Riemannian properties of Engel structures

DOI10.1093/IMRN/RNAA211zbMATH Open1492.53039arXiv1905.09006OpenAlexW3063908520WikidataQ115274129 ScholiaQ115274129MaRDI QIDQ5068136FDOQ5068136

Nicola Pia

Publication date: 5 April 2022

Published in: IMRN. International Mathematics Research Notices (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: This paper is about geometric and Riemannian properties of Engel structures, i.e. maximally non-integrable $2$-plane fields on $4$-manifolds. Two $1$-forms $alpha$ and $$ are called Engel defining forms if $$ is an Engel structure and $mathcalE=keralpha$ is its associated even contact structure, i.e. $mathcalE=[mathcalD,mathcalD]$. A choice of Engel defining forms determines a distribution $mathcalR$ transverse to $mathcalD$ called the Reeb distribution. We study conditions that ensure integrability of $mathcalR$. For example if we have a metric $g$ which makes the splitting $TM=mathcalDoplusmathcalR$ orthogonal and such that $mathcalD$ is totally geodesic then there exists an integrable Reeb distribution $ildemathcalR$. It turns out that integrabilty of $mathcalR$ is related to the existence of vector fields $Z$ whose flow preserves $mathcalD$, so called Engel vector fields. A K-Engel structure is a triple $(mathcalD,,g,,Z)$ where $mathcalD$ is an Engel structure, $g$ is a Riemannian metric, and $Z$ is a vector field which is Engel, Killing, and orthogonal to $mathcalE$. In this case we can construct Engel defining forms with very nice properties and such that $mathcalR$ is integrable. Moreover we can classify the topology of K-Engel manifolds studying the action of the flow of $Z$. As natural consequences of these methods we provide a construction which is the analogue of the Boothby-Wang construction in the contact setting and we give a notion of contact filling for an Engel structure.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1905.09006

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zbMATH Keywords

totally geodesiccontact metric structuresEngel structureEngel vector fieldseven contact structurecontactizationK-contact geometryK-Engel structurenon-integrable 2-plane distributionReeb distribution

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General geometric structures on manifolds (almost complex, almost product structures, etc.) (53C15) Special Riemannian manifolds (Einstein, Sasakian, etc.) (53C25) Vector distributions (subbundles of the tangent bundles) (58A30) Contact manifolds (general theory) (53D10)

Cited In (3)

• Existence \(h\)-principle for Engel structures
• Loose Engel structures
• Maximally nonintegrable plane fields on Thurston geometries

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