arXiv subjects

Jeffrey Streets

Publications and source records attributed to Jeffrey Streets.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Topology of low-dimensional generalized Ricci solitons and string backgrounds

Adapting ideas of \cite{akutagawa2007perelman}, we show that compact generalized Ricci solitons (GRS) have positive Yamabe invariant. We observe a Cheeger-Gromoll-type splitting theorem for GRS as a corollary of the splitting theorem for Bakry-\'Emery Ricci curvature in \cite{wei2009comparison}. Using this we show that low dimensional GRS are diffeomorphic to $S^3 / \Gamma$ or $S^3 \times S^1 / \Gamma$. We determine various topological constraints on string backgrounds (Bismut-Hermitian-Einstein (BHE), strong torsion $G_2$, strong torsion $\mathrm{Spin}(7)$-manifolds) and show in most cases that they cannot exist on the same manifolds as their classical special holonomy counterparts. Finally we determine the topology of BHE threefolds under natural constraints, relying on an extension of parts of Kollar's characterization of Seifert fibered $5$-manifolds over complex orbifolds \cite{kollar2006circle}.

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arXiv2026

Hermitian curvature flow and HKT geometry

We identify a Hermitian curvature flow which preserves HKT geometry, and whose fixed points are HKT-Einstein metrics, equivalent to a flow suggested by Verbitsky in the context of the quaternionic Monge-Amp\`ere equation. We exhibit a fundamental regularity obstruction and a monotonicity formula for the Chern scalar curvature. We formulate a maximal existence time conjecture for this flow, and give a conditional resolution. We establish the existence conjecture in dimension four. We show the existence of a divergent sequence of HKT-Einstein metrics on quaternionic Hopf surfaces. These are the first non-homogeneous examples in the literature, and indicate the delicacy of the convergence question. Finally we classify which strong HKT structures arising from bi-invariant metrics on Lie groups are also HKT-Einstein.

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arXiv2026

Poisson K-stability and the semiclassical Yau--Tian--Donaldson correspondence

We introduce a notion of K-polystability for compact K\"ahler holomorphic Poisson manifolds. On the one hand, this notion of stability is well-adapted to constructions of moduli spaces. For instance, when the underlying manifold is K-polystable with reductive reduced automorphism group, Poisson K-stability is equivalent to geometric invariant theoretic stability in the space of Poisson bivectors, but there also exist K-unstable varieties that become stable after incorporating a Poisson structure. On the other hand, the Poisson K-stability condition interacts well with generalized K\"aher metrics -- the background geometry of (2,2) supersymmetric string theory. In particular, we conjecture that Poisson K-polystability characterizes the existence of constant scalar curvature symplectic generalized K\"ahler structures with a sufficiently small Poisson tensor -- a natural extension of the Yau--Tian--Donaldson (YTD) conjecture. Our main result is a proof of the existence part of this ``semiclassical YTD conjecture'' for Poisson structures on K\"ahler--Einstein Fano manifolds, using infinite-dimensional momentum map techniques. In this way, we obtain the existence of many new examples of symplectic generalized K\"ahler structure of constant scalar curvature, and prove the conjecture completely in the case of the projective plane.

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arXiv2025

A parabolic flow for the large volume heterotic $G_2$ system

We introduce a geometric flow of conformally coclosed $G_2$-structures, whose fixed points are large volume solutions of the heterotic $G_2$ system, with vanishing scalar torsion class $\tau_0 = 0$. After conformal rescaling, it becomes a flow of coclosed $G_2$-structures, related to Grigorian's modified $G_2$ coflow, which is coupled to a flow for a dilaton function. Our main results establish fundamental short-time existence and Shi-type smoothing properties of this flow, as well as a classification of its fixed points. By a classical rigidity result in the string theory literature, the fixed points on a compact manifold correspond to torsion-free $G_2$-structures, that is, to metrics with holonomy contained in $G_2$. Thus, we establish in the affirmative a folklore question in the special holonomy community, about the existence of a well-posed flow for coclosed $G_2$-structures with fixed points given by torsion-free $G_2$-structures. The flow also satisfies a monotonicity formula for the $G_2$-dilaton functional (volume scale in string theory), which allows us to strengthen the rigidity result with an alternative proof. The monotonicity of the $G_2$-dilaton functional, combined with the Shi-type estimates, leads to a general result on the convergence of nonsingular solutions. A dimension reduction analysis reveals an interesting link with natural flows for $SU(3)$-structures, previously introduced in the literature.

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arXiv2025

Pluriclosed flow on Oeljeklaus-Toma manifolds

We establish global existence of the pluriclosed flow with arbitrary initial data on Oeljeklaus-Toma manifolds, and Gromov-Hausdorff convergence of blowdown limits to a torus under natural conjectural bounds on the flow at infinity. In the case of generalized K\"ahler-Ricci flow we prove refined a priori estimates in support of these conjectural bounds.

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arXiv2025

The canonical symmetry reduction of string backgrounds

String backgrounds, defined here as metric connections with skew-symmetric torsion and reduced holonomy, yield generalized Ricci solitons relative to the Lee vector field. By a variational argument using the string action, they are also gradient generalized Ricci solitons relative to a potential function. These two observations combine to yield a canonical symmetry, and in this work we derive fundamental features of the transverse geometry, and rigidity phenomena. We prove in a unified conceptual fashion that the transverse geometry satisfies the string generalized Ricci soliton equations (a simplified Hull-Strominger system) in many settings including almost Hermitian, almost contact, $SU(3)$, $G_2$, and $\mathrm{Spin}(7)$ geometry. We also show that the transverse geometry is always conformally co-closed, with the conformal factor given by the associated soliton potential.

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arXiv2025

Toric geometry of generalized K\"ahler-Ricci solitons

We establish a local equivalence between toric steady K\"ahler-Ricci solitons and $A$-type toric generalized K\"ahler-Ricci solitons (GKRS). Under natural global conditions we show this equivalence extends to complete GKRS, yielding a general construction of new examples in all dimensions. We show that in four dimensions, all GKRS are either described by the generalized K\"ahler Gibbons-Hawking ansatz, or have split tangent bundle, or are $A$-type toric. This yields a local classification in four dimensions, together with a conjecturally exhaustive construction of complete symplectic-type examples.

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arXiv2024

Pluriclosed flow and the Hull-Strominger system

We define a natural extension of pluriclosed flow aiming at constructing solutions of the Hull-Strominger system. We give several geometric formulations of this flow, which yield a series of a priori estimates for the flow and also for the Hull-Strominger system. The evolution equations are derived using the theory of string algebroids, a class of Courant algebroids which occur naturally in higher gauge theory. Using this, we interpret the flow as generalized Ricci flow and also as a higher/coupled version of Hermitian-Yang-Mills flow, proving furthermore that it is compatible with symmetry reduction. Regarding our main analytical results, we prove a priori $C^{\infty}$ estimates for uniformly parabolic solutions. This in particular settles the question of smooth regularity of uniformly elliptic solutions of the Hull-Strominger system, generalizing Yau's $C^3$ estimate for the complex Monge-Amp\`ere equation. We prove global existence and convergence results for the flow on special backgrounds, and discuss a conjectural relationship of the flow to the geometrization of Reid's fantasy.

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arXiv2024

Rigidity results for non-K\"ahler Calabi-Yau geometries on threefolds

We derive a canonical symmetry reduction associated to a compact non-K\"ahler Bismut-Hermitian-Einstein manifold. In real dimension $6$, the transverse geometry is conformally K\"ahler, and we give a complete description in terms of a single scalar PDE for the underlying K\"ahler structure. In the case when the soliton potential is constant, we show that that the Bott-Chern number $h^{1,1}_{BC} \geq 2$, and that equality holds if and only if the metric is Bismut-flat, and hence a quotient of either $\SU(2) \times \mathbb R \times \mathbb C$ or $\SU(2) \times \SU(2)$.

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arXiv2024

Formal structure of scalar curvature in generalized K\"ahler geometry

Building on works of Boulanger and Goto, we show that Goto's scalar curvature is the moment map for an action of generalized Hamiltonian automorphisms of the associated Courant algebroid, constrained by the choice of an adapted volume form. We derive an explicit formula for Goto's scalar curvature, and show that it is constant for generalized K\"ahler-Ricci solitons. Restricting to the generically symplectic type case, we realize the generalized K\"ahler class as the complexified orbit of the Hamiltonian action above. This leads to a natural extension of Mabuchi's metric and $K$-energy, implying a conditional uniqueness result. Finally, in this setting we derive a Calabi-Matsushima-Lichnerowicz obstruction and a Futaki invariant.

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arXiv2024

Ricci flow on Courant algebroids

We develop a theory of Ricci flow for metrics on Courant algebroids which unifies and extends the analytic theory of various geometric flows, yielding a general tool for constructing solutions to supergravity equations. We prove short time existence and uniqueness of solutions on compact manifolds, in turn showing that the Courant isometry group is preserved by the flow. We show a scalar curvature monotonicity formula and prove that generalized Ricci flow is a gradient flow, extending fundamental works of Hamilton and Perelman. Using these we show a convergence result for certain nonsingular solutions to generalized Ricci flow.

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arXiv2024

Optimal Transport and Generalized Ricci Flow

We prove results relating the theory of optimal transport and generalized Ricci flow. We define an adapted cost functional for measures using a solution of the associated dilaton flow. This determines a formal notion of geodesics in the space of measures, and we show geodesic convexity of an associated entropy functional. Finally, we show monotonicity of the cost along the backwards heat flow, and use this to give a new proof of the monotonicity of the energy functional along generalized Ricci flow.

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arXiv2023

The Riemannian and symplectic geometry of the space of generalized Kähler structures

On a compact complex manifold $(M, J)$ endowed with a holomorphic Poisson tensor $π_J$ and a deRham class $α\in H^2(M, \mathbb R)$, we study the space of generalized Kähler (GK) structures defined by a symplectic form $F\in α$ and whose holomorphic Poisson tensor is $π_J$. We define a notion of generalized Kähler class of such structures, and use the moment map framework of Boulanger and Goto to extend the Calabi program to GK geometry. We obtain generalizations of the Futaki--Mabuchi extremal vector field and Calabi--Lichnerowicz--Matsushima result for the Lie algebra of the group of automorphisms of $(M, J, π_J)$. We define a closed $1$-form on a GK class, which yields a generalization of the Mabuchi energy and thus a variational characterization of GK structures of constant scalar curvature. Next we introduce a formal Riemannian metric on a given GK class, generalizing the fundamental construction of Mabuchi--Semmes--Donaldson. We show that this metric has nonpositive sectional curvature, and that the Mabuchi energy is convex along geodesics, leading to a conditional uniqueness result for constant scalar curvature GK structures. We finally examine the toric case, proving the uniqueness of extremal generalized Kähler structures and showing that their existence is obstructed by the uniform relative K-stability of the corresponding Delzant polytope. Using the resolution of the Yau--Tian--Donaldson conjecture in the toric case by Chen--Cheng and He, we show in some settings that this condition suffices for existence and thus construct new examples.

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arXiv2022

The generalized K\"ahler Calabi-Yau problem

We formulate an extension of the Calabi conjecture to the setting of generalized K\"ahler geometry. We show a transgression formula for the Bismut Ricci curvature in this setting, which requires a new local Goto/Kodaira-Spencer deformation result, and use it to show that solutions of the generalized Calabi-Yau equation on compact manifolds are classically K\"ahler, Calabi-Yau, and furthermore unique in their generalized K\"ahler class. We show that the generalized K\"ahler-Ricci flow is naturally adapted to this conjecture, and exhibit a number of a priori estimates and monotonicity formulas which suggest global existence and convergence. For initial data in the generalized K\"ahler class of a K\"ahler Calabi-Yau structure we prove the flow exists globally and converges to this unique fixed point. This has applications to understanding the space of generalized K\"ahler structures, and as a special case yields the topological structure of natural classes of Hamiltonian symplectomorphisms on hyperK\"ahler manifolds. In the case of commuting-type generalized K\"ahler structures we establish global existence and convergence with arbitrary initial data to a K\"ahler, Calabi-Yau metric, which yields a new $d d^c$-lemma for these structures.

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arXiv2022

Scalar curvature, entropy, and generalized Ricci flow

We derive a family of weighted scalar curvature monotonicity formulas for generalized Ricci flow, involving an auxiliary dilaton field evolving by a certain reaction-diffusion equation motivated by renormalization group flow. These scalar curvature monotonicities are dual to a new family of Perelman-type energy and entropy monotonicity formulas by coupling to a solution of the associated weighted conjugate heat equation. In the setting of Ricci flow, we further obtain a new family of convex Nash entropies and pseudolocality principles.

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arXiv2022

Bochner formulas, functional inequalities and generalized Ricci flow

As a consequence of the Bochner formula for the Bismut connection acting on gradients, we show sharp universal Poincaré and log-Sobolev inequalities along solutions to generalized Ricci flow. Using the two-form potential we define a twisted connection on spacetime which determines an adapted Brownian motion on the frame bundle, yielding an adapted Malliavin gradient on path space. We show a Bochner formula for this operator, leading to characterizations of generalized Ricci flow in terms of universal Poincaré and log-Sobolev type inequalities for the associated Malliavin gradient and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck operator.

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arXiv2022

Kähler stability of symplectic forms

Using dynamical stability of symplectic curvature flow, we show that on a compact Calabi-Yau manifold, any small symplectic deformation of a Kähler form remains Kähler.

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arXiv2022

The Gibbons-Hawking ansatz in generalized Kähler geometry

We derive a local ansatz for generalized Kähler surfaces with nondegenerate Poisson structure and a biholomorphic $S^1$ action which generalizes the classic Gibbons-Hawking ansatz for invariant hyperKähler manifolds, and allows for the choice of one arbitrary function. By imposing the generalized Kähler-Ricci soliton equation, or equivalently the equations of type IIB string theory, the construction becomes rigid, and we classify all complete solutions with the smallest possible symmetry group.

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