SU(3)-structures on hypersurfaces of manifolds with \(G_2\)-structure (Q996073)

The exceptional group \(G_2\) is the automorphisms group of the Cayley numbers \(\mathbb{O}\): the non-associative algebra over \(\mathbb{R}\) of dimension 8 with an orthonormal basis \(\{1,e_0,\dots, e_6\}\). The set \(\Im\mathbb{O}\) of pure imaginary Cayley numbers is the span of \(\{e_0,\dots,e_6\}\). The group \(G_2\) can be equivalently defined as the subgroup of SO(7) acting on \(\Im\mathbb{O}\) consisting of elements which preserve the three form \(\varphi=\sum_{i\in \mathbb{Z}_7}e_i\wedge e_{i+1}\wedge e_{i+3}\) and it can be seen that \(G_2\) acts preserving the splitting \(\mathbb{O}=\mathbb{R}\oplus\Im\mathbb{O}\). The subgroup of \(G_2\) consisting of the automorphisms on \(\mathbb{O}\) that leave invariant an imaginary unit is isomorphic to SU(3). Accordingly an SU(3)-structure can be defined on orientable hypersurfaces of a manifold equipped with a \(G_2\)-structure. Following [\textit{E. Calabi}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 87, 407--438 (1958; Zbl 0080.37601) and \textit{A. Gray}, Ill. J. Math. 10, 353--366 (1966; Zbl 0183.50803)] the author considers the structure of orientable hypersufaces \(M\) of \(\Im\mathbb{O}\) in its full condition as SU(3)-structure and also extends the results of both Calabi and Gray to orientable hypersurfaces \(M\) of manifolds \(\overline M\) with \(G_2\)-structures in general. He proves results relating tensors involving the three form \(\varphi\), the almost complex structure \(I\), the complex volume form, the second fundamental form of \(M\), and then, fixing the type of \(G_2\)-structure on \(\overline M\), he applies those results deriving geometric conditions to be satisfied by \(M\) to characterize types of SU(3)-structures. Also, the way is shown how to compute the intrinsic SU(3)-torsion \(\xi+\eta\) and the intrinsic \(G_2\)-torsion \(\xi\) by means of the exterior algebra, where \(\xi\) and \(\eta\) are defined, respectively, by \(\xi_X\overline Y=-\tfrac 12 I(\nabla_XI)\overline Y\) and \(\eta\in T^*M\otimes\mathbb{R}\) with \(\eta_X\overline Y=I\eta(X)I \overline Y\).