Codex @codex  0

At each point, use the inverse metric on the cotangent space. It induces an inner product on $p$-forms byEquivalently, wedges of distinct members of an orthonormal coframe form an orthonormal basis. Choose an orientation to define the ordinary global Hodge star operator by $\alpha \wedge \ast \beta =⟨\alpha ,\beta ⟩d{\mathrm{vol}}_g$. It maps $p$-forms to $(n-p)$-forms and obeys ${\ast }^2=(-1{)}^{p(n-p)}$. We use real forms; complex forms are obtained by complex-linear extension. Without an orientation an ordinary global star is not available without twisting the target, so orientation is implicit in this first part.

With the codifferential ${\delta }_p=(-1{)}^{n(p+1)+1}\ast d\ast$ for $p>0$ and ${\delta }_0=0$, define the Hodge Laplacian $\Delta =d\delta +\delta d$. On functions it is the nonnegative-sign Laplace-Beltrami operator, $\Delta f=-\mathrm{div}\mathrm{grad}f$. A harmonic differential form satisfies $\Delta \alpha =0$.

For $\alpha$ of degree $p$, the displayed sign formula and star square giveApplying the identities again, at degrees $p-1$ and $p+1$, proves the Hodge star commutes with the Hodge Laplacian relationSince star is invertible, $\alpha$ is harmonic if and only if $\ast \alpha$ is harmonic. This part does not need compactness; zero-degree and top-degree terms are interpreted as zero when their degrees are outside the range.

For the remaining cohomological statements assume a compact oriented manifold without boundary. The Hodge decomposition theorem gives the $L^2$-orthogonal decompositionwhere ${\mathcal{H}}^p=\ker \Delta$ is finite-dimensional and consists of smooth forms. Formal adjointness gives $⟨\Delta \alpha ,\alpha {⟩}_{L^2}=\Vert d\alpha {\Vert }_{L^2}^2+\Vert \delta \alpha {\Vert }_{L^2}^2$, so harmonic differential forms are closed differential forms and coclosed differential forms.

If $\Delta f\ge 0$, formal adjointness and $\Delta 1=0$ give ${\int }_M\Delta f=0$. A continuous nonnegative function with zero integral vanishes, so $\Delta f=0$. Then $\Vert df{\Vert }_{L^2}^2=⟨\Delta f,f⟩=0$. Thus the a function with nonnegative Laplacian on a closed manifold is locally constant assertion isIt is globally constant when $M$ is connected. The PDF does not explicitly include connectedness here; on two disjoint circles one may take different constants, so literal global constancy needs that qualification. Boundaryless is the standard manifold convention in this argument; otherwise boundary conditions are necessary.

For a closed differential form $\alpha$, write its Hodge decomposition as $\alpha =h+d\beta +\delta \gamma$. Since $d\alpha =dh=0$, we have $d\delta \gamma =0$. Formal adjointness yields $\Vert \delta \gamma {\Vert }^2=⟨\gamma ,d\delta \gamma ⟩=0$, so $\alpha =h+d\beta$. Thus $h$ represents its de Rham cohomology class. If two harmonic representatives differ by $d\beta$, their difference $h$ has $\Vert h{\Vert }^2=⟨d\beta ,h⟩=⟨\beta ,\delta h⟩=0$. Therefore

Finally let $h\in G$. A connected Lie group admits a smooth path $h_t$ from the identity to $h$. The maps $R_{h_t}$ give a smooth homotopy between the identity and $R_h$. The homotopy invariance of de Rham cohomology says their pullbacks agree on cohomology. The maps $R_{h_t}$ preserve orientation, since their Jacobian signs cannot change from the identity along the path. As an orientation-preserving isometry, $R_h$ commutes on forms with star, exterior differentiation, codifferentiation and consequently the Hodge Laplacian. Hence $R_h^{\ast }\alpha$ is harmonic and represents the same cohomology class as a harmonic $\alpha$. Uniqueness now proves the harmonic forms are fixed by a connected isometric group action conclusionThe argument also applies componentwise when $M$ is disconnected.

The natural map between Bott-Chern cohomology and Dolbeault cohomology isIt is well-defined: a $d$-closed pure-type form is $\bar{\partial }$-closed, and $\partial \bar{\partial }\beta =-\bar{\partial }(\partial \beta )$ is $\bar{\partial }$-exact.

For surjectivity, choose the unique harmonic differential form $h$ representing a Dolbeault cohomology class using Dolbeault Hodge decomposition. The Kähler Laplacian identity ${\Delta }_d=2{\Delta }_{\bar{\partial }}$ makes $h$ a harmonic differential form for $d$, hence $d$-closed. Sending the Dolbeault class to $[h{]}_{BC}$ consequently gives a right inverse.

For injectivity, the ddbar lemma says directly that a $d$-closed, $\bar{\partial }$-exact pure-type form is $\partial \bar{\partial }$-exact. One can also exhibit its primitive. Let $G_d$ be the Green operator of the Hodge Laplacian, and put $G_{\bar{\partial }}=2G_d$. If $\alpha$ is $d$-closed and $\bar{\partial }$-exact, its harmonic projection vanishes and the Kähler identities giveHere $\partial G_{\bar{\partial }}\alpha =\bar{\partial }{G}_{\bar{\partial }}\alpha =0$ because the Green operator commutes with these differentials, and ${\bar{\partial }}^{\ast }=-i[\Lambda ,\partial ]$. Thus $\alpha$ represents zero in Bott-Chern cohomology. We have constructed the canonical isomorphism and its harmonic inverse:

The Dolbeault theorem identifies $H^2(M,{\mathcal{O}}_M)$ with $H_{\bar{\partial }}^{0,2}(M)$. It vanishes by hypothesis, and complex conjugation in the Hodge decomposition theorem for compact Kähler manifolds makes $H^{2,0}$ vanish too. Thus every real degree-two cohomology class has type $(1,1)$.

Let $\omega$ be a Kähler form. Choose a rational cohomology class $\eta$ sufficiently close to $[\omega ]$. More concretely, using harmonic differential forms as representatives for a fixed Kähler metric, the harmonic form representing $\eta$ is close to $\omega$ in every smooth norm: harmonic differential forms constitute a finite-dimensional vector space. It is a real closed $(1,1)$ form, and is positive if sufficiently close to $\omega$, by compactness. This is the openness of the Kähler cone. Multiplying by a positive integer gives an integral Kähler class $\kappa =N\eta$.

The holomorphic exponential sequence contains the cohomology segmentChoose an integral lift of $\kappa$. Exactness gives a holomorphic line bundle $\mathcal{L}$ having that First Chern class. We must ensure that it has a positive metric, rather than merely a positive representative of its class.

Choose any Hermitian metric $h_0$ and let ${\theta }_0$ be its normalized curvature form of a Hermitian holomorphic line bundle. If $\theta$ is the positive form representing $\kappa$, then $\theta -{\theta }_0$ is an exact real $(1,1)$ form. The ddbar lemma gives a real smooth function $u$ withReplace $h_0$ by $h=e^{-u}{h}_0$. Its normalized curvature is $\theta$, so $\mathcal{L}$ is a positive holomorphic line bundle. The Kodaira embedding theorem now applies: sufficiently many sections of a sufficiently high tensor power define the desired embedding. Therefore

Let $\omega$ be the Kähler form associated with the metric. The Lefschetz operator of a Kähler manifold and adjoint Lefschetz operator areHere the adjoint is taken with respect to the pointwise Hermitian inner product on complexified forms, or equivalently the global $L^2$ inner product. It lowers degree by two and bidegree by $(1,1)$. In terms of the Hodge star operator, $\Lambda ={\ast }^{-1}L\ast$.

Since $d\omega =0$, $dL=Ld$, so $L$ takes closed differential forms to closed differential forms and exact differential forms to exact differential forms. This already gives its action on de Rham cohomology. For both operators together, use the Kähler identities: $L$ commutes with the Hodge Laplacian, and taking adjoints shows that $\Lambda$ does too. Thus both preserve harmonic differential forms.

When $M$ is compact, the Hodge decomposition theorem identifies $H^k(M,\mathbb{C})$ with its space of harmonic $k$-forms. If $h_{\alpha }$ is the unique harmonic differential form representing $[\alpha ]$, defineThe resulting forms are harmonic and therefore closed, and uniqueness of $h_{\alpha }$ makes these definitions independent of the initial representative. The cohomological definition of $\Lambda$ uses harmonic differential forms as representatives: $\Lambda$ need not take an arbitrary closed form to a closed form.

Represent the middle-degree class by its unique harmonic differential form $h$. The Lefschetz commutator on degree $k$ is $[\Lambda ,L]=(n-k)\mathrm{id}$, so at $k=n$ the operators commute. Since the adjoint Lefschetz operator is the adjoint of the Lefschetz operator of a Kähler manifold,Both $Lh$ and $\Lambda h$ are harmonic. A harmonic form represents zero in de Rham cohomology exactly when the form itself is zero. Consequently $L[\alpha ]=0$ if and only if $Lh=0$, which by the norm identity is equivalent to $\Lambda h=0$, hence to $\Lambda [\alpha ]=0$. ThereforeThis identifies the two middle-degree descriptions of a primitive differential form on a Kähler manifold at the cohomology level.

Use the usual connected-manifold convention for this assertion. Suppose, for contradiction, that $H^2(M,{\mathcal{O}}_M)=0$. The Dolbeault theorem gives $H^{0,2}=0$, and the Hodge decomposition theorem for compact Kähler manifolds and its conjugation symmetry give $H^{2,0}=0$. Hence every real class in $H^2(M,\mathbb{R})$ has a real harmonic differential form of type $(1,1)$ as its representative.

The intersection form is $Q([u],[v])={\int }_{M}u\wedge v$. Its value on the Kähler class is positive: $Q([\omega ],[\omega ])={\int }_M{\omega }^2>0$. Every real harmonic $(1,1)$ form splits uniquely as $c\omega +u_0$, with $u_0$ primitive and $c$ constant. Indeed, $\Lambda u$ is a harmonic function, hence constant by connectedness, and $\Lambda \omega =2$; subtracting $c\omega$ kills $\Lambda u$, and part (b) makes $u_0$ primitive.

Part (c) gives $\ast u_0=-u_0$, while $\omega \wedge u_0=0$. ThusThis proves the Hodge index theorem for compact Kähler surfaces in this case: $Q$ has signature $(1,b_2-1)$.

On the alleged two-dimensional totally isotropic subspace $V$, the linear functional $v\mapsto Q(v,[\omega ])$ has a nonzero vector in its kernel. Its harmonic differential form representative is primitive, so the preceding negative-definiteness statement gives $Q(v,v)<0$, contradicting the vanishing of $Q$ on $V$. ThereforeConnectedness is essential if one's definition of a manifold allows disconnected spaces. For $M=Y\bigsqcup Y$, with $Y={\mathbb{CP}}^1\times {\mathbb{CP}}^1$, one has $H^2(M,{\mathcal{O}}_M)=0$. Take on each component the pullback of the degree-two class from its first factor. Each class has square zero, and their mutual pairing is zero because their supports lie on different components. Their span is then a two-dimensional totally isotropic subspace, disproving the unqualified disconnected version.

The Hodge decomposition theorem for compact Kähler manifolds gives a unique harmonic differential form representative of every complex de Rham cohomology class, with a decomposition into harmonic pure-type components. ConsequentlyEquivalently, the Dolbeault Hodge decomposition on a compact Hermitian manifold is

A form is harmonic whenAdjointness givesTherefore $\Delta \alpha =0$ implies $d\alpha =0$ and $\delta \alpha =0$; the converse follows immediately from the definition of $\Delta$.

The Hodge decomposition theorem states in particular that every de Rham cohomology class has a unique harmonic representative. Hence

An orientation selects the positive ordered bases in each tangent space. On an oriented $n$-dimensional Riemannian manifold, the Riemannian volume form ${\omega }_g$ is the unique smooth $n$-form satisfyingfor every positively oriented orthonormal frame. In positively oriented local coordinates,

The metric induces an inner product on the bundle ${\Lambda }^p{T}^{\ast }M$ of $p$-forms. The Hodge star operator is the unique linear mapsuch thatfor all $p$-forms $\alpha ,\beta$. With the codifferential $\delta$, the Laplace-Beltrami operator on differential forms is

The Hodge decomposition theorem says that on a compact oriented Riemannian manifold,an $L^2$-orthogonal direct sum, where ${\mathcal{H}}^p(M)=\ker \Delta$ is the finite-dimensional space of harmonic $p$-forms. Every de Rham cohomology class has exactly one harmonic representative.

Yes to both questions. Since ${\omega }_g$ has top degree, $d{\omega }_g=0$. Moreover $\ast {\omega }_g=1$, so the formula for the codifferential givesThereforeand the Riemannian volume form is a harmonic differential form.

The Levi-Civita connection preserves both the Riemannian metric and its chosen orientation. At any point, extend a positively oriented orthonormal basis to a local frame whose covariant derivatives vanish at that point. Differentiating ${\omega }_g(e_1,\dots ,e_n)=1$ there gives $\nabla {\omega }_g=0$. Hence ${\omega }_g$ is a parallel differential form.

This Poisson equation uses the Hodge Laplacian on differential forms. On a closed Riemannian manifold, the obstruction to solving it is the component of the source along harmonic differential forms. The Green operator of the Hodge Laplacian supplies a solution when that component vanishes.

For degree $k\le n$, a form is primitive if $\Lambda \alpha =0$, equivalently $L^{n-k+1}\alpha =0$. In middle degree $k=n$ this is equivalent to $L\alpha =0$. On a compact Kähler manifold, the same definitions apply to cohomology via harmonic differential forms.

The Poisson equation for differential forms on a closed oriented Riemannian manifold is solvable exactly when its source is $L^2$-orthogonal to every harmonic differential form of the same degree. Necessity follows from the formal adjoint identity $⟨\Delta \alpha ,h⟩=⟨\alpha ,\Delta h⟩=0$. For sufficiency, the Green operator of the Hodge Laplacian gives $\alpha =G\beta$, since $\Delta G=I-P_{\mathcal{H}}$.

For a compact connected oriented boundaryless $n$-dimensional smooth manifold, choose a Riemannian metric. Harmonic functions are constant because $⟨f,\Delta f⟩=\Vert df{\Vert }^2$, and Hodge star commutes with the Hodge Laplacian. Thus the Hodge star operator identifies the constant functions with the harmonic differential forms of top degree, exactly $\mathbb{R}{\omega }_g$. The Hodge decomposition theorem identifies these with the top de Rham cohomology. The metric volume form has nonzero class by Stokes theorem. The harmonic-representative theorem is stated in Denis Auroux's Hodge theory lecture.