Generalized complex geometry

Generalized complex geometry, as developed by Hitchin, contains complex and symplectic geometry as its extremal special cases. In this thesis, we explore novel phenomena exhibited by this geometry, such as the natural action of a B-field. We provide new examples, including some on manifolds admitting no known complex or symplectic structure. We prove a generalized Darboux theorem which yields a local normal form for the geometry. We show that there is an elliptic deformation theory and establish the existence of a Kuranishi moduli space. We then define the concept of a generalized Kahler manifold. We prove that generalized Kahler geometry is equivalent to a bi-Hermitian geometry with torsion first discovered by physicists. We then use this result to solve an outstanding problem in 4-dimensional bi-Hermitian geometry: we prove that there exists a Riemannian metric on the complex projective plane which admits exactly two distinct Hermitian complex structures with equal orientation. Finally, we introduce the concept of generalized complex submanifold, and show that such sub-objects correspond to D-branes in the topological A- and B-models of string theory.Comment: Oxford University DPhil thesis, 107 page

Poisson modules and degeneracy loci

In this paper, we study the interplay between modules and sub-objects in holomorphic Poisson geometry. In particular, we define a new notion of "residue" for a Poisson module, analogous to the Poincar\'e residue of a meromorphic volume form. Of particular interest is the interaction between the residues of the canonical line bundle of a Poisson manifold and its degeneracy loci---where the rank of the Poisson structure drops. As an application, we provide new evidence in favour of Bondal's conjecture that the rank \leq 2k locus of a Fano Poisson manifold always has dimension \geq 2k+1. In particular, we show that the conjecture holds for Fano fourfolds. We also apply our techniques to a family of Poisson structures defined by Fe\u{\i}gin and Odesski\u{\i}, where the degeneracy loci are given by the secant varieties of elliptic normal curves.Comment: 33 page