The Burns-Epstein invariant and deformation of CR structures (Q917053)

Let M be a smooth, oriented, compact, 3-dimensional manifold and H be a contact structure on M represented by the contact 1-form \(\theta\). Suppose J and \(\hat J\) are two CR-structures on M compatible with H, i.e., \(J,\hat J: H\to H\) and \(J^ 2=\hat J^ 2=-1\). By means of \(\theta\) the authors define an invariant \(\mu(J,\hat J)\) for the pair of CR-structures and obtain its basic properties. It is proven that \(\mu(J,\hat J)\) does not depend on the choice of the contact 1-form \(\theta\) but it depends on the choice of \(\hat J\) only up to an additive constant. In particular, when the holomorphic tangent bundles of J and \(\hat J\) are trivial we have \(\mu(J,\hat J)=\mu(J)-\mu(\hat J),\) where \(\mu(J)\) is the Burns-Epstein invariant for the CR-structure J [\textit{D. M. Burns jun.} and \textit{C. L. Epstein}, Invent. Math. 92, No.2, 333-348 (1988; Zbl 0643.32006)]. Finally, the authors investigate the evolution equation for CR-structures determined by the gradient flow of the above invariant.