Minimal Reeb vector fields on almost cosymplectic manifolds (Q363258)

A unit vector field \(V\) on a Riemannian manifold \((M,g)\) can be regarded as a map from \(M\) into its unit tangent bundle with the well-known Sasaki metric. When \(M\) is compact, the volume of \(V\) is the volume of the corresponding submanifold of the unit tangent bundle. This gives a functional on the set of unit vector fields and a vector field is said to be minimal if it is a critical point of this functional. One remarkable fact is that \(V\) is a minimal unit vector field if and only if the corresponding submanifold of the unit tangent bundle is minimal. An almost contact structure on a differentiable manifold \(M\) consists of a (1,1) tensor field \(\phi\), a vector field \(\xi\) and a 1-form \(\eta\) such that \(\phi^2=-I+\eta\otimes\xi\) and \(\eta(\xi)=1\); \(\xi\) is called the Reeb vector field even though the structure need not be contact. A Riemannian metric \(g\) is said to be an associated metric if \(g(\phi X,\phi Y)=g(X,Y)-\eta(X)\eta(Y)\); the 2-form \(\Phi\) defined by \(\Phi(X,Y)=g(X,\phi Y)\) is called the fundamental 2-form. An almost contact metric manifold is said to be almost cosymplectic if both \(\eta\) and \(\Phi\) are closed. The author first proves that on a 3-dimensional almost cosymplectic manifold, the Reeb vector field is minimal if and only if it is an eigenvector of the Ricci operator. The author then gives the curvature condition for an almost cosymplectic manifold to be a \((\kappa,\mu,\nu)\)-space. On a 3-dimensional almost cosymplectic \((\kappa,\mu,\nu)\)-space the Reeb vector field \(\xi\) is minimal and conversely if on a 3-dimensional almost cosymplectic manifold \(M\), \(\xi\) is minimal, then \(M\) is a \((\kappa,\mu,\nu)\)-space on an open dense subset. The author also discusses some additional notions, viz. that of a harmonic vector field and a strongly normal unit vector field, and relates these to the minimality of \(\xi\). Finally for a 3-dimensional almost cosymplectic manifold the author gives a classification under which for \(\xi\) minimal and other technical conditions, \(M\) is cosymplectic or locally isometric to one of the following simply connected unimodular Lie groups: the group of rigid motions of the Euclidean plane, the Heisenberg group or the group of rigid motions of the Minkowski plane.