\(\operatorname{SU}(2)^2\)-invariant \(G_2\)-instantons (Q1751051)

The aim of the article is to start the systematic study of $\operatorname{SU}(2)^2$-invariant $G_2$-instantons. Both the BS (Bryant-Salamon) metric and BGGG (Brandhuber et al.) metric have $\operatorname{SU}(2)^2$ as a subgroup of their isometry group. All known complete $\operatorname{SU}(2)^2$-invariant $G_2$-manifolds of cohomogeneity $-1$ actually have $\operatorname{SU}(2)^2 \times \operatorname{U}(1)$-symmetry. The ODEs for $\operatorname{SU}(2)^2$-invariant $G_2$-instantons are deduced. Some explicit elementary solutions to the equations, namely flat connections and abelian ones, are given. For example in simple abelian setting one observes a difference between the $G_2$-instantons for the BS and BGGG metric. In Section 3, the authors focus on the BS metric, which has isometry group $\operatorname{SU}(2)^3$. One describes $\operatorname{SU}(2)^3$-invariant $G_2$-instantons with gauge group $\operatorname{SU}(2)$. A dichotomy arises from the two possible homogeneous bundles over the associative $S^3$ on which the instantons can extend; these two bundles are denoted by $P_1$ and $P_{id}$. In each cases, $P_1$ and $P_{id}$, two main results are obtained. In Section 4, the authors describe $\operatorname{SU}(2)^2 \times \operatorname{U}(1)$-invariant $G_2$-instantons on cohomogeneity-1 metrics with the symmetry on $\mathbb{R}^4 \times S^3$. As a result, the same dichotomy appears in that the $G^2$-instantons can extend over the associative $S^3$ either on the homogeneous bundle $P_1$ or $P_{id}$. The existence of $G_2$-instantons for the BS and BGGG metrics can be compared. While there is a 1-parameter family of $G_2$-instantons (Clarke's ones) that smoothly extend over $P_1$ on the BS metric, for the BGGG metric, one instead obtains another important result, Theorem 3. Finally, local existence results for $G_2$-instantons with $\operatorname{SU}(2)^2 \times \operatorname{U}(1)$-symmetry in a neighbourhood of an associative $S^3$, on any $\operatorname{SU}(2)^2 \times \operatorname{U}(1)$-invariant $G_2$-metric are presented. The authors show the existence of a 2-parameter family of locally defined $G_2$-instantons smoothly extending over $P_1$ and the existence of a 1-parameter family of $G_2$-instantons smoothly extending over $P_{id}$. This yields the possibility for further study of $G_2$-instantons even on the well-known Bryant-Salamon metric on $\mathbb{R}^4 \times S^3$. The paper contains very technical proofs, but is well-organized (in 4 sections and their subsections), and, together with the appendix and references can be very useful for the specialists in the field.