A note on invariant description of \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\)-structures in dimension 5 (Q6143037)

The aim of this paper is to study \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\)-geometry from the perspective of spinors, focusing on the invariant approach, i.e., independent of the choice of the defining spinor. The author focuses on the action of vectors on spinors. He develops an invariant approach to \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\)-structures on spin 5-manifolds. It is shown that there are different choices of spinors in \(\Delta=\mathbb{C}^4\) defining the same subgroup isomorphic to \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\). In fact, the author shows that the subspace \(V\subset\Delta\) of spinors defining the same group isomorphic to \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\) is of real dimension four. He characterizes via the spinor approach the subspaces in the spinor bundle which induce the same group isomorphic to \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\). The characterization of these spaces is done from two angles: complex and quaternionic. The quaternionic approach seems to be well known to the experts in the field, whereas the complex approach is most likely new. The other case is concerned with a characterization of the intrinsic torsion modules. The author shows how to induce quaternionic structure on the contact distribution of the considered \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\)-structure. He proves the invariance of certain components of the covariant derivative \(\nabla\varphi\), where \(\varphi\) is any spinor field defining the \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\)-structure. This implies, as expected, that (at least some of) the intrinsic torsion modules can be derived invariantly with the spinorial approach. The author concludes with the explicit description of the intrinsic torsion and the characteristic connection. The paper is organized as follows. Section 1 deals with an algebraic approach to spinors defining \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\), or equivalently, its Lie algebra \(su(2)\). The author gives a characterization of the subspaces of spinors defining a given Lie algebra \(su(2)\) in terms of complex and quaternionic structures. Moreover, he studies a correspondence between the complex structures on the spinor space \(\Delta\) and an associated four-dimensional space \(D\) of vectors acting on spinors. He shows how to obtain, in a canonical way, a quaternionic structure on \(D\) by the invariant spinorial approach. The map which assigns a complex structure from the quaternionic structure to a unit spinor is, in fact, the Hopf fibration. Moreover, the author shows nonexistence of a complex structure on \(D\) induced from the complex structure on \(V\). Section 2 is devoted to an invariant description of \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\)-structures. Here the author shows how the algebraic approach developed in the first section induces a \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\)-structure on a 5-dimensional spin manifold, and shows relations with the approaches from [\textit{G. Bazzoni} et al., ``Spin-harmonic structures and nilmanifolds'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1904.01462}; \textit{D. Conti} and \textit{S. Salamon}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 359, No. 11, 5319--5343 (2007; Zbl 1130.53033)]. Section 3 deals with a characterization of the intrinsic torsion and its modules. In this section the author wants to derive a decomposition of the module of all possible intrinsic torsions via spinorial approach. He shows that with a slight modification the spinorial approach developed in [loc. cit.] is invariant, i.e., independent of the choice of a defining spinor. Moreover, he derives explicit formula for the intrinsic torsion as well as for the characteristic connection.