Normal contact structures on 3-manifolds

3-manifold almost contact structure compact complex surface contact structure normal almost contact structure normal contact structure Seifert manifold spherical geometry

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Compact complex surfaces (32J15) General geometric structures on manifolds (almost complex, almost product structures, etc.) (53C15) General geometric structures on low-dimensional manifolds (57M50) Specialized structures on manifolds (spin manifolds, framed manifolds, etc.) (57R15)

Review text

A closed 3-manifold \(M\) is called a contact manifold if it carries a global differential 1-form \(\eta\) such that \(\eta \wedge d\eta\) is a volume form. \(M\) admits a global nonvanishing vector field \(\xi\) such that \(\eta(\xi)=1\) and \(d\eta(\xi,X)=0\) for all vector fields \(X\) on \(M\). On a contact distribution \({\mathcal D}=\ker \eta\) one can find an endomorphism \(J\colon{\mathcal D}\to{\mathcal D}\) compatible with \(d\eta\) in the sense that \(d\eta(JX,JY)=d\eta(X,Y)\). \(J\) is defined uniquely up to homotopy. The triple \((J,\xi,\eta)\), in other words, the reduction of the structure group of \(M\) to \(\text{U}(1)\times 1\), is called an almost contact structure on \(M\). If an almost complex structure \(\overline J\) defined on \(M\times \mathbb{R}\) by \(\overline J(X,t)=(JX-t\xi,\eta(X))\) is integrable, then the almost contact structure \((J,\xi,\eta)\) and the contact form \(\eta\) are called normal. In this paper, the author determines manifolds diffeomorphic to closed 3-manifolds that admit normal contact or almost contact forms. In Theorem 1, the author proves that a closed 3-manifold admits a normal contact form if and only if it is diffeomorphic to a manifold of the form \(\Gamma \backslash X\), where \(X\) is either \(S^3\), \(\widetilde{\text{SL}}_2\) (the universal covering of \(\text{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})\)), or \(\text{Nil}^3\) (the Heisenberg group), and \(\Gamma\) is a (torsion free) subgroup of the identity component \(\text{Isom}_0 X\) of \(X\). The manifolds in this theorem are the Seifert fibred 3-manifolds with nonzero Euler number over orientable base orbifolds. \textit{H. Sato} [Tôhoku Math. J., II. Ser. 29, 577-584 (1977; Zbl 0382.53031)] proved that if \(M\) admits a normal almost contact structure, then \(\pi_2(M)=0\) or \(M\) is diffeomorphic to \(S^2 \times S^1\). In Theorem 2, the author completes the investigation begun by Sato and proves that \(M\) admits a normal almost contact structure if and only if \(M\) is diffeomorphic to one of the manifolds listed in Theorem 1 or to either \(\Gamma \backslash (H^2 \times E^1)\) with \(\Gamma\subset \text{Isom}_0 (H^2 \times E^1)\), or a \(T^2\)-bundle over \(S^1\) with periodic monodromy (a Euclidean 3-manifold that admits a Seifert fibration over an orientable 2-orbifold), or \(S^2 \times S^1\). The proofs of both theorems are based on the results by \textit{H.-T. Geiges} and \textit{J. Gonzalo} [Invent. Math. 121, No. 1, 147-209 (1995)], where the compact complex surfaces diffeomorphic to the product \(M\times S^1\) of a 3-manifold \(M\) and \(S^1\) are determined. If \(M\) admits a normal almost contact structure, then the integrable almost complex structure \(\overline J\) on \(M\times \mathbb{R}\) defined as above induces such a complex surface, which is contained in the class of complex surfaces with geometric structures discussed by \textit{C. T. C. Wall} [Topology 25, No. 2, 119-153 (1986; Zbl 0602.57014)]. To prove the theorems the author examines the possibilities of \(M\times S^1\) under the existence of the contact form on \(M\).

Recommendations

Cites work

Cited in

(43)

This page was built for publication: Normal contact structures on 3-manifolds

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q1384452)