Flat nearly Kähler manifolds

We classify flat strict nearly Kähler manifolds with (necessarily) indefinite metric. Any such manifold is locally the product of a flat pseudo-Kähler factor of maximal dimension and a strict flat nearly Kähler manifold of split signature (2m, 2m) with m ≥ 3. Moreover, the geometry of the second factor is encoded in a complex three-form $\zeta \in \Lambda^3 (\mathbb{C}^m)^*We classify flat strict nearly K?hler manifolds with (necessarily) indefinite metric. Any such manifold is locally the product of a flat pseudo-K?hler factor of maximal dimension and a strict flat nearly K?hler manifold of split signature (2m, 2m) with m ≥ 3. Moreover, the geometry of the second factor is encoded in a complex three-form . The first nontrivial example occurs in dimension 4m = 12.      

On balanced Hermitian structures on Lie groups

We present several methods for the construction of balanced Hermitian structures on Lie groups. In our methods a partial differential equation is involved so that the resulting structures are in general non homogeneous. In particular, we prove that for 3-step nilpotent Lie groups G of dimension 6, any left-invariant complex structure on G admits a balanced Hermitian metric. Starting from normal almost contact structures, we construct balanced metrics on 6-dimensional manifolds, generalizing warped products. Finally, explicit balanced Hermitian structures are also given on solvable Lie groups defined as semidirect products ${\mathbb{R}^k \ltimes \mathbb{R}^{2n-k}}$ .     

The Fischer–Marsden conjecture and contact geometry

In this paper, we consider the Fischer–Marsden conjecture within the frame-work of K-contact manifolds and \((\kappa ,\mu )\)-contact manifolds. First, we prove that a complete K-contact metric satisfying \(\mathcal {L}^{*}_g(\lambda )=0\) is Einstein and is isometric to a unit sphere \(S^{2n+1}\). Next, we prove that if a non-Sasakian \((\kappa ,\mu )\)-contact metric satisfies \(\mathcal {L}^{*}_g(\lambda )=0\), then \( M^{3} \) is flat, and for \(n > 1\), \(M^{2n+1}\) is locally isometric to the product of a Euclidean space \(E^{n+1}\) and a sphere \(S^n(4)\) of constant curvature \(+\,4\).     

On conformally flat contact metric manifolds

In the present paper we classify the conformally flat contact metric manifolds of dimension satisfying . We prove that these manifolds are Sasakian of constant curvature 1.     

On the classification of 4-dimensional $$(m,\rho )$$-quasi-Einstein manifolds with harmonic Weyl curvature

In this paper we study four-dimensional \((m,\rho )\)-quasi-Einstein manifolds with harmonic Weyl curvature when \(m\notin \{0,\pm 1,-2,\pm \infty \}\) and \(\rho \notin \{\frac{1}{4},\frac{1}{6}\}\). We prove that a non-trivial \((m,\rho )\)-quasi-Einstein metric g (not necessarily complete) is locally isometric to one of the following: (i) \({\mathcal {B}}^2_\frac{R}{2(m+2)}\times {\mathbb {N}}^2_\frac{R(m+1)}{2(m+2)}\), where \({\mathcal {B}}^2_\frac{R}{2(m+2)}\) is the northern hemisphere in the two-dimensional (2D) sphere \({\mathbb {S}}^2_\frac{R}{2(m+2)}\), \({\mathbb {N}}_\delta \) is a 2D Riemannian manifold with constant curvature \(\delta \), and R is the constant scalar curvature of g. (ii) \({\mathcal {D}}^2_\frac{R}{2(m+2)}\times {\mathbb {N}}^2_\frac{R(m+1)}{2(m+2)}\), where \({\mathcal {D}}^2_\frac{R}{2(m+2)}\) is half (cut by a hyperbolic line) of hyperbolic plane \({\mathbb {H}}^2_\frac{R}{2(m+2)}\). (iii) \({\mathbb {H}}^2_\frac{R}{2(m+2)}\times {\mathbb {N}}^2_\frac{R(m+1)}{2(m+2)}\). (iv) A certain singular metric with \(\rho =0\). (v) A locally conformal flat metric. By applying this local classification, we obtain a classification of the complete \((m,\rho )\)-quasi-Einstein manifolds given the condition of a harmonic Weyl curvature. Our result can be viewed as a local classification of gradient Einstein-type manifolds. A corollary of our result is the classification of \((\lambda ,4+m)\)-Einstein manifolds, which can be viewed as (m, 0)-quasi-Einstein manifolds.     

Calabi-Yau manifolds with isolated conical singularities

Let \(X\) be a complex projective variety with only canonical singularities and with trivial canonical bundle. Let \(L\) be an ample line bundle on \(X\). Assume that the pair \((X,L)\) is the flat limit of a family of smooth polarized Calabi-Yau manifolds. Assume that for each singular point \(x \in X\) there exist a Kähler-Einstein Fano manifold \(Z\) and a positive integer \(q\) dividing \(K_{Z}\) such that \(-\frac{1}{q}K_{Z}\) is very ample and such that the germ \((X,x)\) is locally analytically isomorphic to a neighborhood of the vertex of the blow-down of the zero section of \(\frac{1}{q}K_{Z}\). We prove that up to biholomorphism, the unique weak Ricci-flat Kähler metric representing \(2\pi c_{1}(L)\) on \(X\) is asymptotic at a polynomial rate near \(x\) to the natural Ricci-flat Kähler cone metric on \(\frac{1}{q}K_{Z}\) constructed using the Calabi ansatz. In particular, our result applies if \((X, \mathcal{O}(1))\) is a nodal quintic threefold in \(\mathbf {P}^{4}\). This provides the first known examples of compact Ricci-flat manifolds with non-orbifold isolated conical singularities.     

New extremal domains for the first eigenvalue of the Laplacian in flat tori

We prove the existence of nontrivial compact extremal domains for the first eigenvalue of the Laplacian in manifolds ${\mathbb{R}^{n}\times \mathbb{R}{/}T\, \mathbb{Z}}$ with flat metric, for some T > 0. These domains are close to the cylinder-type domain ${B_1 \times \mathbb{R}{/}T\, \mathbb{Z}}$ , where B ₁ is the unit ball in ${\mathbb{R}^{n}}$ , they are invariant by rotation with respect to the vertical axe, and are not invariant by vertical translations. Such domains can be extended by periodicity to nontrivial and noncompact domains in Euclidean spaces whose first eigenfunction of the Laplacian with 0 Dirichlet boundary condition has also constant Neumann data at the boundary.     

Examples of a generalization of contact metric structures on fibre bundles

We consider a Riemannian manifold with a compatible f-structure which admits a parallelizable kernel. With some additional integrability conditions it is called (almost) -manifold and is a natural generalization of the (almost) contact metric and the Sasakian manifolds. There are presented various methods of constructing examples of such manifolds. There are used structures on the principal bundles and the pull-back bundles. Then there are considered relations between (almost) -manifolds and transverse almost Hermitian structures on the foliated manifolds. Research supported by the Italian MIUR 60% and GNSAGA.     

On the Curvature of Metric Contact Pairs

We consider manifolds endowed with metric contact pairs for which the two characteristic foliations are orthogonal. We give some properties of the curvature tensor and in particular a formula for the Ricci curvature in the direction of the sum of the two Reeb vector fields. This shows that metrics associated to normal contact pairs cannot be flat. Therefore flat non-Kähler Vaisman manifolds do not exist. Furthermore we give a local classification of metric contact pair manifolds whose curvature vanishes on the vertical subbundle. As a corollary we have that flat associated metrics can only exist if the leaves of the characteristic foliations are at most three-dimensional.     

Bi-Lipschitz extension from boundaries of certain hyperbolic spaces

Tukia and Väisälä showed that every quasi-conformal map of ${\mathbb{R}^n}$ extends to a quasi-conformal self-map of ${\mathbb{R}^{n+1}}$ . The restriction of the extended map to the upper half-space ${\mathbb{R}^n \times \mathbb{R}_+}$ is, in fact, bi-Lipschitz with respect to the hyperbolic metric. More generally, every simply connected homogeneous negatively curved manifold decomposes as ${M = N \rtimes \mathbb{R}_+}$ where N is a nilpotent group with a metric on which ${\mathbb{R}_+}$ acts by dilations. We show that under some assumptions on N, every quasi-symmetry of N extends to a bi-Lipschitz map of M. The result applies to a wide class of manifolds M including non-compact rank one symmetric spaces and certain manifolds that do not admit co-compact group actions. Although M must be Gromov hyperbolic, its curvature need not be strictly negative.     

K?hler–Einstein metrics on strictly pseudoconvex domains

Extending the results of Cheng and Yau it is shown that a strictly pseudoconvex domain ${M\subset X}$ in a complex manifold carries a complete K?hler–Einstein metric if and only if its canonical bundle is positive, i.e. admits an Hermitian connection with positive curvature. We consider the restricted case in which the CR structure on ${\partial M}$ is normal. In this case M must be a domain in a resolution of the Sasaki cone over ${\partial M}$ . We give a condition on a normal CR manifold which it cannot satisfy if it is a CR infinity of a K?hler–Einstein manifold. We are able to mostly determine those normal CR three-manifolds which can be CR infinities. We give many examples of K?hler–Einstein strictly pseudoconvex manifolds on bundles and resolutions. In particular, the tubular neighborhood of the zero section of every negative holomorphic vector bundle on a compact complex manifold whose total space satisfies c ₁?<?0 admits a complete K?hler–Einstein metric.     

Riemannian manifolds with a parallel field of complex planes

The purpose of this paper is to discuss Riemannian manifolds which admit a parallel field of complex planes, consisting of vectors of the form , where a,b are real orthogonal vectors of equal length. Using the Nirenberg Frobenius Theorem [12], it follows that these are reducible Riemannian manifolds, whose metric is locally a sum of a Kähler and of a Riemann metric, and we are calling thempartially Kähler manifolds.After a general presentation of these manifolds (including a general presentation of the complex integrable plane fields) we are discussing harmonic forms, Betti numbers, and Dolbeault cohomology. This discussion is based on a theorem of Chern [4], and it provides generalizations of the results of Goldberg [9], as well as some other new results.To Prof. R. Artzy on his 70th Birthday     

Penrose Type Inequalities for Asymptotically Hyperbolic Graphs

In this paper, we study asymptotically hyperbolic manifolds given as graphs of asymptotically constant functions over hyperbolic space ${\mathbb{H}^n}$ . The graphs are considered as unbounded hypersurfaces of ${\mathbb{H}^{n+1}}$ which carry the induced metric and have an interior boundary. For such manifolds, the scalar curvature appears in the divergence of a 1-form involving the integrand for the asymptotically hyperbolic mass. Integrating this divergence, we estimate the mass by an integral over the inner boundary. In case the inner boundary satisfies a convexity condition, this can in turn be estimated in terms of the area of the inner boundary. The resulting estimates are similar to the conjectured Penrose inequality for asymptotically hyperbolic manifolds. The work presented here is inspired by Lam’s article (The graph cases of the Riemannian positive mass and Penrose inequalities in all dimensions. http://arxiv.org/abs/1010.4256, 2010) concerning the asymptotically Euclidean case. Using ideas developed by Huang and Wu (The equality case of the penrose inequality for asymptotically flat graphs. http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.2061, 2012), we can in certain cases prove that equality is only attained for the anti-de Sitter Schwarzschild metric.     

Almost contact curves in normal almost contact 3-manifolds

We study almost contact curves in normal almost contact metric 3-manifolds satisfying ${\triangle{H} = \lambda{H}}$ or ${\triangle^\bot {H} = \lambda{H}}$ . Moreover we study almost contact curve of type AW(k) in normal almost contact metric 3-manifolds. We give natural equations of planar biminimal curves.     

Symplectic fillability of toric contact manifolds

According to Lerman, compact connected toric contact 3-manifolds with a non-free toric action whose moment cone spans an angle greater than \(\pi \) are overtwisted, thus non-fillable. In contrast, we show that all compact connected toric contact manifolds in dimension greater than three are weakly symplectically fillable and many of them are strongly symplectically fillable. The proof is based on Lerman’s classification of toric contact manifolds and on our observation that the only contact manifolds in higher dimensions that admit free toric action are the cosphere bundle of \(T^d, d\ge 3\,(T^d\times S^{d-1})\) and \(T^2\times L_k,\,k\in \mathbb {N}\), with the unique contact structure.     

Complex geometry of moment-angle manifolds

Moment-angle manifolds provide a wide class of examples of non-Kähler compact complex manifolds. A complex moment-angle manifold \(\mathcal {Z}\) is constructed via certain combinatorial data, called a complete simplicial fan. In the case of rational fans, the manifold \(\mathcal {Z}\) is the total space of a holomorphic bundle over a toric variety with fibres compact complex tori. In general, a complex moment-angle manifold \(\mathcal {Z}\) is equipped with a canonical holomorphic foliation \({\mathcal {F}}\) which is equivariant with respect to the \(({\mathbb {C}}^\times )^m\)-action. Examples of moment-angle manifolds include Hopf manifolds of Vaisman type, Calabi–Eckmann manifolds, and their deformations. We construct transversely Kähler metrics on moment-angle manifolds, under some restriction on the combinatorial data. We prove that any Kähler submanifold (or, more generally, a Fujiki class \(\mathcal {C}\) subvariety) in such a moment-angle manifold is contained in a leaf of the foliation \({\mathcal {F}}\). For a generic moment-angle manifold \(\mathcal {Z}\) in its combinatorial class, we prove that all subvarieties are moment-angle manifolds of smaller dimension and there are only finitely many of them. This implies, in particular, that the algebraic dimension of \(\mathcal {Z}\) is zero.     

The global geometry of Riemannian manifolds with commuting curvature operators

We give manifolds whose Riemann curvature operators commute, i.e. which satisfy for all tangent vectors x_i in both the Riemannian and the higher signature settings. These manifolds have global geometric phenomena which are quite different for higher signature manifolds than they are for Riemannian manifolds. Our focus is on global properties; questions of geodesic completeness and the behaviour of the exponential map are investigated. Dedicated to the memory of Jean Leray     

Locally conformally flat weakly-Einstein manifolds

It is shown that locally conformally flat weakly-Einstein manifolds are either locally symmetric, and hence a product \(N_1^m(c)\times N_2^m(-c)\), or otherwise they are locally homothetic to some specific warped product metrics \({\mathcal {I}}\times _fN(c)\). As an application we classify weakly-Einstein hypersurfaces in the Euclidean space.     

Sub-Riemannian homogeneous spaces in dimensions 3 and 4

Let (M, , g) be a sub-Riemannian manifold (i.e. M is a smooth manifold, is a smooth distribution on M and g is a smooth metric defined on ) such that the dimension of M is either 3 or 4 and is a contact or odd-contact distribution, respectively. We construct an adapted connection on M and use it to study the equivalence problem. Furthermore, we classify the 3-dimensional sub-Riemannian manifolds which are sub-homogeneous and show the relation to Cartan's list of homogeneous CR manifolds. Finally, we classify the 4-dimensional sub-Riemannian manifolds which are sub-symmetric.