On spin(7) holonomy metric based on \(\text{SU}(3)/\text{U}(1)\). I (Q1864908)

The authors study cohomogeneuity one metrics with \(Spin(7)\) holonomy on eight-dimensional manifolds with orbifold singularities. The principal orbits are homogeneous spaces homeomorphic to \(SU(3)/S^1\) where \(S^1\) is a subgroup of a two-dimensional maximal compact torus in \(SU(3)\). Such spaces were well-known in differential geometry due to the paper by Aloff and Wallach who constructed on them homogeneous metrics of positive sectional curvature. Actually there is a multidimensional space of homogeneous metrics on such spaces and the authors consider conical metrics on of the form \(dt^2 + ds(t)^2\) where \(ds(t)^2\) is a homogeneous metric on \(SU(3)/S^1\) which depends on a parameter \(t\). Looking for metrics with \(Spin(7)\) holonomy the authors derive ordinary differential equations in \(t\) for parameters of a homogeneous metric \(ds(t)^2\) and study their solutions which in general lead to degenerations of metrics \(ds(t)^2\) for finite \(t\). This results in an existence of orbifold singularities on eight-dimensional manifolds which locally looks as the products \({\mathbb R} \times SU(3)/S^1\) but for some special choice of \(S^1\)-subgroup in \(SU(3)\) such a procedure leads to a smooth noncompact manifold. The authors mention two recent preprints by Cvetic, Gibbons, Lü, and Pope and by Gukov and Sparks which have some overlaps with the paper.