Families of strong KT structures in six dimensions (Q1881553)

Let \((M,J,g)\) be a Hermitian manifold of real dimension \(2n\) (so that the Riemannian metric \(g\) is chosen to render \(J\) orthogonal), \(\Omega\) be the fundamental 2-form defined by \(\Omega(X,JY)=g(X,Y)\) and \(Jd\Omega\) be the resulting 3-form. The Hermitian manifold \((M,J, g)\) is called strong \(KT\) (more briefly \(SKT)\) if \(\square\Omega=0\) but \(d\Omega\neq 0\) (that is \(Jd\Omega\) is closed but non-zero), where \(\square=\frac 12\text{id}\,Jd\) acts as \(\delta \overline\delta\) on forms of type \((p,p)\). The aim of this paper is to study \(KT\) geometry on 6-dimensional nilmanifolds \(M=\Gamma\setminus G\) endowed with a complex structure \(J\) arising from the Lie algebra \(g\) of \(G\). The authors prove that in this case the \(SKT\) condition is satisfied by either all invariant Hermitian metrics \(g\) or by none. This result is used to classify the real 6-dimensional nilpotent Lie algebras admitting an \(SKT\) structure explicitly: eighteen of the thirty-four classes of 6-dimensional niltpotent Lie algebras \(g\) admit a complex structure. Exactly four of these classes give rise to a strong \(KT\) structure. A striking feature of this classification is that the existence of a strong \(KT\) structure depends only on the complex structure of \(g\). For this aim, the authors give a detailed study of the strong \(KT\) equations in the case when \(G\) is the complex Heisenberg group and \(M=\Gamma\setminus G\) is the Iwasawa manifold. So, the fact that the condition ``the fundamental 2-form is \(\partial\overline \partial\) closed on \(M\)'' depends only on the underlying complex structure \(J\) on \(M\) is proven. The space of such \(J\) is described when \(G\) is the complex Heisenberg group and explicit solutions are obtained from a limaçon-shaped curve in the complex plane. Finally, the related theory is used to provide examples of various types of Ricci-flat structures.