Obstructions to conformally Einstein metrics in n dimensions

We construct polynomial conformal invariants, the vanishing of which is necessary and sufficient for an n-dimensional suitably generic (pseudo-)Riemannian manifold to be conformal to an Einstein manifold. We also construct invariants which give necessary and sufficient conditions for a metric to be conformally related to a metric with vanishing Cotton tensor. One set of invariants we derive generalises the set of invariants in dimension 4 obtained by Kozameh, Newman and Tod. For the conformally Einstein problem, another set of invariants we construct gives necessary and sufficient conditions for a wider class of metrics than covered by the invariants recently presented by Listing. We also show that there is an alternative characterisation of conformally Einstein metrics based on the tractor connection associated with the normal conformal Cartan bundle. This plays a key role in constructing some of the invariants. Also using this we can interpret the previously known invariants geometrically in the tractor setting and relate some of them to the curvature of the Fefferman–Graham ambient metric.     

Yang-Mills Detour Complexes and Conformal Geometry

Working over a pseudo-Riemannian manifold, for each vector bundle with connection we construct a sequence of three differential operators which is a complex (termed a Yang-Mills detour complex) if and only if the connection satisfies the full Yang-Mills equations. A special case is a complex controlling the deformation theory of Yang-Mills connections. In the case of Riemannian signature the complex is elliptic. If the connection respects a metric on the bundle then the complex is formally self-adjoint. In dimension 4 the complex is conformally invariant and generalises, to the full Yang-Mills setting, the composition of (two operator) Yang-Mills complexes for (anti-)self-dual Yang-Mills connections. Via a prolonged system and tractor connection a diagram of differential operators is constructed which, when commutative, generates differential complexes of natural operators from the Yang-Mills detour complex. In dimension 4 this construction is conformally invariant and is used to yield two new sequences of conformal operators which are complexes if and only if the Bach tensor vanishes everywhere. In Riemannian signature these complexes are elliptic. In one case the first operator is the twistor operator and in the other sequence it is the operator for Einstein scales. The sequences are detour sequences associated to certain Bernstein-Gelfand-Gelfand sequences.     

Bundle gerbes and moduli spaces

In this paper, we construct the index bundle gerbe of a family of self-adjoint Dirac-type operators, refining a construction of Segal. In a special case, we construct a geometric bundle gerbe called the caloron bundle gerbe, which comes with a natural connection and curving, and show that it is isomorphic to the analytically constructed index bundle gerbe. We apply these constructions to certain moduli spaces associated to compact Riemann surfaces, constructing on these moduli spaces, natural bundle gerbes with connection and curving, whose 3-curvature represent Dixmier-Douady classes that are generators of the third de Rham cohomology groups of these moduli spaces.     

Conformal Operators on Forms and Detour Complexes on Einstein Manifolds

For even dimensional conformal manifolds several new conformally invariant objects were found recently: invariant differential complexes related to, but distinct from, the de Rham complex (these are elliptic in the case of Riemannian signature); the cohomology spaces of these; conformally stable form spaces that we may view as spaces of conformal harmonics; operators that generalise Branson’s Q-curvature; global pairings between differential form bundles that descend to cohomology pairings. Here we show that these operators, spaces, and the theory underlying them, simplify significantly on conformally Einstein manifolds. We give explicit formulae for all the operators concerned. The null spaces for these, the conformal harmonics, and the cohomology spaces are expressed explicitly in terms of direct sums of subspaces of eigenspaces of the form Laplacian. For the case of non-Ricci flat spaces this applies in all signatures and without topological restrictions. In the case of Riemannian signature and compact manifolds, this leads to new results on the global invariant pairings, including for the integral of Q-curvature against the null space of the dimensional order conformal Laplacian of Graham et al.     

Ambient Metrics for n-Dimensional pp-Waves

We provide an explicit formula for the Fefferman-Graham ambient metric of an n-dimensional conformal pp-wave in those cases where it exists. In even dimensions we calculate the obstruction explicitly. Furthermore, we describe all 4-dimensional pp-waves that are Bach-flat, and give a large class of Bach-flat examples which are conformally Cotton-flat, but not conformally Einstein. Finally, as an application, we use the obtained ambient metric to show that even-dimensional pp-waves have vanishing critical Q-curvature.     

Determinant bundles,manifolds with boundary and surgery

We define determinant bundles associated to the following data: (i) a family of generalized Dirac operators on even dimensional manifolds with boundary, (ii) the choice of a spectral section for the family of Dirac operators induced on the boundary. Under the assumption that the operators of the boundary family have null spaces of constant dimension we define, through the notion ofb-zeta function, a Quillen metric. We also introduce the analogue of the Bismut-Freed connection. We prove that the curvature of a natural perturbation of the Bismut-Freed connection equals the 2-form piece in the right-hand side of the family index formula, thus extending to manifolds with boundary results of Quillen, Bismut and Freed. Given a closed fibration, we investigate the behaviour of the Quillen metric and of the Bismut-Freed connection under the operation of surgery along a fibering hypersurface. We prove, in particular, additivity formulae for the curvature and for the logarithm of the holonomy.     

ON GEOMETRIC QUANTIZATION FOR BOSONIC STRING (Ⅱ)

The Hilbert space and the representation of the generators of Virasoro algebra for bosonic string under a holomorphic polarization are given in this paper,It is shown that the contre term of Virasoro algebra may be interpreted as curvature of a holomorphic vector bundle (holomorphic Fock bundle) on coset space G¹¹=G/H where G denotes the conformal transformation group and H the one-parameter subgroup generated by the generator L₀.The condition of the conformal anomaly cancellation may be expressed as the vanishing curvature of the bundle which is obtained by the product of the holomorphic Fock bundle and the holomorphic ghost vacuum bundle.The geometric interpretations of both classical and quantized BRST operators,ghost and antighost operators are also discussed.     

Lie Conformal Algebra Cohomology and the Variational Complex

We find an interpretation of the complex of variational calculus in terms of the Lie conformal algebra cohomology theory. This leads to a better understanding of both theories. In particular, we give an explicit construction of the Lie conformal algebra cohomology complex, and endow it with a structure of a \mathfrakg{\mathfrak{g}}-complex. On the other hand, we give an explicit construction of the complex of variational calculus in terms of skew-symmetric poly-differential operators.     

Noncommutative Riemannian and Spin Geometry of the Standard <Emphasis Type="Italic">q</Emphasis>-Sphere

We study the quantum sphere as a quantum Riemannian manifold in the quantum frame bundle approach. We exhibit its 2-dimensional cotangent bundle as a direct sum ^0,11,0 in a double complex. We find the natural metric, volume form, Hodge * operator, Laplace and Maxwell operators and projective module structure. We show that the q-monopole as spin connection induces a natural Levi-Civita type connection and find its Ricci curvature and q-Dirac operator . We find the possibility of an antisymmetric volume form quantum correction to the Ricci curvature and Lichnerowicz-type formulae for We also remark on the geometric q-Borel-Weil-Bott construction.     

Riemannian Geometry of Quantum Groups¶and Finite Groups with Nonuniversal Differentials

We construct noncommutative “Riemannian manifold” structures on dual quasitriangular Hopf algebras such as ℂ _q [SU ₂] with its standard bicovariant differential calculus, using the quantum frame bundle approach introduced previously. The metric is provided by the braided-Killing form on the braided-Lie algebra on the tangent space and the n-bein by the Maurer–Cartan form. We also apply the theory to finite sets and in particular to finite group function algebras ℂ[G] with differential calculi and Killing forms determined by a conjugacy class. The case of the permutation group ℂ[S ₃] is worked out in full detail and a unique torsion free and cotorsion free or “Levi–Civita” connection is obtained with noncommutative Ricci curvature essentially proportional to the metric (an Einstein space). We also construct Dirac operators in the metric background, including on finite groups such as S ₃. In the process we clarify the construction of connections from gauge fields with nonuniversal calculi on quantum principal bundles of tensor product form. Received: 22 June 2000 / Accepted: 26 August 2001     

Tractors,mass, and Weyl invariance

Deser and Nepomechie established a relationship between masslessness and rigid conformal invariance by coupling to a background metric and demanding local Weyl invariance, a method which applies neither to massive theories nor theories which rely upon gauge invariances for masslessness. We extend this method to describe massive and gauge invariant theories using Weyl invariance. The key idea is to introduce a new scalar field which is constant when evaluated at the scale corresponding to the metric of physical interest. This technique relies on being able to efficiently construct Weyl invariant theories. This is achieved using tractor calculus—a mathematical machinery designed for the study of conformal geometry. From a physics standpoint, this amounts to arranging fields in multiplets with respect to the conformal group but with novel Weyl transformation laws. Our approach gives a mechanism for generating masses from Weyl weights. Breitenlohner–Freedman stability bounds for Anti-de Sitter theories arise naturally as do direct derivations of the novel Weyl invariant theories given by Deser and Nepomechie. In constant curvature spaces, partially massless theories—which rely on the interplay between mass and gauge invariance—are also generated by our method. Another simple consequence is conformal invariance of the maximal depth partially massless theories. Detailed examples for spins s?2$s?2$ are given including tractor and component actions, on-shell and off-shell approaches and gauge invariances. For all spins s?2$s?2$ we give tractor equations of motion unifying massive, massless, and partially massless theories.     

Group-Theoretical Approach to Extended Conformal Supersymmetry: Function Space Realizations and Invariant Differential Operators

We give function space realizations of all representations of the conformal superalgebra su(2,2/N) and of the supergroup SU(2, 2 /N) induced from irreducible finite-dimensional Lorentz and SU(N) representations realized without spin and isospin indices. We use the lowest weight module structure of our su(2,2/N) representations to present a general procedure (adapted from the semisimple Lie algebra case) for the canonical construction of invariant differential operators closely related to the reducible (indecomposable) representations. All conformal supercovariant derivatives are obtained in this way. Examples of higher order invariant differential operators are given.     

Metrics on the moduli spaces of instantons over Euclidean 4-space

We prove that the natural hyper-Kähler metrics on the moduli space of chargek instantons over Euclidean four-space and on the space of ADHM matrices coincide. We use this to deduce formulae relating expressions in the curvature of a connection to invariant polynomials in the ADHM matrices corresponding to this connection. These arise from consideration of the group of symmetries acting on the moduli spaces.     

A new approach to spontaneously broken conformal symmetry

In this paper we present a new method for constructing theories of gravitation which exhibit spontaneously broken conformal symmetry. It does not require introducing nongeometric terms (i.e., auxiliary gauge fields or potential terms for the conformal field) into the Lagrangian. It is based on a theory which initially is locally both Lorentz invariant and Weyl gauge invariant inD dimensions. It is shown that, if the field Lagrangian contains terms quadratic in curvature in addition to the Ricci scalar, then the field equations allow both the dilation field and some connection components to have nonvanishing vacuum values. Both Lorentz and Weyl symmetries are thereby broken simultaneously.     

Braiding matrices,modular transformations and topological field theories in 2+1 dimensions

Relations between 3D topological field theories and rational conformal field theories are discussed. In the former framework, we can define the generalized Verlinde operators. Using these operators, we find modular transformations for conformal blocks of one point functions and two point functions on the torus. The result is generalized to higher genus. The correctness of our formulae is illustrated by some examples. We also emphasize the importance of the fusion algebra.Addresses after October 1, 1989: Institute of Theoretical Physics, Academia Sinica, Beijing, P. R. China     

Determinant Bundles, Manifolds with Boundary and Surgery¶II. Spectral Sections and Surgery Rules for Anomalies

Let be a closed fibration of Riemannian manifolds and let , be a family of generalized Dirac operators. Let be an embedded hypersurface fibering over B; . Let be the Dirac family induced on . Each fiber in is the union along of two manifolds with boundary . In this paper, generalizing our previous work[16], we prove general surgery rules for the local and global anomalies of the Bismut–Freed connection on the determinant bundle associated to . Our results depend heavily on the b-calculus [12], on the surgery calculus [11] and on the APS family index theory developed in [13], in particular on the notion of spectral section for the family . Received: 23 October 1996 / Accepted: 28 July 1997     

Curvature on determinant bundles and first Chern forms

The Quillen–Bismut–Freed construction associates a determinant line bundle with connection to an infinite dimensional super vector bundle with a family of Dirac-type operators. We define the regularized first Chern form of the infinite dimensional bundle, and relate it to the curvature of the Bismut–Freed connection on the determinant bundle. In finite dimensions, these forms agree (up to sign), but in infinite dimensions there is a correction term, which we express in terms of Wodzicki residues.

We illustrate these results with a string theory computation. There is a natural super vector bundle over the manifold of smooth almost complex structures on a Riemannian surface. The Bismut–Freed superconnection is identified with classical Teichmüller theory connections, and its curvature and regularized first Chern form are computed.     

Modal quantum logic and its dialogic foundation

In this paper we investigate a modal calculus of quantum metalogic which is complete and sound with respect to a dialogic semantics. This calculus calledM _eff(Q _eff) has three parts: one covering the formal metalogic, one reflecting the calculus of the object language, and one which is a link between object language and metalanguage. This third part is invariant with respect to a variation of the object language