Jacobi-Jacobi commuting models and manifolds (Q1021356)

The symmetry relations of the Riemann curvature tensor (anti-symmetry in the first two arguments, block-symmetry, and the first Bianchi identity) have been studied in recent years both on the pure algebraic and on the non-flat geometric side, and on the interplay between them. Algebraically associated to a \( 4 \)-covariant tensor of this type are various objects like the curvature operator and the Jacobi operator, both being endomorphism-valued mappings with two resp. one vector argument. The present paper is concerned with the generalization of the Jacobi operator to multiple arguments forming a basis of a vector subspace \( \pi \) as introduced by \textit{G. Stanilov, V. Videv} [God. Sofij. Univ., Fak. Mat. Inform. 86(1994), No.~1(Mat.), 27--34 (1992; Zbl 0895.53023)] in the Riemannian setting and by \textit{P. Gilkey, G. Stanilov, V. Videv} [J. Geom. 62, No.~1--2, 144--153 (1998; Zbl 0906.53046)] in the pseudo Riemannian context. This operator is base-independent thus defining an endomorphism \(\mathcal{J}(\pi)\), the higher order Jacobi operator, associated to any non-degenerate vector subspace \( \pi \). In particular, the property of Jacobi-Jacobi commuting is considered, meaning that \( \mathcal{J}(\pi)\) and \( \mathcal{J}(\pi^{\bot}) \) are always commuting. Results are presented on the decomposition into Einstein-type subspaces, giving complete information in the definite and partial information in the indefinite case. Moreover, on the geometric side, non-trivial examples of Riemannian manifolds with this property are exhibited.