Conformal vector fields with respect to the Sasaki metric tensor (Q2490682): Difference between revisions

Let \((M,g)\) be a Riemannian manifold of \(\dim n\geq 3\) and \((x^i)\), \(1\leq i\leq n\), a local chart on \(M\). Then, the associated chart of the tangent bundle TM is \((x^i,\dot x^j)\), where \(\dot x^j(u)= u^j\) for any tangent vector \(u =u^j\partial/\partial x^j\) on \(M\). Let \(e_i\) and \(\overline e_i\) be the nonholonomic frame field on TM defined by \(e_i =\partial/\partial x^i-\dot x^q\Gamma^r_{qi} \partial/\partial\dot x^r\), \(e_{\overline i} =\partial/\partial\dot x^i\) where \(\overline i\) stands for \(n+i\). Denoting the dual of \(e_i\) and \(e_{\overline i}\) by \(\theta^i\) and \(\theta^{\overline i}\), respectively, the Sasaki metric \(G\) on TM is defined by \(g_{ij}(\theta^i\otimes \theta^j +\theta^{\overline i}\otimes \theta^{\overline j})\). For any tensor field \(\mathbb A\in\mathbb X^{p,q}(M)\), let \(\mathbb A\), \({}^h\mathbb A\), \({}^c\mathbb A\) and \({}^n\mathbb A\) be its vertical, horizontal, complete and natural lifts in the usual sense. Then the author proves the following theorem: \(A\in \mathbb X^{1,0}(T(M))\) is a conformal vector field with respect to the Sasaki metric if and only if \[ A = c_X+ {}Y+{}^cP +E{}^c \text{grad}(b) +E\, a+{}^na_b{}^nI-\tfrac13\,E^n\text{grad}(a_b), \] where \(X,Y\in\mathbb X^{1,0}(M)\), \(P\in\mathbb X^{1,1}(M)\quad E=\tfrac12 \,g_{ij}\dot x_i\dot x_j\) and \(b = \frac{1}{n}\text{div}(X)\), \(a=-\frac{1}{n}\text{div(grad)}(Y)\), such that (a) \(X\) is a conformal vector field and \(\nabla\nabla b= 0\), (b) \(\nabla\nabla Y+g\otimes a\), \(\nabla\nabla a\), \({\mathcal I}_Y+\frac{2}{3}(g\otimes \nabla a_b)\), \({\mathcal I}_a\) are antisymmetric in the first two arguments, where \({\mathcal I}_B\) is defined by \({\mathcal I}_B(X,Y,X,W)=g\nabla((R(X,Y,Z),B),W)\). (c) \(P\) is skewsymmetric and satisfies \(\nabla P= I\otimes db-g\otimes\text{grad}(b)\). When \(M\) is compact, the above complicated theorem reduces to a simple one, namely, \(A\) is a conformal vector field if and only if \(A\) is a Killing vector field with respect to the Sasaki metric.