Affine connections on three-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous spaces. I (Q463756)

The work under review describes all invariant affine connections on \(2\)-dimensional or \(3\)-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous spaces. The corresponding curvature tensors and torsion tensors are computed explicitly. The homogeneous spaces \(M = \overline{G} / G\) with an invariant pseudo-Riemannian metric \(g\) are in a bijective correspondence with the triples \( ( \overline{\mathfrak{g}}, \mathfrak{g}, B)\), consisting of the Lie algebras \(\overline{\mathfrak{g}} = \text{Lie} \overline{G}\), \(\mathfrak{g} = \text{Lie} (G)\) and a non-degenerate symmetric bilinear form \(B\) on the \(\mathfrak{g}\)-module \(\overline{\mathfrak{g}} / \mathfrak{g}\). The case of \(\mathfrak{g} =0\) is trivial, being reduced to the Lie group \(M = \overline{G}\) with an invariant metric \(g\). There are no \(1\)-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous spaces \(M = \overline{G} / G\) with \(\dim _{\mathbb R} G \neq 0\). Making use of the classification of 2-dimensional homogeneous spaces, done by S. Lie in 1893, the article obtains five triples \(( \overline{\mathfrak{g}}, \mathfrak{g}, B)\), associated with pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous spaces \((M = \overline{G} / G, g)\) with \(\dim _{\mathbb R} M = 2\). The first one \((\mathrm{so}(2) \rightthreetimes {\mathbb R}^2, \mathrm{so}(2), \pm I_2)\) corresponds to the Euclidean space \({\mathbb R}^2\). The second one \((\mathrm{su}(2), \{ \text{diag} (ix, -ix) | x \in {\mathbb R} \}, aI_2)\) with \(a \in {\mathbb R}^*\) characterizes the sphere \(S^2\). The third one \( \left( \mathrm{sl}(2, {\mathbb R}), \mathrm{so}(2), aI_2 \right)\) with \(a \in {\mathbb R}^*\) represents the \(2\)-dimensional hyperbolic space \(H^2\). The remaining two triples \((\overline{\mathfrak{g}}, \mathfrak{g}, B)\), \(1 \leq i \leq 2\) have \(B_i\) of signature \((1,1)\). These are \[ \left( \overline{\mathfrak{g}_1} = \mathrm{so}(1,1) \rightthreetimes {\mathbb R}^2, \quad \mathfrak{g}_1 = \mathrm{so}(1,1), \quad B_1 = \pm \left( \begin{matrix} 0 & 1 \\ 1 & 0 \end{matrix} \right) \right) \] and \[ \left( \overline{\mathfrak{g}_2} = \mathrm{sl}(2, {\mathbb R}), \quad \mathfrak{g}_2 = \{ \text{diag} (x,-x) | x \in {\mathbb R} \}, \quad B_2 = a \left( \begin{matrix} 0 & 1 \\ 1 & 0 \end{matrix} \right) \right) \] with \(a \in {\mathbb R}^*\). After identifying the tangent space \(T_{\check{o}} M\) to the reference point \(\check{o} \in M\) with a complement \(\mathfrak{m}\) of \(\mathfrak{g} = \text{Lie} G\) to \(\overline{\mathfrak{g}} = \text{Lie} \overline{G}\), the invariant affine connections on \(M\) are put in a bijective correspondence with the \(\mathfrak{g}\)-invariant maps \(\Lambda : \overline{\mathfrak{g}} \rightarrow \mathfrak{gl} ( \mathfrak{m})\), whose restriction to \(\mathfrak{g}\) coincides with the isotropic representation. Such \(\Lambda\) are completely determined by their action on \(\mathfrak{m}\). The invariant affine connection, associated with \(\Lambda (x)y _{\mathfrak{m}} = \frac{1}{2} [x,y] _{\mathfrak{m}}\) for all \(x, y \in \mathfrak{m}\) is called the natural torsion-free connection. The article shows that the only invariant affine connection on a \(2\)-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous space \((M = \overline{G} / G, g)\) is the natural torsion-free connection. The torsion tensor \(T( x_{\mathfrak{m}}, y_{\mathfrak{m}} ) = \Lambda (x) y_{\mathfrak{m}} - \Lambda (y) x _{\mathfrak{m}} - [x,y] _{\mathfrak{m}}\) vanishes for all \(x, y \in \overline{\mathfrak{g}}\). The curvature tensor is \(R(x_{\mathfrak{m}}, y _{\mathfrak{m}}) = [ \Lambda (x), \Lambda (y)] - \Lambda ( [x,y])\) for all \(x, y \in \overline{\mathfrak{g}}\). It vanishes for the Euclidean space \({\mathbb R}^2\) and for \(( \overline{\mathfrak{g}_1}, \mathfrak{g}_1, B_1)\). The curvature of \(( \overline{\mathfrak{g}_2}, \mathfrak{g}_2, B_2)\) is \(\text{diag} (2,-2)\). The curvature of the sphere \(S^2\) is \(\left( \begin{matrix} 0 & -1 \\ 1 & 0 \end{matrix} \right)\), while the curvature tensor of \(H^2\) is \(\left( \begin{matrix} 0 & 1 \\ -1 & 0 \end{matrix} \right)\). The article obtains ten equivalence classes of \(3\)-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian ho\-mo\-ge\-ne\-ous spaces \((M = \overline{G} / G, g)\). The first three of them are the \(3\)-dimensional space forms \({\mathbb R}^3\), \(S^3\), \(H^3\) with invariant Riemannnian metrics of constant sectional curvature. They have \(\dim _{\mathbb R} \overline{\mathfrak{g}} =6\), \(\dim _{\mathbb R} \mathfrak{g} =3\) and non-degenerate symmetric bilinear forms \(a I_3\), \(a \in {\mathbb R}^*\) of signature \((3,0)\) or \((0,3)\). More precisely, the triple \(( \mathrm{so}(3) \rightthreetimes {\mathbb R}^3, \mathrm{so}(3), aI_3)\) describes the Euclidean space \({\mathbb R}^3\), \((\mathrm{so}(4) \simeq \mathrm{su}(2) \times \mathrm{su}(2), \mathrm{so}(3) \simeq \mathrm{su}(2), aI_3)\) characterizes the sphere \(S^3\) and \((\mathrm{so}(3,1), \mathrm{so}(3) \simeq \mathrm{su}(2), a I_3)\) with \(a \in {\mathbb R}^*\) is associated with the hyperbolic space \(H^3\). The remaining seven cases with \(1\)-dimensional isotropy subgroups \(G\) and \(4\)-dimensional \(\overline{G}\) admit metrics of arbitrary signature. Among the Lie algebras \(\overline{\mathfrak{g}} = \text{Lie} \overline{G}\) of these cases are \(\mathrm{so}(2) \rightthreetimes {\mathbb R}^2\), \(\mathrm{sl}(2, {\mathbb R}) \times {\mathbb R}\), \(\mathrm{su}(2) \times {\mathbb R}\), a subalgebra of \(\mathrm{so}(4)\) and one nilpotent \(\overline{\mathfrak{g}}\). For the aforementioned ten equivalence classes of \(3\)-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous spaces are described all possible affine connections, their torsion tensors and their curvature tensors.