Special Kähler manifolds and generalized geometry (Q383796)

Let \(M\) be a smooth manifold. The vector bundle \(E= T_M\oplus T^\vee_M\) carries a canonical symplectic form \(( , )\), a canonical symmetric bilinear form \(\left<, \right>\) of signature \((\dim M,\dim M)\) and a canonical Courant bracket. \textit{N. Hitchin} [Q. J. Math. 54, No. 3, 281--308 (2003; Zbl 1076.32019)] and \textit{M. Gualtieri} [Ann. Math. (2) 174, No. 1, 75--123 (2011; Zbl 1235.32020)] have introduced and studied the notion of \textit{generalised complex structure}. This is a section \(\mathcal{J}\in \mathrm{End}(E)\), satisfying \(\mathcal{J}^2=-1\), whose \(+i\)-eigenbundle in \(E_{\mathbb{C}}\) is involutive with respect to the Courant bracket. Such a structure is necessarily orthogonal for the indefinite metric \(\left<, \right>\). A Riemannian metric \(g\), or symplectic structure \(\omega\), thought of as isomorphisms \(T_M\to T^\vee_M\), give rise to canonical generalised complex structures, \(\mathcal{J}^g\) and \(\mathcal{J}^\omega\). In the present paper the author continues her earlier study of a related -- but different -- class of structures. These are sections \(\mathcal{J}\in \mathrm{End}(E)\), \(\mathcal{J}^2=-1\), on which no integrability restrictions are imposed \textit{a priori}. She also considers integrability conditions which arise from connections on \(T_M\), as follows: A connection \(\nabla\) on \(T_M\) determines a bracket \([,]_\nabla\) on \(E\) by \[ [X+\xi, Y+\eta]_\nabla= [X,Y] +\nabla_X\eta -\nabla_Y\xi . \] In [J. Geom. Phys. 60, No. 11, 1781--1791 (2010; Zbl 1200.53031)] a Nijenhuis-type tensor \(N^\nabla(\mathcal{J})\) is introduced by replacing \([, ]\) with \([, ]_\nabla\) in the classical formula. Then \(\mathcal{J}\) is termed \textit{\(\nabla\)-integrable} if \(N^\nabla(\mathcal{J})=0\). For example, if \((M,g)\) is a Riemannian manifold and \(\nabla\) is a torsion-free connection on \(T_M\), then \(\mathcal{J}^g\) is \(\nabla\)-integrable precisely when \(\nabla g\) is symmetric, i.e., \((\nabla_X g)(Y) = (\nabla_Y g)(X)\), \(\forall X, Y\). The tangent sequence of \(\pi: T^\vee_M\to M\) describes \(T_{T^\vee M}\) as an extension \[ 0 \longrightarrow \pi^\ast T^\vee_M\longrightarrow T_{T^\vee M}\longrightarrow \pi^\ast T_M\longrightarrow 0. \] A connection \(\nabla\) on \(T_M\) splits this sequence, giving \(\Phi^\nabla :\pi^\ast E \simeq T_{T^\vee M}\). The isomorphism \(\Phi^\nabla\) can be used to transfer a generalised complex structure \(\mathcal{J}\) on \(M\) to an almost complex structure \(\widehat{J}\) on \(T^\vee M\). Denote by \(\Omega\) the canonical symplectic structure on \(T^\vee M\). Then by Proposition 10 (see also [Zbl 1200.53031]) for given \(\nabla\) and \(\mathcal{J}\) one has the following. If \(\nabla\) is torsion-free and \(\mathcal{J}\) is \((,)\)-calibrated, then \(\widehat{J}\) is \(\Omega\)-calibrated. If \(\nabla\) is flat and \(\mathcal{J}\) is \(\nabla\)-integrable, then \(\widehat{J}\) is integrable, i.e., is a complex structure. The present article focuses on the case when \(M\) carries a symplectic or special Kähler structure. The generalised geometry of symplectic manifolds is discussed in \S 3. Let \(L_\omega\subset E\) be the graph of a symplectic structure \(\omega\) on \(M\). By Proposition 12, if \(\nabla\) is a torsion-free and symplectic, then \(L_\omega\) is a Lie algebroid with respect to the bracket \([,]_\nabla\). From a symplectic connection \(\nabla\) one can construct a connection-like differential operator \(\widetilde{\nabla}: E\to E^\vee\otimes E\), \[ \widetilde{\nabla}_{X+\xi}( Y+\eta)= \nabla_{X}Y +\nabla_{\omega^{-1}(\xi)}\eta, \] for which one can introduce ``curvature'' and ``torsion'', immitating the standard definitions (see Proposition 14). Proposition 15 claims that \(\widetilde{\nabla}\) preserves \(L_\omega\) and gives formulae for the restricted ``torsion'' and ``curvature''. Recall that for a symplectic manifold, \textit{I. Vaisman} [Lectures on the geometry of Poisson manifolds. Basel: Birkhäuser (1994; Zbl 0810.53019)] has introduced the notion of ``contravariant connection'' on a vector bundle \(V\). This is a morphism of sheaves of vector spaces \(\nabla':V\to T^\vee _M\otimes_{\mathbb{R}} V\), which is \(C^\infty_M\)-linear in the first factor, but the Leibnitz rule is replaced by \(\nabla'_\xi(f\sigma) = f\nabla'_\xi \sigma + \omega^{-1}(\xi)(f)\sigma\). In this light, \(\widetilde{\nabla}\) is obtained by combining a ``covariant'' and ``contravariant'' derivative. We notice, however, that \(\widetilde{\nabla}\) is not a Lie-algebroid connection. Moreover, its ``curvature'' and ``torsion'' are not \(C^\infty\)-linear. The generalised geometry of special Kähler manifolds is discussed in \S 4. Let \((M,\omega, J, \nabla)\) be a special Kähler manifold [\textit{D. S. Freed}, Commun. Math. Phys. 203, No. 1, 31--52 (1999; Zbl 0940.53040)], with Riemannian metric \(g=-\omega J\). Then \(J^g\) is \(\nabla\)-integrable (Proposition 17), \(L_\omega\) is \(J^g\)-invariant (Proposition 18), and \(\left. J^g\right|_{L_\omega}\) is \(\nabla\)-integrable (Proposition 20). The notion of \textit{special Kähler subbundle of \(E\)} is introduced in Definition 22. Suppose \((M,\omega)\) is symplectic, \(\nabla\) is a connection on \(T_M\), and \(\widetilde{J}\) is a \(\nabla\)-integrable generalised complex structure. A \textit{special Kähler subbundle of \(E\)} is a subbundle \(L\subset E\), symplectic for \(( , )\) and preserved by \(\widetilde{\nabla}\), such that \(\widetilde{J}\) is \(\left. (, )\right|_L\)-calibrated, \(\widetilde{\nabla}\widetilde{J}\) is symmetric (on \(L\)) and such that \(\widetilde{\nabla}\) is flat, torsion-free and symplectic (on \(L\)). The main result of the section is Theorem 23, which claims that for a special Kähler manifold \((M,\omega, J,\nabla)\), the graph \(L_\omega\) is a special Kähler subbundle of \(E\) in a natural way. In \S5 the author studies special Kähler subbundles on (total spaces of) cotangent bundles via the isomorphism \(\Phi^\nabla\), and describes a special Kähler subbundle of \(T_{T^\vee M}\). In [\textit{D. V. Alekseevsky} et al., J. Geom. Phys. 42, No. 1--2, 85--105 (2002; Zbl 1004.53038)] it is shown that any special Kähler manifold \((M,\omega, J, \nabla)\) fits in a natural \(S^1\)-family. In \S6 the author shows that the constructions from \S5 are invariant under these deformations.