Negative eigenvalues of the Ricci operator of solvable metric Lie algebras (Q2452173)

The author studies the possible signatures of the Ricci form (or, equivalently, the number of negative eigenvalue of the Ricci operator Ric) of a left-invariant non-flat metric \(g\) on a solvable Lie group \(G\). Since the scalar curvature of \(g\) is negative, the Ricci operator Ric has at least one negative eigenvalue. The author proves that almost always, Ric has at least two negative eigenvalues. The exception corresponds to the metric Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{s}\) with the orthogonal decomposition \(\mathfrak{s} = \mathfrak{a} +\mathfrak{n} \) where \( \mathfrak{n}:=[\mathfrak{s}, \mathfrak{s}]\) such that \(\mathfrak{a}\) is a commutative subalgebra with normal adjoint endomorphisms \(\mathrm{ad}_{\mathfrak{a}}\) and such that the subalgebra \(\mathfrak{b} \subset \mathfrak{a}\) with skew-symmetric endomorphisms \(\mathrm{ad}_{\mathfrak{b}}\) has codimension one in \(\mathfrak{a}\). In this case the Ricci operator has rank one.