Nearly pseudo-Kähler manifolds and related special holonomies (Q2399911)

We say a \(k\)-form \(\varphi\) on a differentiable manifold \(M\) is stable if its orbit \(\varphi(p)\) under \(\mathrm{GL}(T_pM)\) is open in \(\Lambda ^kT_p^\ast M\) for all \(p\in M\). Let \(\omega\) and \(\rho\) be a stable 2-form and a stable 3-form respectively satisfying the following algebraic compatibility equations: \[ \omega \wedge \rho=0, \quad J_\rho ^\ast \rho \wedge \rho =\frac{2}{3}\omega^3, \] where \(J_\rho\) is an endomorphism field on \(M\), defined by \(\rho\) such that \(J_\rho^2= \varepsilon\, \mathrm{id}\) (\(\varepsilon =\pm 1\)). The pair \((\omega,\rho)\) defines an \(\mathrm{SU}(p,q)\)-structure if \(\varepsilon=-1\) and an \(\mathrm{SL}(3,{\mathbb R})\)-structure if \(\varepsilon=+1\). The structure is called half-flat if the pair \((\omega,\rho)\) satisfies the following exterior differential system: \(d\omega^2=0\), \(d\rho=0\). For a time-dependent pair of stable forms \((\omega(t),\rho(t))\) evolving from a half-flat \(\mathrm{SU}(3)\)-structure \((\omega(0),\rho(0))\), N. Hitchin introduced the following evolution equations: \[ \frac{\partial}{\partial t}\rho = d\omega, \quad \frac{\partial}{\partial t}\hat \omega=d\hat \rho, \] where \(\hat \omega=\frac{\omega^2}{2}\) and \(\hat \rho = J_\rho^\ast \rho\). The main goal of the author is to consider geometry of nearly pseudo-Kähler and nearly para-Kähler manifolds (shortly, nearly \(\varepsilon\)-Kähler manifolds, \(\varepsilon=\pm1\)), paying attention to Hitchin's flow equations on nilmanifolds \(\Gamma\setminus H_3\times H_3\), where \(H_3\) is the Heisenberg group. To present these results the author collects in Chapter 2 some basics, including the formalism of stable forms, the basic notions of almost \(\varepsilon\)-Hermitian geometry and \(\mathrm{U}^\varepsilon(p,q)\)-structures, linear algebra of three forms. He also recalls some geometry of pseudo-Riemannian submersions and some notions on para-Sasaki geometries, including the construction method given by \(T\)-duality. The Chapter 3 is devoted to the geometry of nearly \(\varepsilon\)-Kähler manifolds which depends on the Nijenhuis tensor, the characteristic connection and curvature. The author points out that this connection has parallel torsion as well as that one cannot apply the stable form technique in the Ricci-flat setting since the support of the Nijenhuis tensor is isotropic. Twistor spaces over quaternionic and para-quaternionic Kähler manifolds, complex reducible nearly pseudo-Kähler manifolds, conical Ricci-flat nearly para-Kähler manifolds, evolution of hypo and nearly hypo structures to the pseudo-Riemannian setup are also considered. More precisely, in this framework the twistorial construction of nearly \(\varepsilon\)-Kähler spaces is used to construct examples of the characteristic connection whose complex holonomy is reducible. A classification of flat pseudo-Riemannian Lie groups and classification results for flat nearly \(\varepsilon\)- Kähler manifolds give the proper examples of Ricci-flat manifolds which allow to establish a correspondence between conical Ricci-flat para-Kähler and conical Ricci-flat strict nearly para Kähler manifolds. The author also considers real reducible holonomy of the characteristic connection and the image of 3-symmetric spaces under \(T\)-duality. The last section of Chapter 3 is devoted to Lagrangian submanifolds. Using some established geometric properties of Lagrangian submanifolds he states that any Lagrangian immersion in a 6-dimensional strict nearly (pseudo-) Kähler manifold is orientable and minimal. Ambient nearly Kähler spaces coming from the twistor construction and deformations of Lagrangian submanifolds of nearly Kähler spaces are also studied. Chapter 4 is devoted to extensions of Hitchin's flow equations. The author proves that any solution of the evolution equations, cited above, defined on some interval \(0\in I\subset {\mathbb R}\) defines a Riemannian metric on \(M\times I \) with holonomy group in \(G_2\). He obtains a similar result for all three types of half-flat \(G\)-structures: \(G=\mathrm{SU}(3),\, \mathrm{SU}(1,2)\) and \(\mathrm{SL}(3,{\mathbb R})\). For the noncompact groups \(G\) a pseudo-Riemannian metric of signature \((3,4)\) and holonomy group in \(G_2^\ast\) on \(M\times I\) are obtained. As an application, the author proves that any six-manifold endowed with a real analytic half-flat \(G\)-structure can be extended to a Ricci-flat 7-manifold with holonomy group in \(G_2\) or \(G_2^\ast\), depending on whether \(G\) is compact or noncompact. For a nearly pseudo-Kähler or a nearly para-Kähler manifold as initial structure, which are both half-flat and nearly half-flat, he proves the resulting parallel or nearly parallel \(G_2\) and \(G_2^\ast\)-structures induce cone or (hyperbolic) sine cone metrics. Studying the evaluation equations on a nilmanifold \(\Gamma \setminus H_3\times H_3\), the author develops a method to explicitly determine the parallel \(G_2^{(\ast)}\)-structure induced by an arbitrary invariant half-flat structure on this manifold without integrating. In particular, this method is applied to construct three explicit large families of metrics with holonomy equal to \(G_2\) or \(G_2^\ast\), respectively. The corresponding results on special Kähler manifolds are obtained in the last section. This monography contains not only results of the author but also related work of other researchers. It provides detailed motivation described in the introduction, appropriate examples for better understanding of theoretical results, as well as applications in other fields, especially in supergravity and string theories.