Monomial multiple structures

In this paper we study Cohen–Macaulay monomial multiple structures (non-reduced schemes) on a linear subspace of codimension two in projective space. We show that these structures determine smooth points in their respective Hilbert schemes, with (smooth) neighbourhoods of two such points intersecting if their Hilbert functions are equal. We generalize a construction for multiple structures on points in the plane to this setting, giving a kind of product of monomial multiple structures. For points, this construction can be found in Nakajima’s book (Lectures on Hilbert schemes of points on surfaces, Univ Lecture Ser AMS, vol 18, 1999). The tools we use for studying multiple structures are developed in Vatne (Math Nachr 281(3):434–441, 2008; Comm Algebra 37(11):3861–3873, 2009) (see also Vatne in Towards a classification of multiple structures, PhD thesis, University of Bergen, 2001).     

On the equivalence of quaternionic contact structures

Following the Cartan’s original method of equivalence supported by methods of parabolic geometry, we provide a complete solution for the equivalence problem of quaternionic contact structures, that is, the problem of finding a complete system of differential invariants for two quaternionic contact manifolds to be locally diffeomorphic. This includes an explicit construction of the corresponding Cartan geometry and detailed information on all curvature components.     

Coverings of Differential Equations and Cartan’s Structure Theory of Lie Pseudo-Groups

We establish relations between Maurer–Cartan forms of symmetry pseudo-groups and coverings of differential equations. Examples include Liouville’s equation, the Khokhlov–Zabolotskaya equation, and the Boyer–Finley equation.      

Weyl connections and the local sphere theorem for quaternionic contact structures

We apply the theory of Weyl structures for parabolic geometries developed by Čap and Slovák (Math Scand 93(1):53–90, 2003) to compute, for a quaternionic contact (qc) structure, the Weyl connection associated to a choice of scale, i.e. to a choice of Carnot–Carathéodory metric in the conformal class. The result of this computation has applications to the study of the conformal Fefferman space of a qc manifold, cf. (Geom Appl 28(4):376–394, 2010). In addition to this application, we are also able to easily compute a tensorial formula for the qc analog of the Weyl curvature tensor in conformal geometry and the Chern–Moser tensor in CR geometry. This tensor was first discovered via different methods by Ivanov and Vasillev (J Math Pures Appl 93:277–307, 2010), and we also get an independent proof of their Local Sphere Theorem. However, as a result of our derivation of this tensor, its fundamental properties—conformal covariance, and that its vanishing is a sharp obstruction to local flatness of the qc structure—follow as easy corollaries from the general parabolic theory.     

Variational and Geometric Structures of Discrete Dirac Mechanics

In this paper, we develop the theoretical foundations of discrete Dirac mechanics, that is, discrete mechanics of degenerate Lagrangian/Hamiltonian systems with constraints. We first construct discrete analogues of Tulczyjew’s triple and induced Dirac structures by considering the geometry of symplectic maps and their associated generating functions. We demonstrate that this framework provides a means of deriving discrete Lagrange–Dirac and nonholonomic Hamiltonian systems. In particular, this yields nonholonomic Lagrangian and Hamiltonian integrators. We also introduce discrete Lagrange–d’Alembert–Pontryagin and Hamilton–d’Alembert variational principles, which provide an alternative derivation of the same set of integration algorithms. The paper provides a unified treatment of discrete Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics in the more general setting of discrete Dirac mechanics, as well as a generalization of symplectic and Poisson integrators to the broader category of Dirac integrators.     

On the Shimura variety having Mumford’s fake projective plane as a connected component

We give an explicit construction of a unitary Shimura surface that has Mumford’s fake projective plane as one of its connected components. Moreover, as a byproduct of the construction, we show that Mumford’s fake projective place has a model defined over the 7th cyclotomic field.     

New examples of compact manifolds with holonomy Spin(7)

We find new examples of compact Spin(7)-manifolds using a construction of Joyce (J. Differ. Geom., 53:89–130, 1999; Compact manifolds with special holonomy. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000). The essential ingredient in Joyce’s construction is a Calabi–Yau 4-orbifold with particular singularities admitting an antiholomorphic involution, which fixes the singularities. We search the class of well-formed quasismooth hypersurfaces in weighted projective spaces for suitable Calabi–Yau 4-orbifolds.     

Projective dynamics and classical gravitation

We show that there exists a projective dynamics of a particle. It underlies intrinsically the classical particle dynamics as projective geometry underlies Euclidean geometry. In classical particle dynamics a particle moves in the Euclidean space subjected to a potential. In projective dynamics the position space has only the local structure of the real projective space. The particle is subjected to a field of projective forces. A projective force is not an element of the tangent bundle to the position space, but of some fibre bundle isomorphic to the tangent bundle. These statements are direct consequences of Appell’s remarks on the homography in mechanics, and are compatible with similar statements due to Tabachnikov concerning projective billiards. When we study Euclidean geometry we meet some particular properties that we recognize as projective properties. The same is true for the dynamics of a particle. We show that two properties in classical particle dynamics are projective properties. The fact that the Keplerian orbits close after one turn is a consequence of a more general projective statement. The fact that the fields of gravitational forces are divergence free is a projective property of these fields.      

Local embeddability of CR manifolds into spheres

In this paper we solve local CR embeddability problem of smooth CR manifolds into spheres under a certain nondegeneracy condition on the Chern–Moser’s curvature tensor. We state necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of CR embeddings as finite number of equations and rank conditions on the Chern–Moser’s curvature tensors and their derivatives. We also discuss the rigidity of those embeddings. J.-W. Oh was partially supported by BK21-Yonsei University.     

Flat metrics,cubic differentials and limits of projective holonomies

F. Labourie and the author independently have shown that a convex real projective structure on an oriented closed surface S of genus at least two is equivalent to a pair of a conformal structure plus a holomorphic cubic differential. Along certain paths, we find the limiting holonomy of convex real projective structures on a surface S corresponding corresponding to a given fixed conformal structure S and a holomorphic cubic differential λ U ₀ as . We explicitly give part of the data needed to identify the boundary point in Inkang Kim’s compactification of the deformation space of convex real projective structures. The proof follows similar analysis to that studied by Mike Wolf is his application of harmonic map theory to reproduce Thurston’s boundary of Teichmüller space.      

Classification of 1st order symplectic spinor operators over contact projective geometries

We give a classification of 1st order invariant differential operators acting between sections of certain bundles associated to Cartan geometries of the so-called metaplectic contact projective type. These bundles are associated via representations, which are derived from the so-called higher symplectic (sometimes also called harmonic or generalized Kostant) spinor modules. Higher symplectic spinor modules are arising from the Segal-Shale-Weil representation of the metaplectic group by tensoring it by finite dimensional modules. We show that for all pairs of the considered bundles, there is at most one 1st order invariant differential operator up to a complex multiple and give an equivalence condition for the existence of such an operator. Contact projective analogues of the well known Dirac, twistor and Rarita-Schwinger operators appearing in Riemannian geometry are special examples of these operators.     

On the realization of symmetries in quantum mechanics

The aim of this paper is to give a simple, geometric proof of Wigner’s theorem on the realization of symmetries in quantum mechanics that clarifies its relation to projective geometry. Although several proofs exist already, it seems that the relevance of Wigner’s theorem is not fully appreciated in general. It is Wigner’s theorem which allows the use of linear realizations of symmetries and therefore guarantees that, in the end, quantum theory stays a linear theory. In the present paper, we take a strictly geometrical point of view in order to prove this theorem. It becomes apparent that Wigner’s theorem is nothing else but a corollary of the fundamental theorem of projective geometry. In this sense, the proof presented here is simple, transparent and therefore accessible even to elementary treatments in quantum mechanics.     

On the realization of symmetries in quantum mechanics

The aim of this paper is to give a simple, geometric proof of Wigner’s theorem on the realization of symmetries in quantum mechanics that clarifies its relation to projective geometry. Although several proofs exist already, it seems that the relevance of Wigner’s theorem is not fully appreciated in general. It is Wigner’s theorem which allows the use of linear realizations of symmetries and therefore guarantees that, in the end, quantum theory stays a linear theory. In the present paper, we take a strictly geometrical point of view in order to prove this theorem. It becomes apparent that Wigner’s theorem is nothing else but a corollary of the fundamental theorem of projective geometry. In this sense, the proof presented here is simple, transparent and therefore accessible even to elementary treatments in quantum mechanics.     

Quasi-projective reduction of toric varieties

We define a quasi–projective reduction of a complex algebraic variety X to be a regular map from X to a quasi–projective variety that is universal with respect to regular maps from X to quasi–projective varieties. A toric quasi–projective reduction is the analogous notion in the category of toric varieties. For a given toric variety X we first construct a toric quasi–projective reduction. Then we show that X has a quasi–projective reduction if and only if its toric quasi–projective reduction is surjective. We apply this result to characterize when the action of a subtorus on a quasi–projective toric variety admits a categorical quotient in the category of quasi–projective varieties. Received October 29, 1998; in final form December 28, 1998     

Extensions of covariantly finite subcategories

Gentle and Todorov proved that in an abelian category with enough projective objects, the extension subcategory of two covariantly finite subcategories is covariantly finite. We give an example to show that Gentle–Todorov’s theorem may fail in an arbitrary abelian category; however we prove a triangulated version of Gentle–Todorov’s theorem which holds for arbitrary triangulated categories; we apply Gentle–Todorov’s theorem to obtain short proofs of a classical result by Ringel and a recent result by Krause and Solberg. This project is partially supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No.s 20070420125 and 200801230). The author also gratefully acknowledges the support of K. C. Wong Education Foundation, Hong Kong.     

Minitwistor spaces,Severi varieties,and Einstein–Weyl structure

In this article, we show that the space of nodal rational curves, which is so called a Severi variety (of rational curves), on any non-singular projective surface is always equipped with a natural Einstein–Weyl structure, if the space is 3-dimensional. This is a generalization of the Einstein–Weyl structure on the space of smooth rational curves on a complex surface, given by Hitchin. As geometric objects naturally associated to Einstein–Weyl structure, we investigate null surfaces and geodesics on the Severi varieties. Also, we see that if the projective surface has an appropriate real structure, then the real locus of the Severi variety becomes a positive definite Einstein–Weyl manifold. Moreover, we construct various explicit examples of rational surfaces having 3-dimensional Severi varieties of rational curves.     

Symmetric designs with bruck subdesigns

IfP is a finite projective plane of ordern with a proper subplaneQ of orderm which is not a Baer subplane, then a theorem of Bruck [Trans. AMS 78(1955), 464–481] asserts thatn≧m ²+m. If the equalityn=m ²+m were to occur thenP would be of composite order andQ should be called a Bruck subplane. It can be shown that if a projective planeP contains a Bruck subplaneQ, then in factP contains a designQ′ which has the parameters of the lines in a three dimensional projective geometry of orderm. A well known scheme of Bruck suggests using such aQ′ to constructP. Bruck’s theorem readily extends to symmetric designs [Kantor, Trans. AMS 146 (1969), 1–28], hence the concept of a Bruck subdesign. This paper develops the analoque ofQ′ and shows (by example) that the analogous construction scheme can be used to find symmetric designs.     

From Pappus’ Theorem to the Twisted Cubic

We discuss a classical result in planar projective geometry known as Steiners theorem involving 12 interlocking applications of Pappus theorem. We prove this result using three dimensional projective geometry then uncover the dynamics of this construction and relate them to the geometry of the twisted cubic.Mathematics Subject Classification (2000). Primary 51N15.     

A holonomy characterisation of Fefferman spaces

We prove that Fefferman spaces, associated to non-degenerate CR structures of hypersurface type, are characterised, up to local conformal isometry, by the existence of a parallel orthogonal complex structure on the standard tractor bundle. This condition can be equivalently expressed in terms of conformal holonomy. Extracting from this picture the essential consequences at the level of tensor bundles yields an improved, conformally invariant analogue of Sparling’s characterisation of Fefferman spaces.     

Okhuma Graphs and Coloured Chains

A structure is said to be ‘Okhuma’ if its automorphism group acts on it uniquely transitively, or slightly generalizing this, if its automorphism group acts uniquely transitively on each orbit. In this latter case we can think of the orbits as ‘colours’. Okhuma chains and related structures have been studied by Okhuma and others. Here we generalize their results to coloured chains, and give some constructions resulting from this of Okhuma graphs and digraphs. Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000) 06A05, 06F15.