curvature. This gives a curvature interpretation for WDVV equation.
We solve the problem of description for nonsingular pairs of compatible flat metrics in the general N-component case. The integrable nonlinear partial differential equations describing all nonsingular pairs of compatible flat metrics (or, in other words, nonsingular flat pencils of metrics) are found and integrated. The integrating of these equations is based on reducing to a special nonlinear differential reduction of the Lame equations and using the Zakharov method of differential reductions in the dressing method (a version of the inverse scattering method).
We study regular non-semisimple Dubrovin-Frobenius manifolds in dimensions 2,3,4. We focus on the case where the Jordan canonical form of the operator of multiplication by the Euler vector field has a single Jordan block. Our results rely on the existence of special local coordinates introduced in [4] for regular flat F-manifolds with Euler vector field. In such coordinates the invariant metric of the Dubrovin-Frobenius manifold takes a special form which is the starting point of our construction.
We introduce a class of potential submanifolds in pseudo-Euclidean spaces (each N-dimensional potential submanifold is a special flat torsionless submanifold in a 2N-dimensional pseudo-Euclidean space) and prove that each N-dimensional Frobenius manifold can be locally represented as an N-dimensional potential submanifold. We show that all potential submanifolds bear natural special structures of Frobenius algebras on their tangent spaces. These special Frobenius structures are generated by the corresponding flat first fundamental form and the set of the second fundamental forms of the submani…
Deformations of Dubrovin's Hurwitz Frobenius manifolds are constructed. The deformations depend on $g(g+1)/2$ complex parameters where $g$ is the genus of the corresponding Riemann surface. In genus one, the flat metric of the deformed Frobenius manifold coincides with a metric associated with a one-parameter family of solutions to the Painlevé-VI equation with coefficients $(1/8,-1/8,1/8,3/8).$ Analogous deformations of the real doubles of the Hurwitz Frobenius manifolds are also found; these deformations depend on $g(g+1)/2$ real parameters.
We establish a version of the complex Frobenius theorem in the context of a complex subbundle S of the complexified tangent bundle of a manifold, having minimal regularity. If the subbundle S defines the structure of a Levi-flat CR-manifold, it suffices that S be Lipschitz for our results to apply. A principal tool in the analysis is a precise version of the Newlander-Nirenberg theorem with parameters, for integrable almost complex structures with minimal regularity, which builds on previous recent work of the authors.
This work continues the study of $F$--manifolds $(M,\circ)$, first defined by Hertling and Manin and investigated in [He]. The notion of a compatible flat structure $\nabla$ is introduced, and it is shown that many constructions known for Frobenius manifolds do not in fact require invariant metrics and can be developed for all such triples $(M,\circ ,\nabla).$ In particular, we extend and generalize recent Dubrovin's duality.
Starting from a so-called flat exact semisimple bihamiltonian structures of hydrodynamic type, we arrive at a Frobenius manifold structure and a tau structure for the associated principal hierarchy. We then classify the deformations of the principal hierarchy which possess tau structures.
We show that a Frobenius sturcture is equivalent to a dually flat sturcture in information geometry. We define a multiplication structure on the tangent spaces of statistical manifolds, which we call the statistical product. We also define a scalar quantity, which we call the Yukawa term. By showing two examples from statistical mechanics, first the classical ideal gas, second the quantum bosonic ideal gas, we argue that the Yukawa term quantifies information generation, which resembles how mass is generated via the 3-points interaction of two fermions and a Higgs boson (Higgs mechanism). In t…
We solve the problem of describing all nonlocal Hamiltonian operators of hydrodynamic type with flat metrics. This problem is also equivalent to the description of all flat submanifolds with flat normal bundle in a pseudo-Euclidean space. It is proved that every such Hamiltonian operator (or the submanifold corresponding to the operator) gives a pencil of compatible Poisson brackets, generates bi-Hamiltonian integrable hierarchies of hydrodynamic type, and also defines a family of integrals in involution. We prove that a natural special class of such Hamiltonian operators (submanifolds) is des…
We show that bi-flat $F$-manifolds can be interpreted as natural geometrical structures encoding the almost duality for Frobenius manifolds without metric. Using this framework, we extend Dubrovin's duality between orbit spaces of Coxeter groups and Veselov's $\vee$-systems, to the orbit spaces of exceptional well-generated complex reflection groups of rank $2$ and $3$. On the Veselov's $\vee$-systems side, we provide a generalization of the notion of $\vee$-systems that gives rise to a dual connection which coincides with a Dunkl-Kohno-type connection associated with such groups. In particula…
In the first part of this paper, we introduce the notion of "cyclic stratum" of a Frobenius manifold $M$. This is the set of points of the extended manifold $\mathbb C^*\times M$ at which the unit vector field is a cyclic vector for the isomonodromic system defined by the flatness condition of the extended deformed connection. The study of the geometry of the complement of the cyclic stratum is addressed. We show that at points of the cyclic stratum, the isomonodromic system attached to $M$ can be reduced to a scalar differential equation, called the "master differential equation" of $M$. In t…
The dually flat structure introduced by Amari-Nagaoka is highlighted in information geometry and related fields. In practical applications, however, the underlying pseudo-Riemannian metric may often be degenerate, and such an excellent geometric structure is rarely defined on the entire space. To fix this trouble, in the present paper, we propose a novel generalization of the dually flat structure for a certain class of singular models from the viewpoint of Lagrange and Legendre singularity theory - we introduce a quasi-Hessian manifold endowed with a possibly degenerate metric and a particula…
We prove that a local Hamiltonian operator of hydrodynamic type K_1 is compatible with a nondegenerate local Hamiltonian operator of hydrodynamic type K_2 if and only if the operator K_1 is locally the Lie derivative of the operator K_2 along a vector field in the corresponding domain of local coordinates. This result gives a natural invariant definition of the class of special flat manifolds corresponding to all the class of compatible Dubrovin--Novikov Hamiltonian operators (the Frobenius--Dubrovin manifolds naturally belong to this class). There is an integrable bi-Hamiltonian hierarchy cor…
Let $X$ denote the complex projective plane, blown up at the nine base points of a pencil of cubics, and let $D$ be any fiber of the resulting elliptic fibration on $X$. Using ansatz metrics inspired by work of Gross-Wilson and a PDE method due to Tian-Yau, we prove that $X \setminus D$ admits complete Ricci-flat Kähler metrics in most de Rham cohomology classes. If $D$ is smooth, the metrics converge to split flat cylinders $\R^+ \times S^1 \times D$ at an exponential rate. In this case, we also obtain a partial uniqueness result and a local description of the Einstein moduli space, which con…
