Harmonic structures and intrinsic torsion (Q498940)

In this paper the authors construct new Riemannian \(8\)-manifolds with a harmonic \(\mathrm{Sp}(2)\mathrm{Sp}(1)\)-structure. From Berger's famous list we know that in dimensions \(4n\geqq 8\) there exist spaces carrying quaternionic Kähler structures, i.e., irreducible Riemannian manifolds with holonomy \(\mathrm{Sp}(n)\mathrm{Sp}(1)\). This structure is characterized by the existence of a parallel \(4\)-form \(\Omega\). If the dimension is at least \(12\) then the integrability condition ``being parallel'' is equivalent to the cohomological condition ``being closed''. However exactly in dimension \(8\) this is not the case: There exist Riemannian \(8\)-manifolds whose \(\Omega\) is closed but not parallel. Since in this case \(\Omega\) turns out to be self-dual too, it is in fact a harmonic \(4\)-form. Hence such structures are called \textit{harmonic \(\mathrm{Sp}(2)\mathrm{Sp}(1)\)-structures}. (Unlike the quaternionic Kähler case, \(8\)-manifolds with a harmonic \(\mathrm{Sp}(2)\mathrm{Sp}(1)\)-structure are not Einstein.) By the aid of finding \(\mathrm{SO}(4)\)-structures on \(7\)-nilmanifolds \(N\) -- which is the extension of an earlier method of Salamon -- the authors are able to construct \(11\) new examples of \(8\)-manifolds \(M=N\times S^1\) carrying a harmonic \(\mathrm{Sp}(2)\mathrm{Sp}(1)\)-structure (Theorem 1.1). The authors also apply their technique for the (still uncompleted) classification program of \(7\)-dimensional nilpotent Lie algebras admitting a harmonic \(\mathrm{SO}(4)\)-structure or a structure with \(\mathrm{SO}(4)\)-invariant intrinsic torsion (Theorem 1.2).