No label defined (Q4808286)

Let \(\Sigma=(\varphi,\xi,\eta,g)\) be an almost contact metric structure on a manifold \(M\). If \(\Sigma\) is normal, i.e., \(N_ \varphi+2d \eta\otimes\xi=0\), \(N_\varphi\) being the Nijenhuis tensor of \(\varphi\), then it is a contact metric structure. If \(\xi\) is a Killing vector field, then \(\Sigma\) is called a \(K\)-contact structure on \(M\). A \(K\)-contact metric manifold is Sasakian if \((\nabla_ X\varphi)(Y)=g(X,Y)\xi -\eta(Y)X\). An almost contact metric 3-structure on a manifold \(M\) is defined as a system of three almost contact metric structures \(\Sigma_ i=(\varphi_ i,\xi_ i,\eta_ i,g)\), \(i=1,2,3\), such that \(\varphi_ i\varphi_ j-\xi_ i\otimes \eta_ j=\varphi_ k=-\varphi_ j\varphi_ i+\xi _ j\otimes \eta_ i\) for cyclic permutations \((i,j,k)\) of \((1,2,3)\). If each \(\Sigma_ i\) is Sasakian, then \(\Sigma\) is called a 3-Sasakian structure. \textit{H. Geiges} and \textit{C. B. Thomas} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 51, 342-352 (1995; Zbl 0835.53041)] introduced the notion of a hypercontact structure on a manifold \(M\) as a triple of contact forms \((\alpha_ 1, \alpha_ 2, \alpha _ 3)\) and a Riemannian metric \(g\), such that each \(\alpha_ i\) has a contact metric structure \((g, \eta_ i, \xi_ i, \varphi_ i)\) such that \(g(X,\varphi_ iY)=d\alpha_ i(X,Y)\). \textit{S. I. Goldberg} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 96, 651-656 (1986; Zbl 0589.53039)] proved that if \(M\) is a compact simply-connected contact Riemannian manifold of dimension \(2n+1\) with positive sectional curvature, then \(M\) is homeomorphic with the sphere \(S^{2n+1}\), if the contact structure is normal and regular. In this paper, the author extends the result of Goldberg and proves that if a compact simply connected three-manifold admits a hypercontact metric structure, then it is homeomorphic to the sphere \(S^ 3\). The result is a consequence of the following classification theorem: A three-dimensional hypercontact metric manifold is either (i) a 3-Sasakian manifold locally isometric to the sphere \(S^ 3(1)\), or (ii) locally isometric to the Lie group \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb R)\) equipped with a left-invariant hypercontact metric structure.