Towards a classification of Lorentzian holonomy groups. Part II: Semisimple, non-simple weak-Berger algebras

The holonomy group of an (n+2)-dimensional simply-connected, indecomposable but non-irreducible Lorentzian manifold (M,h) is contained in the parabolic group $(\mathbb{R} \times SO(n))\ltimes \mathbb{R}^n$. The main ingredient of such a holonomy group is the SO(n)--projection $G:=pr_{SO(n)}(Hol_p(M,h))$ and one may ask whether it has to be a Riemannian holonomy group. In this paper we show that this is always the case, completing our results of the first part math.DG/0305139. We draw consequences for the existence of parallel spinors on Lorentzian manifolds.Comment: 13 page

Screen bundles of Lorentzian manifolds and some generalisations of pp-waves

A pp-wave is a Lorentzian manifold with a parallel light-like vector field satisfying a certain curvature condition. We introduce generalisations of pp-waves, on one hand by allowing the vector field to be recurrent and on the other hand by weakening the curvature condition. These generalisations are related to the screen holonomy of the Lorentzian manifold. While pp-waves have a trivial screen holonomy there are no restrictions on the screen holonomy of the manifolds with the weaker curvature condition.Comment: 18 page

Lefschetz Hyperplane Theorem for Stacks

We use Morse theory to prove that the Lefschetz Hyperplane Theorem holds for compact smooth Deligne-Mumford stacks over the site of complex manifolds. For $Z \subset X$ a hyperplane section, $X$ can be obtained from $Z$ by a sequence of deformation retracts and attachments of high-dimensional finite disc quotients. We use this to derive more familiar statements about the relative homotopy, homology, and cohomology groups of the pair $(X,Z)$. We also prove some preliminary results suggesting that the Lefschetz Hyperplane Theorem holds for Artin stacks as well. One technical innovation is to reintroduce an inequality of {\L}ojasiewicz which allows us to prove the theorem without any genericity or nondegeneracy hypotheses on $Z$.Comment: 16 page

Hyperbolic evolution equations, Lorentzian holonomy, and Riemannian generalised Killing spinors

We prove that the Cauchy problem for parallel null vector fields on smooth Lorentzian manifolds is well posed. The proof is based on the derivation and analysis of suitable hyperbolic evolution equations given in terms of the Ricci tensor and other geometric objects. Moreover, we classify Riemannian manifolds satisfying the constraint conditions for this Cauchy problem. It is then possible to characterise certain holonomy reductions of globally hyperbolic manifolds with parallel null vector in terms of flow equations for Riemannian special holonomy metrics. For exceptional holonomy groups these flow equations have been investigated in the literature before in other contexts. As an application, the results provide a classification of Riemannian manifolds admitting imaginary generalised Killing spinors. We will also give new local normal forms for Lorentzian metrics with parallel null spinor in any dimension.Comment: 39 pages, typos corrected and minor modifications in version

Conformal pure radiation with parallel rays

We define pure radiation metrics with parallel rays to be n-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian metrics that admit a parallel null line bundle K and whose Ricci tensor vanishes on vectors that are orthogonal to K. We give necessary conditions in terms of the Weyl, Cotton and Bach tensors for a pseudo-Riemannian metric to be conformal to a pure radiation metric with parallel rays. Then we derive conditions in terms of tractor calculus that are equivalent to the existence of a pure radiation metric with parallel rays in a conformal class. We also give an analogous result for n-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian pp-waves.Comment: 14 pages, in v2 Remark 2 about integrability conditions adde

Completeness of compact Lorentzian manifolds with Abelian holonomy

We address the problem of finding conditions under which a compact Lorentzian manifold is geodesically complete, a property, which always holds for compact Riemannian manifolds. It is known that a compact Lorentzian manifold is geodesically complete if it is homogeneous, or has constant curvature, or admits a time-like conformal vector field. We consider certain Lorentzian manifolds with Abelian holonomy, which are locally modelled by the so called pp-waves, and which, in general, do not satisfy any of the above conditions. %the condition that their curvature sends vectors that are orthogonal to the vector field to a multiple of the vector field. We show that compact pp-waves are universally covered by a vector space, determine the metric on the universal cover, and prove that they are geodesically complete. Using this, we show that every Ricci-flat compact pp-wave is a plane wave.Comment: 30 pages, comments welcome; version 2 revised, references and a new result about compact, Ricci-flat pp-waves added. Version 3 is substantially revised with new title. We added Corollary 2 about completeness of indecomposable, compact locally symmetric Lorentzian manifold