Hyperkähler metrics and supersymmetry

We describe two constructions of hyperkähler manifolds, one based on a Legendre transform, and one on a sympletic quotient. These constructions arose in the context of supersymmetric nonlinear -models, but can be described entirely geometrically. In this general setting, we attempt to clarify the relation between supersymmetry and aspects of modern differential geometry, along the way reviewing many basic and well known ideas in the hope of making them accessible to a new audience.Supported by the Swedish Natural Science Research CouncilResearch supported by the National Science Foundation under Contract No. PHY 81 09110 A-01 and PHY 85-07627     

Contact Spheres and Hyperkähler Geometry

A taut contact sphere on a 3-manifold is a linear 2-sphere of contact forms, all defining the same volume form. In the present paper we completely determine the moduli of taut contact spheres on compact left-quotients of SU(2) (the only closed manifolds admitting such structures). We also show that the moduli space of taut contact spheres embeds into the moduli space of taut contact circles.This moduli problem leads to a new viewpoint on the Gibbons-Hawking ansatz in hyperkähler geometry. The classification of taut contact spheres on closed 3-manifolds includes the known classification of 3-Sasakian 3-manifolds, but the local Riemannian geometry of contact spheres is much richer. We construct two examples of taut contact spheres on open subsets of \({\mathbb{R}^3}\) with nontrivial local geometry; one from the Helmholtz equation on the 2-sphere, and one from the Gibbons-Hawking ansatz. We address the Bernstein problem whether such examples can give rise to complete metrics.     

Linear Perturbations of Hyperkähler Metrics

We study general linear perturbations of a class of 4d real-dimensional hyperkähler manifolds obtainable by the (generalized) Legendre transform method. Using twistor methods, we show that deformations can be encoded in a set of holomorphic functions of 2d + 1 variables, as opposed to the functions of d + 1 variables controlling the unperturbed metric. Such deformations generically break all tri-holomorphic isometries of the unperturbed metric. Geometrically, these functions generate the symplectomorphisms which relate local complex Darboux coordinate systems in different patches of the twistor space. The deformed Kähler potential follows from these data by a Penrose-type transform. As an illustration of our general framework, we determine the leading exponential deviation of the Atiyah–Hitchin manifold away from its negative mass Taub-NUT limit.     

On the Hyperkähler/Quaternion Kähler Correspondence

A hyperkähler manifold with a circle action fixing just one complex structure admits a natural hyperholomorphic line bundle. This observation forms the basis for the construction of a corresponding quaternionic Kähler manifold in the work of A.Haydys. In this paper the corresponding holomorphic line bundle on twistor space is described and many examples computed, including monopole and Higgs bundle moduli spaces. Finally a twistor version of the hyperkähler/quaternion Kähler correspondence is established.     

Properties of Hyperkähler Manifolds and Their Twistor Spaces

We describe the relation between supersymmetric σ-models on hyperkähler manifolds, projective superspace, and twistor space. We review the essential aspects and present a coherent picture with a number of new results.     

L 2-Cohomology of Hyperkähler Quotients

Using an argument of Jost and Zuo, we give a criterion which implies that the L ² harmonic forms on a complete noncompact hyperk?hler manifold lie in the middle dimension and are invariant under the isometry group. This is applied to various examples, and in particular gives a verification of some of the predictions of Sen on monopole moduli spaces. Received: 20 September 1999 / Accepted: 2 November 1999     

Hyperkähler metric and GMN ansatz on focus–focus fibrations

In this paper, we study the hyperkähler metric and practise GMN’s construction of hyperkähler metric on focus–focus fibrations. We explicitly compute the action–angle coordinates on the local model of focus–focus fibrations, and show its semi-global invariant should be harmonic to admit a compatible holomorphic 2-form. Then we study the canonical semi-flat metric on it. After the instanton correction, finally we are able to get a reconstruction of the generalized Ooguri–Vafa metric.     

The Einstein–Maxwell Equations and Conformally Kähler Geometry

Page’s Einstein metric on \({{\mathbb{CP}}_2\#\overline{\mathbb{CP}}_2}\) is conformally related to an extremal Kähler metric. Here we construct a family of conformally Kähler solutions of the Einstein–Maxwell equations that deforms the Page metric, while sweeping out the entire Kähler cone of \({{\mathbb{CP}}_2\#\overline{\mathbb{CP}}_2}\). The same method also yields analogous solutions on every Hirzebruch surface. This allows us to display infinitely many geometrically distinct families of solutions of the Einstein–Maxwell equations on the smooth 4-manifolds \({S^2 \times S^2}\) and \({{\mathbb{CP}}_2\#\overline{\mathbb{CP}}_2}\).     

Pseudo-Hyperkähler Geometry and Generalized Kähler Geometry

We discuss the conditions for additional supersymmetry and twisted super-symmetry in N = (2, 2) supersymmetric nonlinear sigma models described by one left and one right semi-chiral superfield and carrying a pair of non-commuting complex structures. Focus is on linear non-manifest transformations of these fields that have an algebra that closes off-shell. We find that additional linear supersymmetry has no interesting solution, whereas additional linear twisted supersymmetry has solutions with interesting geometrical properties. We solve the conditions for invariance of the action and show that these solutions correspond to a bi-hermitian metric of signature (2, 2) and a pseudo-hyperkähler geometry of the target space.     

Conification of Kähler and Hyper-Kähler Manifolds

Given a Kähler manifold M endowed with a Hamiltonian Killing vector field Z, we construct a conical Kähler manifold ${\hat{M}}$ such that M is recovered as a Kähler quotient of ${\hat{M}}$ . Similarly, given a hyper-Kähler manifold (M, g, J ₁, J ₂, J ₃) endowed with a Killing vector field Z, Hamiltonian with respect to the Kähler form of J ₁ and satisfying ${\mathcal{L}_ZJ_2 = -2J_3}$ , we construct a hyper-Kähler cone ${\hat{M}}$ such that M is a certain hyper-Kähler quotient of ${\hat{M}}$ . In this way, we recover a theorem by Haydys. Our work is motivated by the problem of relating the supergravity c-map to the rigid c-map. We show that any hyper-Kähler manifold in the image of the c-map admits a Killing vector field with the above properties. Therefore, it gives rise to a hyper-Kähler cone, which in turn defines a quaternionic Kähler manifold. Our results for the signature of the metric and the sign of the scalar curvature are consistent with what we know about the supergravity c-map.     

Instantons and Kähler manifolds

It is shown that for two-dimensional Euclidean chiral models of the field theory with values in arbitrary Kähler manifold duality equations reduce to the Cauchy-Riemann equations on this manifold. A class of models is described possessing such type solutions, the so called instanton solutions.     

Instanton strings and hyper-Kähler geometry

We discuss two-dimensional sigma models on moduli spaces of instantons on K3 surfaces. These N = (4, 4) superconformal field theories describe the near-horizon dynamics of the D1-D5-brane system and are dual to string theory on AdS³. We derive a precise map relating the moduli of the K3 type 1113 string compactification to the moduli of these conformal field theories and the corresponding classical hyper-Kahler geometry. We conclude that in the absence of background gauge fields, the metric on the instanton moduli spaces degenerates exactly to the orbifold symmetric product of K3. Turning on a self-dual NS B-field deforms this symmetric product to a manifold that is diffeomorphic to the Hilbert scheme. We also comment on the mathematical applications of string duality to the global issues of deformations of hyper-Kähler manifolds.     

Einstein-Kähler surfaces and gravitational instantons

Compact complex manifolds solutions of the Euclidean Einstein equations with a term are examined, through a survey of the literature on the classification of complex surfaces.     

Octonic Form of Proca-Maxwell’s Equations and Relativistic Derivation of Electromagnetism

We propose to write the Proca-Maxwell’s equations, Klein-Gordon equation and electromagnetic energy conservation with magnetic monopole in terms of a new algebraic structure named as octon. The Lorentz transformations of electromagnetic fields are also taken into consideration.     

Hyper-Kähler Hierarchies and Their Twistor Theory

A twistor construction of the hierarchy associated with the hyper-K?hler equations on a metric (the anti-self-dual Einstein vacuum equations, ASDVE, in four dimensions) is given. The recursion operator R is constructed and used to build an infinite-dimensional symmetry algebra and in particular higher flows for the hyper-K?hler equations. It is shown that R acts on the twistor data by multiplication with a rational function. The structures are illustrated by the example of the Sparling–Tod (Eguchi–Hansen) solution. An extended space-time ? is constructed whose extra dimensions correspond to higher flows of the hierarchy. It is shown that ? is a moduli space of rational curves with normal bundle ?(n)⊕?(n) in twistor space and is canonically equipped with a Lax distribution for ASDVE hierarchies. The space ? is shown to be foliated by four dimensional hyper-K?hler slices. The Lagrangian, Hamiltonian and bi-Hamiltonian formulations of the ASDVE in the form of the heavenly equations are given. The symplectic form on the moduli space of solutions to heavenly equations is derived, and is shown to be compatible with the recursion operator. Received: 27 January 2000 / Accepted: 20 March 2000