Symmetries and \(\phi\)-symmetric spaces (Q1095414)

Let \(M=M^{2n+1}\) be an almost contact manifold. Such manifold admits a tensor field \(\phi\) of type (1,1), a vector field \(\xi\) and a 1-form \(\eta\) satisfying \(\eta (\xi)=1\), \(\phi^ 2=-I+\eta \otimes \xi\). Moreover, if M admits a Riemannian metric g such that \(g(\phi x,\phi y)=g(x,y)-\eta (x)\eta (y)\) for any tangent vector fields x,y, then M with these structure tensors is called almost contact metric manifold. For M its fundamental 2-form \(\Phi\) is defined by \(\Phi (x,y)=g(x,\phi y).\) In this paper the authors consider symmetry problems locally on almost contact metric manifolds. A class of symmetries of these spaces (so- called \(\phi\)-geodesic symmetries) and a class of manifolds which seems to be the analogue in the almost contact metric case of the class of locally Hermitian symmetric spaces (so-called \(\phi\)-symmetric spaces) are studied. The following main theorem is proved. Let M be an almost contact metric manifold such that \(\xi\) is a Killing vector field and that the \(\phi\)-geodesic symmetries \(s_ m\) are \(\Phi\)-preserving for each \(m\in M\). Then: (1) If \(d\eta =0\), M is locally the product of a locally symmetric Kähler manifold and the real line. (2) If \(\Phi =d\eta\), M is a locally \(\phi\)-symmetric space and is locally homogeneous. For Sasakian manifolds necessary and sufficient conditions are found to be locally \(\phi\)-symmetric. A complete classification of three- dimensional Sasakian spaces with volume-preserving local \(\phi\)-geodesic symmetries is given.