Random Riemannian geometry in 4 dimensions (Q2088487)

Random Riemannian geometries which are conformally invariant can be constructed on surfaces by using the conformal invariance of the Dirichlet energy, and this construction gives rise to the Gaussian free field. However, in higher dimensions, the Dirichlet energy is no longer conformally invariant. In its place, one can consider the bi-Laplacian energy plus lower-order correction terms. The author and collaborators recently pursued this idea to construct conformally invariant random fields on even dimensional Riemannian manifolds, and the present article surveys these results in the 4-dimensional case. In particular, on a 4-dimensional, smooth, compact, connected Riemannian manifold \((M,g)\), the Paneitz energy \[ \mathfrak{e}_g(u,u)=\frac{1}{8\pi^2}\int_M \left[ (\Delta_g u)^2 -2\mathrm{Ric}_g(\nabla_gu,\nabla_gu) +\frac{2}{3}\mathrm{scal}_g\cdot |\nabla_gu|^2 \right] \, d\mathrm{vol}_g , \] which is a bilinear form on \(L^2(M)\) with domain the Sobolev space \(H^2(M)\), is conformally invariant. If \(\mathfrak{e}_g>0\) on the subspace of \(H^2(M)\) orthogonal to the constant functions, we say that \((M,g)\) is admissible. While not all compact, 4-dimensional Riemannian manifolds are admissible, large classes are. If \((M,g)\) is admissible, which we now assume, the Paneitz operator \[ \mathrm{p}_g= \frac{1}{8\pi^2}\left[ \Delta_g ^2 + \mathrm{div}\left(2\mathrm{Ric}_g-\frac{2}{3}\mathrm{scal}_g\right) \nabla \right] \] is a self-adjoint positive operator on \(L^2\). Then the inverse of \(\mathrm{p}_g\), \(\mathrm{k}_g\), admits an integral kernel \(k_g(x,y)\) which is symmetric in \(x\) and \(y\), has logarithmic divergence near the diagonal, and is conformally invariant up to an additive correction. Continuing, a co-biholomorphic field \(h\) on \((M,g)\) is defined to be a linear family \(\left(\langle h,u\rangle\right)_{u\in H^{-2}}\) of centered Gaussians with covariance structure determined by \[ \mathbb{E} \left[ \langle h,u\rangle^2\right] = \langle u, \mathrm{k}_g u\rangle \quad\text{for all \(u\in H^{-2}(M)\).} \] Several approximations that can be used to construct \(h\) are given. For any \(\gamma\in(-\sqrt{8},\sqrt{8})\), the quantum Liouville measure \(\mu\), which heuristically is defined by having density \[ d\mu(x) = e^{\gamma h(x)-\frac{\gamma^2}{2}k(x,x)}\, d\mathrm{vol}_g , \] is rigorously constructed by approximation. The quantum Liouville measure is quasi-invariant under conformal transformations. The final section is devoted to studying the case when \((M,g)\) is the flat torus \(\mathbb{R}^4/\mathbb{Z}^4\) in more depth. In particular, discrete approximations of both the co-biharmonic field and the quantum Liouville measure are given, based on the discrete torus and the isotropic Haar system. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1493.11005].