Andrei Moroianu 2026-11-05
Andrei Moroianu works in differential geometry, including Kähler geometry and geometric differential operators. His authored lectures develop the interaction of a Riemannian metric, a complex structure , and the associated Kähler form . For a Kähler manifold, the Levi-Civita connection preserves , linking the real and complex descriptions of curvature.[ref]
A concrete consequence is that the Ricci form represents the tangent First Chern class; prescribing Ricci curvature therefore has a topological constraint, not just a differential equation. His lectures explain the Kähler-Einstein metric equation and illustrate it on Complex projective space and Ricci-flat examples.[ref]
Lectures on Kähler Geometry by Andrei Moroianu. sections 11, 13 and 17
His personal page identifies him as a CNRS research director.[ref]https://moroianu.perso.math.cnrs.fr/. Author homepage
Averaging Kähler forms over a complex torus 2026-10-07
Averaging a Kähler form over translations with normalized Haar measure gives an invariant Kähler form in the same de Rham cohomology class. Positivity is preserved by averaging positive values on , and the class is unchanged because translations are homotopic to the identity. Thus any Hodge metric on a complex torus can be replaced by an invariant one.
Fubini-Study metric 2026-10-14
The Fubini-Study metric is the standard unitary-invariant Kähler metric on Complex projective space, induced from the unit sphere by the Hopf fibration. Its associated Kähler form is the Fubini-Study form; scaling conventions determine the area of a projective line.
On a compact Kähler manifold, the difference of cohomologous Kähler forms is a real, de Rham cohomology exact -form. The ddbar lemma gives . Reality implies , so is real and has the displayed potential equation. The difference of two real potentials is a pluriharmonic function, hence constant on each connected component. On a connected manifold the only ambiguity is one additive constant.
Hodge metric Created 2026-10-07 Updated 2026-11-05
A Hodge metric is a Kähler metric whose Kähler form represents an integral cohomology class in real de Rham cohomology. Equivalently, its periods over integral two-cycles are integers. Some conventions require the class of to be integral instead; this changes the normalization but not existence.
Kähler class 2026-10-14
The de Rham cohomology class of a Kähler form is a Kähler class. Such classes form the Kähler cone. They have positive integral on every complex curve, and their top self-intersection is positive.
Kähler-Einstein metric 2026-11-05
A Kähler-Einstein metric is a Kähler metric whose Ricci tensor satisfiesfor a real constant . Equivalently, its Ricci form satisfies , where is the Kähler form. It combines the compatibility of complex and Riemannian geometry with an Einstein curvature condition.
In holomorphic coordinates, take . The Ricci form is . A constant positive Hermitian matrix therefore gives : the flat metric on , and its quotient by a full lattice, are Ricci-flat examples. The Fubini-Study metric on Complex projective space gives a positive- example, with the numerical value depending on the metric normalization.
The equation is a nonlinear condition on a local Kähler potential, through the logarithmic determinant of its complex Hessian. This is why complex Monge-Ampère equations enter existence questions. Not every Kähler metric satisfies the Einstein condition.[ref]
Lectures on Kähler Geometry by Andrei Moroianu. Sections 11 and 13, Ricci form and Kähler-Einstein condition
Kähler geometry 2026-11-05
Kähler geometry studies complex manifolds with a Hermitian metric whose associated real two-form is closed. Here is the complex structure. Equivalently, the Levi-Civita connection preserves . Thus the same metric simultaneously supports complex geometry, Riemannian geometry and symplectic geometry.[ref]
Lectures on Kähler Geometry by Andrei Moroianu. sections on Hermitian and Kähler structures
On , the Euclidean metric gives , which is closed and nondegenerate. Locally one can express a Kähler form as for a real Kähler potential , using a stated normalization. On Complex projective space, gives the Fubini-Study metric in an affine chart. The potentials need not glue as one global function; their forms glue. This is how locally elementary differentiation can define nontrivial global geometry.
Kähler potential (complex geometry) 2026-10-06
A geometric Kähler potential is locally a real smooth function with for the Kähler form. Its complex Hessian must be positive definite to define a Kähler metric. Conventions sometimes absorb a factor of into . Potentials differing by the real part of a holomorphic function determine the same form. This topic concerns ordinary complex geometry; the existing undisambiguated Kähler potential entry concerns superfields.
Kähler quotient Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-11-05
Let a compact Lie group act on a Kähler manifold by holomorphic maps and isometries, with an equivariant moment map . If is a regular value fixed by the coadjoint action and acts freely on , the Kähler quotient isIt is a Kähler manifold of complex dimension . Compactness supplies properness of the action. If includes the level and is the quotient projection, the reduced Kähler form satisfies . The metric and complex structure descend through the -orthogonal complement of the orbit tangent spaces inside the level tangent spaces. This horizontal space is -invariant; the reduction theorem proves that the descended structure is integrable.[ref]
An Introduction to Lie Groups and Symplectic Geometry by Robert L. Bryant. Lecture 8, Theorem 3 and central-level discussion, printed pp.135–136
For scalar circle group multiplication on , use the standard symplectic form and convention . Then . Reducing at divides the radius- sphere by its Hopf fibration and gives Complex projective space with the corresponding scaled Fubini-Study metric, as computed in Fubini-Study form from circle reduction.[ref]
An Introduction to Lie Groups and Symplectic Geometry by Robert L. Bryant. Lecture 8, projective-space example, printed pp.136–138
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2024 3 e Solution 2026-10-25
For each complex coordinate, exchanging the factors of a wedge product of differential forms reverses its sign, givingConsequently the Kähler form is , and . Expanding the holomorphic volume form givesThe sign of changes on exchanging , while reordering to requires two exchanges. This verifies every sign inUnder , unitarity preserves :The determinant is the factor by which a transformation acts on a top exterior power, so for . Extend the real embedding by fixing . It preserves , and , and therefore . ThusThe induced seven-dimensional representation is exactly the restriction already computed in c. In the conventional complex notation its branching rule isOver the real numbers, the six-dimensional summand is the underlying real space of the complex fundamental representation, and the last real line is the fixed axis.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 15 4 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
On the Kähler manifold define using the Kähler form; the operator is the adjoint Lefschetz operator, the pointwise contraction adjoint to wedging with . It lowers bidegree by . Setand keep as above. These are the Hodge Laplacian and the holomorphic and antiholomorphic Laplacians respectively. The permitted identity among the Kähler identities gives . Expanding rather than assuming the desired anticommutation,because . Hence .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 15 4 b Solution 2026-10-14
Complex conjugation preserves the real Kähler form and interchanges and their formal adjoints. Conjugating the permitted identity among the Kähler identities therefore yields . The same nilpotence calculation as in part (a) gives . Now expand and :Both mixed anticommutators vanish, proving .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 22 5 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let , and use the complex orientation. Write for the real Riemannian metric underlying the Hermitian metric. Its fundamental form of a Hermitian manifold iswhere in this convention. It is real and of type , since . Choose an adapted real orthonormal frame and its dual coframe . Then , giving the Riemannian volume form
We use the complex-linear Hodge star operator, the extension of the real metric star characterized on equal-degree forms byIt maps -forms to -forms and satisfies . It is distinct from the conjugate-linear map . In the adapted coframe the star of is the wedge product of all the other two-dimensional factors, with positive sign. Summing proves the Hodge star of the fundamental Hermitian form formulaThis computation uses no closedness assumption on .
Use the integrated Hermitian inner product . The formal adjoints and are defined by and ; compact manifolds here have no boundary. The Hodge Laplacian and Dolbeault Laplacian areThe Dolbeault Hodge decomposition on a compact Hermitian manifold states thatis an orthogonal direct sum, with finite-dimensional . Each Dolbeault cohomology classhas a unique representative in . A form is harmonic exactly when both and vanish, since its Laplacian inner product is the sum of their squared norms.
Now let be the Hermitian Lefschetz operator and let be its pointwise adjoint. For of total degree and of degree , the defining inner products giveThe wedge pairing is nondegenerate, so . Apply another star to the degree- form and use that the star and commute with conjugation. This yieldsFor degrees below two both sides vanish. The argument also identifies its bidegree as and does not require the Kähler condition.
Assume now that , so the metric is a Kähler metric. Start with the supplied Kähler identities relation . Since is real, conjugation gives , henceThe commutators are ordinary commutators because has even degree. Using we obtain, by direct expansion,Conjugation gives as well. Expanding the two unmixed Laplacians and using gives the same operator:Finally expand and ; the mixed terms just proved zero disappear. This derives the Kähler Laplacian identity
The Dolbeault Laplacian preserves bidegree. Thus the complex -harmonic forms of total degree split into their harmonic parts. The allowed real Hodge theorem, followed by complexification, givesThe real operator commutes with conjugation, which exchanges and . Therefore . For odd , no summand has , so they pair off in equal dimensions. This proves that all odd Betti numbers are even.
For , the Kähler form power is closed. If it were exact, say , thenby Stokes theorem. But has strictly positive integral on the nonempty compact manifold. Hence the powers of a compact Kähler form have nonzero cohomology classes, and
For an example take the Hopf surfaceThe dilation action is free and properly discontinuous: on a compact subset the radii are bounded above and away from zero, so only finitely many dilations can meet it. It is holomorphic, giving a complex manifold quotient; the annulus covers the quotient, proving compactness. The mapis a diffeomorphism . The Künneth theorem gives . This violates the necessary odd-degree parity, so this compact complex surface admits no Kähler metric.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 22 5 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For each of the operators , define its nonnegative Laplacian by using the formal adjoint. In particular, , , , and . Use the d c operator conventionThis normalization, without an extra factor of one-half, is the one for which the requested equality with holds.
The Lefschetz operator of a Kähler manifold is , and the adjoint Lefschetz operator is its pointwise metric adjoint . It lowers type by and is a real operator because and the metric are real. Write and , use , and use for the anticommutators of the odd-degree operators. The allowed relation among the Kähler identities and its complex conjugate giveThese identities alone suffice for the calculation. Since ,Replacing by in the same calculation gives . Thus both mixed terms vanish when expanding the Hodge Laplacian of :The anticommutation now proves equality of the two summands. Indeed,which are the same expression. Finally, , so its Laplacian expands asThis proves the Kähler Laplacian identity, with its real-operator version included:
The action of the almost complex structure on forms is . It multiplies a form of type by . Since preserves each bidegree, it commutes with this action of . Thus ; the invertibility of givesThis argument applies to arbitrary sums of types, not only to pure-type forms.
The ddbar lemma for a compact Kähler manifold states that a -closed form of pure type is -exact if it is -exact, -exact, or -exact. Conversely, a -exact form is -closed and exact for all three operators. In particular a -exact, -closed -form equals for a form of type .
The difference of the two Kähler forms is a real -form, is -closed, and is -exact by equality of their de Rham cohomology classes. The ddbar lemma therefore gives a smooth complex-valued function with . Reality and anticommutation implySet , which is real. It follows directly that , giving the global potential for cohomologous Kähler forms
If are two real potentials, satisfies , so it is a pluriharmonic function. The allowed relation among the Kähler identities gives , because by degree. The Kähler Laplacian identity then gives . Integration by parts on compact givesso is constant on each connected component. Consequently the potential is unique up to one additive constant when is connected; on a disconnected , one constant per component is the exact conclusion. Without the usual connectedness convention the printed uniqueness assertion needs this qualification: distinct constants on the components of a disjoint union leave the same pair of Kähler forms unchanged.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 13 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The specified bidegree is the conjugate-linear Hodge star, not the complex-linear extension of the real star. If the pointwise Hermitian inner product is linear in its first argument, it is defined byIt is the real Hodge star operator extended complex-linearly and composed with complex conjugation; . On a compact Hermitian manifold,is a positive definite Hermitian inner product on smooth forms. The formal adjoint is in this convention; the final star in this identity is present in the PDF but is corrupted in the TeX aid.
State the relevant Hodge theorem as follows. On a compact manifold without boundary, the Dolbeault Laplacian is elliptic, self-adjoint and nonnegative. Its harmonic kernel is finite-dimensional, and smooth forms split orthogonally as this kernel plus the image of . There are the orthogonal projection and a smooth Green operator withFor any form , expand the Laplacian term to obtainHarmonic forms are both closed and coclosed, since . They are orthogonal to both other terms; the two images are orthogonal because . This proves the Dolbeault Hodge decompositionThe closed forms are exactly the first two summands: if , then is orthogonal to the adjoint image, and conversely the first two summands are closed. It follows that every Dolbeault cohomology class has a unique harmonic representative. Negative or out-of-range bidegrees mean zero spaces. Compactness and the absence of boundary are necessary for this stated global decomposition.
Now assume a Kähler metric. Set and . The permitted Kähler identities, stated with signs, arewith ordinary commutators because has even degree. Thus , andby . The companion identity gives in the same way.
Define and . Expanding and makes the two mixed anticommutators vanish, so . To prove equality of the latter two, substitute the same commutator formulas and use :The displayed operators are identical. Therefore the Kähler Laplacian identity is
Let be a -exact form. It is closed and orthogonal to harmonic forms. The Dolbeault Hodge decomposition, or the Green identity with , therefore givesFor the Green construction, follows since commutes with ; equivalently the coexact component of a closed form vanishes. This yields exactly the stated factorization.
If also , put and . The identities already proved giveThus is harmonic for and hence for . But it is -exact, so it is orthogonal to the harmonic summand in the Hodge decomposition theorem. Consequently , proving that is -closed.
Furthermore is orthogonal to the common harmonic space, since . Its -Hodge decomposition then has neither a harmonic term nor a coexact term: closedness kills the coexact term. Therefore for a form . It follows thatThis proves the requested ddbar lemma, including the intermediate harmonicity and orthogonality steps. The hypotheses ensure that the potential has a valid bidegree.
Finally is a real closed form and is -exact. Integration by parts makes it orthogonal to every -harmonic form. By the Kähler Laplacian identity it is also orthogonal to the Dolbeault harmonic space; because it is -closed, the Dolbeault Hodge decomposition makes it -exact. Apply the proved ddbar lemma to get for a smooth complex-valued function. Reality gives , so averaging yieldsWith ,The potential is defined up to a real constant on each connected component. This is a statement about cohomologous Kähler forms, not about an arbitrary pair of such forms.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 17 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use the normalization in which a Hodge metric is a Kähler metric whose Kähler form represents the image of an integral cohomology class in real de Rham cohomology. Equivalently, all its periods on integral two-cycles are integers. A convention using only rescales the metric and does not change existence. An invariant metric on a complex torus is one preserved by every translation; its pullback to has constant coefficients.
Let carry a Hodge metric. Average its Kähler form over translations using normalized Haar measure:This averaging Kähler forms over a complex torus preserves reality, type , closedness and positivity. Indeed, for any nonzero tangent vector, the quantity being averaged in is strictly positive. Every translation is homotopic to the identity, since a path from to supplies such a homotopy. Thus , as is seen either on de Rham cohomology or by integrating over two-cycles. The average is translation invariant by invariance of Haar measure and determines a Kähler metric . Its class is still integral. The reverse implication is immediate. Therefore a Hodge metric exists exactly when an invariant one does.
Here is the Riemann bilinear criterion for a period matrix, with the signs kept explicit. For the period matrix of a complex torus, use real coordinates along the lattice basis, so . An invariant real two-form isIts period on the coordinate two-torus is ; these tori generate integral second homology. Thus integrality of the class is exactly . Positivity of a Kähler form makes nonsingular. Because the lattice basis is a real basis of , the complex matrixis invertible: its rows recover the real and imaginary parts of the coordinates. In the coordinates , the matrix of the two-form is , whose inverse is .
The differential form of type (p, q) condition says that the two diagonal blocks of the form matrix vanish. Since the form is nonsingular, this is equivalent to the diagonal blocks of its inverse vanishing. Because is real, these inverse blocks vanish exactly whenSet . Skew-symmetry and reality of give , and the full inverse matrix isInverting these blocks identifies the two-form explicitly:For a vector with complex coordinate column , evaluation yields . Hence this two-form is positive exactly when is a Hermitian positive-definite matrix. This proves both directions: an invariant Hodge metric gives such an integral , and any such produces a constant positive real closed -form of integral periods. In particular,As a sign check, for and the last matrix is , and the associated form is .
For the specified two-dimensional complex torus, putThe real and imaginary period vectors are independent because , so they do form a full lattice. Suppose a polarization matrix existed. Its inverse is a rational skew-symmetric matrix, and hence has the block expressionThe first condition of the Riemann bilinear criterion for a period matrix becomesSeparating real and imaginary parts gives andThe matrices on both sides have rational entries except for the factor . Irrationality of therefore implies and . For a symmetric two-by-two matrix the latter expression is , so . The candidate Hermitian matrix is nowSince , is symmetric and traceless, and is skew-symmetric, and . Thus . A Hermitian positive-definite matrix has strictly positive eigenvalues, hence strictly positive trace. This contradiction proves
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 17 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Let denote the sheaf of differential forms of type (p, q) printed in the PDF. Take the pointwise Hermitian inner product to be linear in its first argument, and use . The bidegrees in the question specify the conjugate-linear Hodge star: it is uniquely characterized byThus , and maps bidegree to . If is the complex-linear extension of the real Hodge star operator, then . The operator is real and on degree , soUsing the complex-linear star instead would give a different bidegree, ; keeping the convention explicit prevents that ambiguity.
The Hermitian Lefschetz operator is exterior multiplication by . Define pointwise byIt lowers bidegree by . In a unitary real coframe with , it is , the corresponding sum of interior product of a differential form operators. This gives its existence and identifies it as a smooth operator. On a compact manifold, integrate the pointwise equality against to obtainNo integration by parts is needed for this order-zero operator. Thus is both the pointwise and the global formal adjoint.
Write , and let denote the degree of the input form. The given Lefschetz commutator is . For the required formula is exactly this identity. If it holds for , the commutator derivation identity givesThe second commutator acts on degree , so the coefficient on the right isThis proves the commutator formula for powers of the Lefschetz operator
For injectivity of powers of the Lefschetz operator, is immediate. Suppose and . If or , then , and impliesThe scalar is nonzero, since makes . Repeating with the smaller power shows . For , induct on , treating all cases as already established. The same commutator calculation yields, with ,The induction hypothesis applies to on degree , since and . Hence with of degree . Moreover . Since , induction also makes injective on that degree, so and . All operators preserve restriction to open sets; the argument applies on every open set. Therefore is an injective morphism of sheaves whenever .
On a Kähler manifold, the Kähler identities, with the positive form convention used above, areTaking formal adjoints conjugates the scalar and reverses the order in the commutator. Since , this givesTo derive the Kähler Laplacian identity, put and , so and . Write for an anticommutator. The Kähler identities say and . Thereforebecause expansion leaves only terms containing or . Furthermore,Expanding these expressions and using makes them equal. Since and , the mixed anticommutators already vanish, and consequentlyClosedness of the Kähler form implies . Using the adjoint identity above,The equality of the three Laplacians therefore proves each Laplacian commutes with .
For a compact Kähler manifold, the Dolbeault Hodge decomposition is the orthogonal decompositionHere harmonicity for the Dolbeault Laplacian and for the Hodge Laplacian agrees by the preceding identity. If and , then . Taking its inner product with gives . Thus is cohomologous to . Conversely, a harmonic form is -closed, and a harmonic exact form satisfies . This proves existence and uniqueness of the harmonic representative and henceThese spaces are finite dimensional by the ellipticity of the Dolbeault Laplacian on the compact manifold.
Complex conjugation commutes with the real operator and interchanges the bidegrees and . It is therefore a conjugate-linear bijection of the harmonic spaces, proving Hodge symmetry. The real Hodge star operator commutes with , as does complex conjugation; hence their composition, our conjugate-linear Hodge star, sends harmonic -forms bijectively to harmonic -forms. Its square is the nonzero scalar established above. This proves Hodge duality, and gives
For the final hard Lefschetz isomorphism on Dolbeault cohomology, take and . This restriction is necessary to make the displayed power nonnegative. The Hermitian Lefschetz operator raises bidegree by , and the Lefschetz operator preserves harmonic forms; thereforeis well defined. It is injective by injectivity of powers of the Lefschetz operator, since . Hodge symmetry and Hodge duality give , so it is a bijection between finite-dimensional spaces of equal dimension. Because , the map on harmonic representatives agrees with exterior multiplication by on Dolbeault cohomology. We concludeFor , the corresponding valid statement is the inverse of the positive-power isomorphism from bidegree to ; a negative exterior-multiplication power is not defined.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 5 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the normalization in which a projective line has area . On the affine chart of Complex projective space where , set and . Define the Fubini-Study form byOn another chart the corresponding potential differs by for a nowhere-zero holomorphic function , whose is zero. Thus these local differential forms glue to a global form. It is real and closed. Its Hermitian coefficient matrix is positive definite, since for the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality givesHence it is a Kähler form and in particular a symplectic form.
On a complex projective line with this is , whose total area is . Thus is the positive generator, equivalently . Another common normalization uses half this form and gives line area ; the scale must be carried consistently into symplectic reduction.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 17 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Write , the Lefschetz operator of a Kähler manifold. The metric and volume form define the inner product on smooth complex forms, and is its formal adjoint. Similarly, is the formal adjoint of the Dolbeault operator, characterized by . The Dolbeault Laplacian isOn the compact manifold without boundary, integration by parts givesIf the Laplacian vanishes, both terms are zero. Conversely, if both operators annihilate , the defining formula annihilates it. Thus harmonicity is equivalent to being both -closed and -closed.
Because is closed and has type , and . The supplied identity from the Kähler identities gives . With ordinary commutators for the even-degree operator ,The last identity follows from . This also proves that the Lefschetz operator preserves harmonic forms.
For the cohomology map one can work directly with forms: , since has even degree. It takes closed forms to closed forms and exact forms to exact forms. Therefore the th power of inducesThe bidegree is , including the zero groups outside the dimension range. No isomorphism claim is needed here.
Finally put , so . LetBoth Kähler forms are -closed, so . For a closed representative ,This primitive has type ; the degree-one sign produces no additional term because is closed. HenceThis is the dependence of Lefschetz maps on the Dolbeault class.
