On conformal Killing symmetric tensor fields on Riemannian manifolds

A vector field on Riemannian manifold is called conformal Killing if it generates oneparameter group of conformal transformation. The class of conformal Killing symmetric tensor fields of an arbitrary rank is a natural generalization of the class of conformal Killing vector fields, and appears in different geometric and physical problems. In this paper, we prove that a trace-free conformal Killing tensor field is identically zero if it vanishes on some hypersurface. This statement is a basis of the theorem on decomposition of a symmetric tensor field on a compact manifold with boundary to a sum of three fields of special types. We also establish triviality of the space of trace-free conformal Killing tensor fields on some closed manifolds.     

Classification of Local Conservation Laws of Maxwell's Equations

A complete and explicit classification of all independent local conservation laws of Maxwell's equations in four dimensional Minkowski space is given. Besides the elementary linear conservation laws, and the well-known quadratic conservation laws associated to the conserved stress-energy and zilch tensors, there are also chiral quadratic conservation laws which are associated to a new conserved tensor. The chiral conservation laws possess odd parity under the electric–magnetic duality transformation of Maxwell's equations, in contrast to the even parity of the stress-energy and zilch conservation laws. The main result of the classification establishes that every local conservation law of Maxwell's equations is equivalent to a linear combination of the elementary conservation laws, the stress-energy and zilch conservation laws, the chiral conservation laws, and their higher order extensions obtained by replacing the electromagnetic field tensor by its repeated Lie derivatives with respect to the conformal Killing vectors on Minkowski space. The classification is based on spinorial methods and provides a direct, unified characterization of the conservation laws in terms of Killing spinors.     

Generalized Korn's inequality and conformal Killing vectors

Korn's inequality plays an important role in linear elasticity theory. This inequality bounds the norm of the derivatives of the displacement vector by the norm of the linearized strain tensor. The kernel of the linearized strain tensor are the infinitesimal rigid-body translations and rotations (Killing vectors). We generalize this inequality by replacing the linearized strain tensor by its trace free part. That is, we obtain a stronger inequality in which the kernel of the relevant operator are the conformal Killing vectors. The new inequality has applications in General Relativity.     

Conformal vector fields with respect to the Sasaki metric tensor

The purpose of this article is to characterize conformal vector fields with respect to the Sasaki metric tensor field on the tangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold of dimension at least three. In particular, if the manifold in question is compact, it is found that the only conformal vector fields are Killing vector fields.     

On a conformal Killingp-form in a compact sasakian space

Summary Let M be a compact Sasakian space admitting a conformal Killing p-form u. Then, we show that the associated form ϑ of a conformal Killing form u is a special Killing form with constant 1. Moreover we prove the decomposition theorem of u and seek the condition for M to be a unit sphere. Entrata in Redazione il 29 agosto 1971. Delicated to ProfessorT. Adati on his 60th Birthday.     

Conformal vector fields on Kaehler manifolds

It is known that a conformal vector field on a compact Kaehler manifold is a Killing vector field. In this paper, we are interested in finding conditions under which a conformal vector field on a non-compact Kaehler manifold is Killing. First we prove that a harmonic analytic conformal vector field on a 2n-dimensional Kaehler manifold (n ≠ 2) of constant nonzero scalar curvature is Killing. It is also shown that on a 2n-dimensional Kaehler Einstein manifold (n > 1) an analytic conformal vector field is either Killing or else the Kaehler manifold is Ricci flat. In particular, it follows that on non-flat Kaehler Einstein manifolds of dimension greater than two, analytic conformal vector fields are Killing.     

Computing Asymptotic Invariants with the Ricci Tensor on Asymptotically Flat and Asymptotically Hyperbolic Manifolds

We prove in a simple and coordinate-free way the equivalence between the classical definitions of the mass or of the center of mass of an asymptotically flat manifold and their alternative definitions depending on the Ricci tensor and conformal Killing fields. This enables us to prove an analogous statement in the asymptotically hyperbolic case.     

Nonlinear symmetries on spaces admitting Killing tensors

Nonlinear symmetries corresponding to Killing tensors are investigated. The intimate relation between Killing–Yano tensors and non-standard supersymmetries is pointed out. The gravitational anomalies are absent if the hidden symmetry is associated with a Killing–Yano tensor. In the case of the nonlinear symmetries the dynamical algebras of the Dirac-type operators is more involved and could be organized as infinite dimensional algebras or superalgebras. The general results are applied to some concrete spaces involved in theories of modern physics. As a first example it is considered the 4-dimensional Euclidean Taub-NUT space and its generalizations introduced by Iwai and Katayama. One presents the infinite dimensional superalgebra of Dirac type operators on Taub-NUT space that could be seen as a graded loop superalgebra of the Kac-Moody type. The axial anomaly, interpreted as the index of the Dirac operator, is computed for the generalized Taub-NUT metrics. Finally the existence of the conformal Killing–Yano tensors is investigated for some spaces with mixed Sasakian structures.     

The Vector Space of Conformal Killing Forms on a Riemannian Manifold

T. Kashiwada and S. Tachibana defined conformal Killing p-forms on a Riemannian manifold of dimension p \geqslant 1$$ " align="middle" border="0"> and generalized some results on conformal Killing vector fields to the case of such forms. In this paper, conformal Killing p-forms are defined with the help of natural differental operators on Riemannian manifolds and representations of orthogonal groups. The geometry of the vector space of conformal Killing p-forms and of its two subspaces of coclosed conformal Killing p-forms and of closed conformal Killing p-forms are considered. Some local and global results due to Tachibana and Kashiwada about conformal Killing and Killing p-forms are generalized. An application to Hermitian geometry is given. Bibliography: 30 titles.     

A note on hypersurfaces in a sphere

We study the influence of a unit Killing vector field on the geometry of a hypersurface in the unit sphere. The combination of the Killing vector field on the hypersurface and the conformal vector field on the ambient sphere triggers the presence of four specific smooth functions on the hypersurface, we use these four functions to derive different sufficient conditions for a hypersurface to be the totally geodesic sphere and for a minimal hypersurface to be the totally geodesic sphere, Clifford minimal hypersurface respectively. In particular we classify compact minimal hypersurfaces with a unit Killing vector field in the unit sphere.     

Symmetries in Differential Geometry: a Computational Approach to Prolongations

The aim of this work is to develop a systematic manner to close overdetermined systems arising from conformal Killing tensors (CKT). The research performs this action for 1-tensor and 2-tensors. This research makes it possible to develop a new general method for any rank of CKT. This method can also be applied to other types of Killing equations, as well as to overdetermined systems constrained by some other conditions. The major methodological apparatus of the research is a decomposition of the section bundles where the covariant derivatives of the CKT land via generalized gradients. This decomposition generates a tree in which each row represents a higher derivative. After using the conformal Killing equation, just a few components (branches) survive, which means that most of them can be expressed in terms of lower order terms. This results in a finite number of independent jets. Thus, any higher covariant derivative can be written in terms of these jets. The findings of this work are significant methodologically and, more specifically, in the potential for the discovery of symmetries. First, this work has uncovered a new method that could be used to close overdetermined systems arising from conformal Killing tensors (CKT). Second, through an application of this method, this research finds higher symmetry operators of first and second degree, which are known by other means, for the Laplace operator. The findings also reveal the first order symmetry operators for the Yamabe case. Moreover, the research leads to conjectures about the second order symmetries of the Yamabe operator.     

The twistor spinors of generic 2- and 3-distributions

Generic distributions on 5- and 6-manifolds give rise to conformal structures that were discovered by P. Nurowski resp. R. Bryant. We describe both as Fefferman-type constructions and show that for orientable distributions one obtains conformal spin structures. The resulting conformal spin geometries are then characterized by their conformal holonomy and equivalently by the existence of a twistor spinor which satisfies a genericity condition. Moreover, we show that given such a twistor spinor we can decompose a conformal Killing field of the structure. We obtain explicit formulas relating conformal Killing fields, almost Einstein structures and twistor spinors.     

Killing tensor fields on the 2-torus

A symmetric tensor field on a Riemannian manifold is called a Killing field if the symmetric part of its covariant derivative equals zero. There is a one-to-one correspondence between Killing tensor fields and first integrals of the geodesic flow which depend polynomially on the velocity. Therefore Killing tensor fields relate closely to the problem of integrability of geodesic flows. In particular, the following question is still open: does there exist a Riemannian metric on the 2-torus which admits an irreducible Killing tensor field of rank ≥ 3? We obtain two necessary conditions on a Riemannian metric on the 2-torus for the existence of Killing tensor fields. The first condition is valid for Killing tensor fields of arbitrary rank and relates to closed geodesics. The second condition is obtained for rank 3 Killing tensor fields and pertains to isolines of the Gaussian curvature.     

The conformal Killing equation on forms—prolongations and applications

We construct a conformally invariant vector bundle connection such that its equation of parallel transport is a first order system that gives a prolongation of the conformal Killing equation on differential forms. Parallel sections of this connection are related bijectively to solutions of the conformal Killing equation. We construct other conformally invariant connections, also giving prolongations of the conformal Killing equation, that bijectively relate solutions of the conformal Killing equation on k-forms to a twisting of the conformal Killing equation on (k−?)-forms for various integers ?. These tools are used to develop a helicity raising and lowering construction in the general setting and on conformally Einstein manifolds.     

Korn's inequality and Donati's theorem for the conformal Killing operator on pseudo-Euclidean space

We prove the Korn's inequality for the conformal Killing operator on pseudo-Euclidean space Rp,q, and an existence theorem for solutions to the non-homogeneous conformal Killing equation, which is a pseudo-Euclidean conformal generalization of Donati's theorem for Euclidean Killing operator.     

On Hermitian surfaces with J-invariant Ricci tensor

We prove that a compact Hermitian surface with J-invariant Ricci tensor is K?hler provided that the difference of its scalar and conformal scalar curvature is constant. In particular, there are no locally homogeneous examples of such surfaces with odd first Betti number. Received 20 July 2000.     

Local dynamics of conformal vector fields

We study pseudo-Riemannian conformal vector fields in the neighborhood of a singularity. For Riemannian manifolds, we prove that if a conformal vector field vanishing at a point x ₀ is not Killing for a metric in the conformal class, then a neighborhood of the singularity x ₀ is conformally flat.