\(p\)-Kähler and balanced structures on nilmanifolds with nilpotent complex structures (Q2084904)

Let \(X = \Gamma \setminus G\) be a nilmanifold of even dimension \(\dim _{\mathbb R} X = 2n, \) \( n \in {\mathbb N}, \) represented as a quotient of a connected, simply connected nilpotent Lie group \(G\) by a fixed point free lattice \(\Gamma < G. \) A complex structure \(J\) on \(X\) is nilpotent if there is a co-frame \(\{ \varphi ^{i} \} _{i=1} ^n \subset \Lambda ^{1,0} \left( T^* _x X \otimes _{\mathbb R} {\mathbb C} \right)\) of invariant \((1,0)\)-forms with \(d \varphi ^{i} \in \Lambda ^2 \langle \varphi ^1, \ldots , \varphi ^{i-1}, \overline{\varphi ^1}, \ldots \overline{\varphi ^{i-1}} \rangle\) for all \( 1 \leq i \leq n. \) The authors study the existence of a \(p\)-Kähler form \(\Omega \), \(1 \leq p \leq \dim _{\mathbb C} X, \) on a nilmanifold \(X\) with an invariant nilpotent complex structure \(J\). Towards the definition of a \(p\)-Kähler form \(\Omega\) on \(X\), one fixes the volume form \[ \mathrm{Vol} = \left( \frac{\sqrt{-1}}{2} \varphi ^1 \wedge \overline{\varphi ^1} \right) \wedge \ldots \wedge \left( \frac{\sqrt{-1}}{2} \varphi ^n \wedge \overline{\varphi ^n} \right). \] At an arbitrary point \(x \in X\), a real \((p,p)\)-form \(\Omega _x \in \Lambda ^{p,p} \left( T ^* _x X \otimes _{\mathbb R} {\mathbb C} \right), \) \(\overline{\Omega _x} = \Omega _x\) is said to be transverse if for any \( \alpha ^1, \ldots , \alpha ^{n-p} \in \Lambda ^{1,0} \left( T^* _x X \otimes _{\mathbb R} {\mathbb C} \right)\) with \(\alpha ^1 \wedge \ldots \wedge \alpha ^{n-p} \neq 0\) there is a positive real constant \(C, \) such that \( \left[ \frac{( \sqrt{-1}) ^{n-p}}{2} \right] ^{n-p} \Omega \wedge \alpha ^1 \wedge \ldots \wedge \alpha ^{n-p} \wedge \overline{\alpha ^1} \wedge \ldots \wedge \overline{\alpha ^{n-p}} = C \mathrm{Vol} _x. \) A \(p\)-Kähler form \(\Omega \) on \(X\) is a real \((p,p)\)-form \(\Omega\) with \( d \Omega =0, \) which restricts to a transverse form \(\Omega _x \in \Lambda ^{p,p} \left( T^* _x X \otimes _{\mathbb R} {\mathbb C} \right)\) at any point \(x \in X. \) Note that any \(1\)-Kähler form \(\Omega\) is the fundamental form of a Kähler metric on \(X. \) A Hermitian metric \(g\) on a complex manifold \((X, J)\) of \(\dim _{\mathbb C} X = n\) is balanced if the fundamental form \(\omega \) of \(g \) satisfies \( d \omega ^{n-1} =0. \) By a result of \textit{M. L. Michelsohn} [Acta Math. 149, 261--295 (1982; Zbl 0531.53053)], any \((n-1)\)-Kähler form \(\Omega\) on a complex manifold \(X\) of \(\dim _{\mathbb C} X = n\) can be realized as a power \(\Omega = \omega ^{n-1}\) of the fundamental form \(\omega\) of a Hermitian metric \(g\) on \(X. \) That is why, the existence of an \((n-1)\)-Kähler form on \(X\) is equivalent to the existence of a balanced metric on \(X. \) Let \(X = \Gamma \setminus G\) be a compact complex nilmanifold with nilpotent complex structure \(J\) and \(1 \leq k \leq n = \dim _{\mathbb C} X\) be such an integer that \(d \varphi ^{i} =0\) for \( 1 \leq i \leq k\) and \( d \varphi ^{i} \ne 0\) for \(k+1 \leq i \leq n, \) where \(\{ \varphi ^{i} \} _{i=1} ^n \) is the co-frame of the invariant \((1,0)\)-forms from the definition of the nilpotency of \(J. \) The article under review proves the non-existence of an \((n-k)\)-Kähler form on \(X = \Gamma \setminus G. \) An example of a \(2\)-step nilmanifold \(X^3\) of \(\dim _{\mathbb C} X^3 = 3\) with a nilpotent complex structure \(J, \) \(d \varphi ^1 = d \varphi ^2 =0 \) and \(d \varphi ^3 \neq 0\) is shown to admit a \(2\)-Kähler form. Thus, the non-existence of an \((n-k)\)-Kähler form cannot be extended to a non-existence of an \((n-k+1)\)-Kähler form. Another example of a \(2\)-step nilmanifold \(X^4\) of \(\dim _{\mathbb C} X^4 =4\) with a nilpotent complex structure \(J, \) \(d \varphi ^{1} =0\) and \( d \varphi ^{2} = d \varphi ^{3} = d \varphi ^{4} \neq 0\) turns to admit a \(2\)-Kähler form. In such a way, the non-existence of an \((n-k)\)-Kähler form cannot be extended to a non-existence of an \((n-k-1)\)-Kähler form. In 2014, \textit{L. Bigalke} and \textit{S. Rollenske} [Math. Ann. 358, No. 3--4, 1119--1123 (2014; Zbl 1285.53062)] constructed such compact complex \(2\)-step nilmanifolds \(X^{4n-2}\) of \(\dim _{\mathbb C} X ^{4n-2} = 4n-2 \geq 6\) with nilpotent complex structure, for which the Frölicher spectral sequence does not degenerate at step \(n. \) The present article shows that for any \(n \geq 2\) and \(1 \leq p \leq 4n-4\) the manifold \( X ^{4n-2}\) does not admit a \(p\)-Kähler form and it admits a \((4n-3)\)-Kähler form or, equivalently, a balanced metric. In such a way, the degeneracy step of the Frölicher spectral sequence on a balanced compact complex manifold can be arbitrarily large. Let us recall that a Hermitian metric \(g\) on a complex manifold \(X\) is said to be strong Kähler with torsion if the fundamental form \(\omega\) of \(g\) is subject to \(\partial \overline{\partial} \omega =0. \) The authors show that \textit{L. Bigalke} and \textit{S. Rollenske}'s manifolds \(X ^{4n-2}\) do not admit a strong Kähler metric with torsion, neither a locally conformally Kähler metric. Thus, the non-degeneracy result for \( X ^{4n-2}\) does not reject a conjecture of \textit{D. Popovici} [Int. J. Math. 27, No. 14, Article ID 1650111, 31 p. (2016; Zbl 1365.53067)], asserting the degeneracy at the second step of the Frölicher spectral sequence on a compact complex manifold with a strong Kähler metric with torsion.