Balanced metrics on non-Kähler Calabi-Yau threefolds (Q431621)

A Hermitian metric on an \(n\)-dimensional complex manifold \(X\) is called balanced if its Kähler form \(\omega\) is such that \(d\omega^{n-1}=0. \) \textit{L. Alessandrini} and \textit{G. Bassanelli} [J. Differ. Geom. 37, No. 1, 95--121 (1993; Zbl 0793.53068); C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 320, No. 12, 1517--1522 (1995; Zbl 0842.32024)] proved that the existence of a balanced metric is a birational property. The authors look for trasformations of a complex manifold more general than birational maps, which preserve the existence (or nonexistence) of balanced metrics. A singular transition of a complex manifold \(Y\) is a contraction \(Y\to X_0\) followed by a smoothing \(X_0 \rightsquigarrow X_t\), (i.e. \(X_t\) are small deformations of \(X_0\) such that \(X_t\) are smooth for general \(t\).) The simplest case is that of a conifold transition, which consists of a smooth compact threefold \(Y\), a holomorphic map to a singular complex space \(\pi: Y\to X_0\) and an analytic family of complex spaces \(X_t\), \(t\in\Delta\), such that: (i) \(X_0\) is compact and smooth away from a finite set \(\Lambda=\{p_1,\dots,p_\ell\}\); (ii) \(E_i:=\pi^{-1}(p_i) \) are \((-1,-1)\)-curves; i.e. they are smooth rational curves with normal bundles \(N_{E_i/Y}\) isomorphic to \(\mathcal{O}_{E_i}(-1)^{\oplus 2}\); (iii) \(\pi|_{Y-\pi^{-1}(\Lambda)}: Y-\pi^{-1}(\Lambda)\to X_0-\Lambda\) is a biholomorphism; (iv) \(X_t\) are compact complex manifolds for \(t\neq 0\). Theorem 1.2. Let \(Y\) be a smooth Kähler Calabi-Yau threefold (i.e. a compact threefold with finite fundamental group and trivial canonical bundle) and let \(Y\to X_0\rightsquigarrow X_t\) be a conifold transition. Then for sufficiently small \(t\), \(X_t\) admits smooth balanced metrics. Given a threefold \(Y\) as above, let \( E\) be a union of mutually disjoint \((-1,-1)\)-curves \(E_i\). By contracting \( E\), one obtains a singular complex space \(X_0\). When the homology classes \([E_i]\in H_2(Y,\mathbb{Z})\) satisfies appropriate conditions (due to \textit{R. Friedman} [Math. Ann. 274, 671--689 (1986; Zbl 0576.14013); Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 53, 103--134 (1991; Zbl 0753.14035)]) the space \(X_0\) can be smoothed to a family of threefolds \(X_t\). The theorem states that for sufficiently small \(t\), all \(X_t\) have balanced metrics. The connected sum of \(k\geq 2\) copies of \(S^3\times S^3\) can be given a complex structure in this way, see [Friedman, loc. cit., Zbl 0753.14035], [\textit{P. Lu} and \textit{G. Tian}, Symp. Math. 36, 284--293 (1996; Zbl 0854.32016)]. Hence one gets the following. Corollary 1.4. The complex structures on \(\#_k (S^3\times S^3)\) for any \(k\geq 2\) constructed from the conifold transitions admit balanced metrics.