Deformations of G2 and Spin(7) Structures on Manifolds
Abstract
We consider some infinitesmal and global deformations of G2 structures on 7-manifolds. We discover a canonical way to deform a G2 structure by a vector field in which the associated metric gets "twisted" in some way by the vector cross product. We present a system of partial differential equations for an unknown vector field whose solution would yield a manifold with holonomy G2. Similarly we consider analogous constructions for Spin(7) structures on 8-manifolds. Some of the results carry over directly, while others do not because of the increased non-linearity of the Spin(7) case.
Turn this paper into a full lesson
ArcXiv compiles a staged curriculum from this paper: 8-12 lessons across beginner → advanced, synthesised section guides, visuals, flashcards, a quiz, exercises, and on-demand deep dives per section. Grounded in the abstract, never invented.