Riemannian properties of Engel structures

Abstract

This paper is about geometric and Riemannian properties of Engel structures, i.e. maximally non-integrable $2$-plane fields on $4$-manifolds. Two $1$-forms $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are called Engel defining forms if $\mathcal{D}=\ker\alpha\cap\ker\beta$ is an Engel structure and $\mathcal{E}=\ker\alpha$ is its associated even contact structure, i.e. $\mathcal{E}=[\mathcal{D},\mathcal{D}]$. A choice of Engel defining forms determines a distribution $\mathcal{R}$ transverse to $\mathcal{D}$ called the Reeb distribution. We study conditions that ensure integrability of $\mathcal{R}$. For example if we have a metric $g$ which makes the splitting $TM=\mathcal{D}\oplus\mathcal{R}$ orthogonal and such that $\mathcal{D}$ is totally geodesic then there exists an integrable Reeb distribution $\tilde{\mathcal{R}}$. It turns out that integrabilty of $\mathcal{R}$ is related to the existence of vector fields $Z$ whose flow preserves $\mathcal{D}$, so called Engel vector fields. A K-Engel structure is a triple $(\mathcal{D},\,g,\,Z)$ where $\mathcal{D}$ is an Engel structure, $g$ is a Riemannian metric, and $Z$ is a vector field which is Engel, Killing, and orthogonal to $\mathcal{E}$. In this case we can construct Engel defining forms with very nice properties and such that $\mathcal{R}$ is integrable. Moreover we can classify the topology of K-Engel manifolds studying the action of the flow of $Z$. As natural consequences of these methods we provide a construction which is the analogue of the Boothby-Wang construction in the contact setting and we give a notion of contact filling for an Engel structure.