Affine connections on homogeneous hypercomplex manifolds (Q1808707)

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Affine connections on homogeneous hypercomplex manifolds
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    Affine connections on homogeneous hypercomplex manifolds (English)
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    9 March 2001
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    The paper deals with hypercomplex structures and related connections. The basic definitions and results on almost hypercomplex structures are recalled. An almost hypercomplex structure on a manifold \(M=M^{2n}\) is a triple \(H=(J_1,J_2,J_3)\) of anticommuting almost complex structures with \(J_3=J_1J_2\); the Obata connection of \(H=(J_\alpha)\) is the (uniquely defined) affine connection \(\nabla^H\) on \(M\) which preserves \(H\), i.e. \(\nabla^HJ_\alpha=0, \alpha =1,2,3\), and with torsion \(T^H=\frac{1}{6}\sum_\alpha N_\alpha\), where \(N_\alpha\) is the Nijenhuis tensor of \(J_\alpha, \alpha=1,2,3\). The condition of preserving \(H\) is equivalent to \(\text{Hol}(\nabla^H) \subset GL(n,\mathbb{H})\), where \(\text{Hol}(\nabla^H)\) is the holonomy group of \(\nabla^H\). \(H=(J_\alpha)\) is called a hypercomplex structure if the almost complex structures \(J_\alpha\) are integrable, i.e., \(N_\alpha =0\) on \(M\), or equivalently, the Obata connection is torsionless. A hypercomplex structure \(H\) is called integrable if the \(GL(n,\mathbb{H})\)-structure of \(M\) which is naturally associated to it is integrable. M. Obata proved that \(H\) is integrable if and only if \(\nabla^H\) is flat. The author studies in particular the homogeneous hypercomplex manifolds \((M,H)\), i.e., the homogeneous manifolds \(M=G/K\) where a \(G\)-invariant hypercomplex structure \(H\) is given. For this purpose, for any G-invariant almost hypercomplex structure \(H\) on \(M=G/K\), she introduces an affine connection which is closely related to the Obata connection and whose torsion vanishes if and only if \(H\) is an hypercomplex structure of a certain special type (an abelian hypercomplex structure). A classification of the 4-dimensional real Lie groups which admit an invariant almost hypercomplex structure is given and the hypercomplex structures which are integrable are determined. As a consequence, a self-dual, non-flat, Ricci flat affine connection on \({\mathbb{R}}^4\) admitting a solvable simply transitive group of affine transformations is obtained. This result is extended to a family of hypercomplex manifolds of dimension \(4n, n>1\), considered in [\textit{M. L. Barberis} and \textit{I. Dotti Miatello}, Q. J. Math. Oxf., II. Ser. 47, 389-404 (1996; Zbl 0874.53023)]. A sufficient condition for the integrability of hypercomplex structures on certain solvable Lie algebras is also given.
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    hypercomplex structure
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    hypercomplex homogeneous manifold
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    holonomy
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    almost hypercomplex structure
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    Obata connection
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    holonomy group
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    abelian hypercomplex structure
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    solvable Lie algebra
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