arXiv research

The reductive holonomy algebras for a torsion-free affine connection are analysed, with the goal of establishing which ones can correspond to a Ricci-flat connection with the same properties. Various families of holonomies are eliminated through different algebraic means, and examples are constructed (in this paper and…

This paper analyses the parabolic geometries generated by a free $n$-distribution in the tangent space of a manifold. It shows that certain holonomy reductions of the associated normal Tractor connections, imply preferred connections with special properties, along with Riemannian or sub-Riemannian structures on the man…

We develop a holonomy reduction procedure for general Cartan geometries. We show that, given a reduction of holonomy, the underlying manifold naturally decomposes into a disjoint union of initial submanifolds. Each such submanifold corresponds to an orbit of the holonomy group on the modelling homogeneous space and car…

In this article, we give a theorem of reduction of the structure group of a principal bundle P with regular structure group G. Then, when G is in the classes of Lie groups defined by T.Robart [13], we define the closed holonomy group of a connection as the minimal closed Lie subgroup of G for which the previous theorem…

We consider the question: can the isotropy representation of an irreducible pseudo-Riemannian symmetric space be realized as a conformal holonomy group? Using recent results of Cap, Gover and Hammerl, we study the representations of SO(2,1), PSU(2,1) and PSp(2,1) as isotropy groups of irreducible symmetric spaces of si…

We study the normal holonomy group, i.e. the holonomy group of the normal connection, of a CR-submanifold of a complex space form. We complete the local classification of normal holonomies for complex submanifolds. We show that the normal holonomy group of a coisotropic submanifold acts as the holonomy representation o…

In this paper we introduce a generalisation of the notion of holonomy for connections over a bundle map on a principal fibre bundle. We prove that, as in the standard theory on principal connections, the holonomy groups are Lie subgroups of the structure group of the principle fibre bundle and we also derive a straight…

This paper analyses the parabolic geometries generated by a free 3-distribution in the tangent space of a manifold. It shows the existence of normal Fefferman constructions over CR and Lagrangian contact structures corresponding to holonomy reductions to SO(4,2) and SO(3,3), respectively. There is also a fascinating co…

Classifies 7D manifolds with specific geometric properties.

The study shows how certain geometries can be mapped to simpler structures.

We construct propose an anzatz for Spin(7) metrics as an R-bundle over closed G2 structures. These G2 structures are R3 bundles over 4-dimensional compact quaternion Kahler spaces. The inspiration for the anzatz metric comes from the Bryant-Salamon construction of G2 holonomy metrics and from the fact that the twistor …

The paper explores Lorentzian connections with parallel skew torsion.

Study BGG operators on homogeneous conformal geometries.

Develops intrinsic curved cosets for Cartan geometries.

IAs is well known, when D6 branes wrap a special lagrangian cycle on a non compact CY 3-fold in such a way that the internal string frame metric is Kahler there exists a dual description, which is given in terms of a purely geometrical eleven dimensional background with an internal metric of $G_2$ holonomy. It is also …

We introduce in this paper normal twistor equations for differential forms and study their solutions, the so-called normal conformal Killing forms. The twistor equations arise naturally from the canonical normal Cartan connection of conformal geometry. Reductions of its holonomy are related to solutions of the normal t…

A torsion-free G_2 structure admitting an infinitesimal isometry is shown to give rise to a 4-manifold equipped with a complex symplectic structure and a 1-parameter family of functions and 2-forms linked by second order equations. Reversing the process in various special cases leads to the construction of explicit met…

In 1955, Berger \cite{Ber} gave a list of irreducible reductive representations which can occur as the holonomy of a torsion-free affine connection. This list was stated to be complete up to possibly a finite number of missing entries. In this paper, we show that there is, in fact, an infinite family of representations…

We show that the standard definitions of Sasaki structures have elegant and simplifying interpretations in terms of projective differential geometry. For Sasaki-Einstein structures we use projective geometry to provide a resolution of such structures into geometrically less rigid components; the latter elemental compon…

We prove that the Cauchy problem for parallel null vector fields on smooth Lorentzian manifolds is well posed. The proof is based on the derivation and analysis of suitable hyperbolic evolution equations given in terms of the Ricci tensor and other geometric objects. Moreover, we classify Riemannian manifolds satisfyin…

We investigate cohomogeneity-one metrics whose principal orbit is an Aloff-Wallach space SU(3)/U(1). In particular, we are interested in metrics whose holonomy is contained in Spin(7). Complete metrics of this kind which are not product metrics have exactly one singular orbit. We prove classification results for metric…

A very important class of homogeneous Riemannian manifolds are the so-called normal homogeneous spaces, which have associated a canonical connection. In this work we obtain geometrically the (connected component of the) group of affine transformations with respect to the canonical connection for a normal homogeneous sp…

The aim of this paper and its sequel is to introduce and classify the holonomy algebras of the projective Tractor connection. After a brief historical background, this paper presents and analyses the projective Cartan and Tractor connections, the various structures they can preserve, and their geometric interpretations…

The classifications of holonomy groups in Lorentzian and in Euclidean signature are quite different. A group of interest in Lorentzian signature in n dimensions is the maximal proper subgroup of the Lorentz group, SIM(n-2). Ricci-flat metrics with SIM(2) holonomy were constructed by Kerr and Goldberg, and a single four…

In the paper we introduce a boundary value problem for a G_{2} structure on a 7-manifold with boundary, with prescribed 3-form on the boundary. We make some general observations about this problem and then study in more detail reductions to 4 and 3 dimensions by imposing symmetry. The 3-dimensional reduction admits a d…

We consider euclidean D-branes wrapping around manifolds of exceptional holonomy in dimensions seven and eight. The resulting theory on the D-brane---that is, the dimensional reduction of 10-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory---is a cohomological field theory which describes the topology of the moduli space o…

We prove a Simons-type holonomy theorem for totally skew 1-forms with values in a Lie algebra of linear isometries. The only transitive case, for this theorem, is the full orthogonal group. We only use geometric methods and we do not use any classification (not even that of transitive isometric actions on the sphere or…

We analyse the relationship between the components of the intrinsic torsion of an SU(3) structure on a 6-manifold and a G_2 structure on a 7-manifold. Various examples illustrate the type of SU(3) structure that can arise as a reduction of a metric with holonomy G_2.

Proves conditions for minimal surfaces in complex hyperbolic space.

We find G2-manifolds with specific asymptotic properties.

In this paper, we construct the moduli space of marked oper structures on a closed, oriented smooth surface of negative Euler characteristic as a holomorphic fiber bundle over Teichmüller space. We prove that the holonomy map from the space of marked oper structures to the moduli space of reductive flat bundles is a ho…

We determine the holonomy of generalized Killing spinor covariant derivatives of the form $D= \nabla + Ω$ on pseudo-Riemannian reductive homogeneous spaces in a purely algebraic and algorithmic way, where $Ω: TM \rightarrow Λ^*(TM)$ is a left-invariant homomorphism. This is essentially an application of the theory of i…

We use tools from generalized complex geometry to develop the theory of SKT (a.k.a. pluriclosed Hermitian) manifolds and more generally manifolds with special holonomy with respect to a metric connection with closed skew-symmetric torsion. We develop Hodge theory on such manifolds showing how the reduction of the holon…

The paper is focused on the existence problem of attractors for foliations. Since the existence of an attractor is a transversal property of the foliation, it is natural to consider foliations admitting transversal geometric structures. As transversal structures are chosen Cartan geometries due to their universality. T…

We classify 7-dimensional cocalibrated $\G_2$-manifolds with parallel characteristic torsion and non-abelian holonomy. All these spaces admit a metric connection $\nabla^{\mathrm{c}}$ with totally skew-symmetric torsion and a spinor field $Ψ_1$ solving the equations in the common sector of type II superstring theory. T…

In previous work, we introduced eta invariants for even dimensional manifolds. It plays the same role as the eta invariant of Atiyah-Patodi-Singer, which is for odd dimensional manifolds. It is associated to $K^1$ representatives on even dimensional manifolds and is closely related to the so called WZW theory in physic…

The symmetries of two-dimensional supersymmetric sigma models on target spaces with covariantly constant forms associated to special holonomy groups are analysed. It is shown that each pair of such forms gives rise to a new one, called a Nijenhuis form, and that there may be further reductions of the structure group. I…

The internal space of a N=4 supersymmetric model with Wess-Zumino term has a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion and holonomy in $\SP(n)$. We study the mathematical background of this type of connections. In particular, we relate it to classical Hermitian geometry construct homogeneous as well as inhomogeneo…

These notes are based on lectures given at the Clay School on Geometry and String Theory, Isaac Newton Institute, Cambridge, 25 March - 19 April 2002. They attempt to provide an elementary and somewhat self contained discussion of the construction of supergravity solutions describing branes wrapping calibrated cycles, …

The paper introduces controllable principal connections and estimates distances between bundles and spaces.

3-Sasaki structures linked to projective geometry.

For symplectic group actions which are not Hamiltonian there are two ways to define reduction. Firstly using the cylinder-valued momentum map and secondly lifting the action to any Hamiltonian cover (such as the universal cover), and then performing symplectic reduction in the usual way. We show that provided the actio…

The traceless $SU(2)$ character variety $R(S^2,\{a_i,b_i\}_{i=1}^n)$ of a $2n$-punctured 2-sphere is the symplectic reduction of a Hamiltonian $n$-torus action on the $SU(2)$ character variety of a closed surface of genus $n$. It is stratified with a finite singular stratum and a top smooth symplectic stratum of dimens…

By a special symplectic connection we mean a torsion free connection which is either the Levi-Civita connection of a Bochner-Kähler metric of arbitrary signature, a Bochner-bi-Lagrangian connection, a connection of Ricci type or a connection with special symplectic holonomy. A manifold or orbifold with such a connectio…

Asymptotically cylindrical Ricci-flat manifolds play a key role in constructing Topological Quantum Field Theories. It is particularly important to understand their behavior at the cylindrical ends and the natural restrictions on the geometry. In this paper we show that an orientable, connected, asymptotically cylindri…

A study is made of $R^6$ as a singular quotient of the conical space $R^+\times CP^3$ with holonomy $G_2$ with respect to an obvious action by $U(1)$ on $CP^3$ with fixed points. Closed expressions are found for the induced metric, and for both the curvature and symplectic 2-forms characterizing the reduction. All thes…

This paper studies the relation between two notions of holonomy on a conformal manifold. The first is the conformal holonomy, defined to be the holonomy of the normal tractor connection. The second is the holonomy of the Fefferman-Graham ambient metric of the conformal manifold. It is shown that the infinitesimal confo…

New Spin(7) manifolds created from Calabi-Yau bundles.