Special solutions

Einstein metrics

In briefMetrics whose Ricci curvature is a constant multiple of the metric. They are the fixed points of normalised Ricci flow, and the most natural metrics a manifold can carry.

Ric⁡(g)=λ g\operatorname{Ric}(g) = \lambda\, g
100papers
6in the last 30 days
7key references

The ideas that matter here

Key concepts

Each one in a few lines, with the equation that carries it and the stage of the Guidebook where it is learned.

Einstein metrics and shrinking spheres

If Ric⁡=λg\operatorname{Ric} = \lambda g, the flow only rescales. The round unit sphere SnS^n has Ric⁡=(n−1)g\operatorname{Ric} = (n-1)g, so

g(t)=(1−2(n−1)t) gSn,g(t) = \bigl(1 - 2(n-1)t\bigr)\,g_{S^n},

which shrinks to a point at T=12(n−1)T = \tfrac{1}{2(n-1)}. Hyperbolic space expands forever. Hamilton's 1982 theorem: a closed 3-manifold with Ric⁡>0\operatorname{Ric} > 0 becomes round under the normalised flow, so it is a spherical space form.

Where the concept cards came from: they were drafted by an AI at the site owner's request. The owner, who is still learning this material, chose which concepts to include but cannot vouch for every detail, so treat them as a well-drawn map and check the cited papers. Corrections are welcome: see how this site works.

Guide

In depth

What it is

A Riemannian metric is Einstein if Ric⁡=λg\operatorname{Ric} = \lambda g for a constant λ\lambda. In dimensions two and three this forces constant sectional curvature. From dimension four on, Einstein metrics form a much larger world: products of spheres, homogeneous spaces, Ricci-flat Calabi–Yau and hyperkähler metrics, and many more. There are also obstructions, such as the Hitchin–Thorpe inequality in dimension four.

In Kähler geometry, the Calabi conjecture asks for Kähler–Einstein metrics. Aubin and Yau found them when c1<0c_1 < 0, and Yau (1978) Ricci-flat ones when c1=0c_1 = 0. On Fano manifolds existence is equivalent to K-stability, as proved by Chen–Donaldson–Sun and by Tian in 2012–15, settling the Yau–Tian–Donaldson conjecture.

Why it matters

Einstein metrics are the fixed points (up to scaling) of the flow, and the trivial solitons. Hamilton's 1982 theorem produces an Einstein metric by running the flow and showing it converges. Cao's Kähler–Ricci flow does the same for Kähler–Einstein metrics. Whether a given Einstein metric is stable under the flow, so that nearby metrics flow back to it, links Einstein geometry to the stability theory of Ricci flow.

Where it stands

Which closed 4-manifolds carry Einstein metrics is a major open question, and Ricci flow is one of the tools brought to bear on it. Other active directions include Einstein metrics with symmetry (the Alekseevskii conjecture on homogeneous Einstein metrics was settled by Böhm and Lafuente), dynamical stability of Einstein metrics under the flow, and singular Kähler–Einstein metrics on varieties. The zero-constant case and the Fano case have their own guides: Ricci-flat and Calabi–Yau and Kähler–Einstein and K-stability.

If you are new to this

Foundational papers

The papers the rest of the topic builds on, in reading order. Titles open the paper.

  1. 1978
    On the ricci curvature of a compact kähler manifold and the complex monge‐ampére equation, I Shing‐Tung Yau · Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, vol. 31 Yau: the Calabi conjecture — Kähler–Einstein and Ricci-flat metrics when . DOI 10.1002/cpa.3160310304
  2. 1982
    Three-manifolds with positive Ricci curvature Richard S. Hamilton · Journal of Differential Geometry, vol. 17 Hamilton: an Einstein metric produced by Ricci flow on 3-manifolds with positive Ricci curvature. DOI 10.4310/jdg/1214436922
  3. 2012
    Kahler-Einstein metrics on Fano manifolds, I: approximation of metrics with cone singularities Xiu-Xiong Chen, Simon Donaldson, Song Sun · arXiv:1211.4566 Chen–Donaldson–Sun I: Kähler–Einstein metrics on Fano manifolds (with parts II and III). PDFarXiv:1211.4566
  4. 2012
    K-stability and Kähler-Einstein metrics Gang Tian · arXiv:1211.4669 Tian: K-stability and Kähler–Einstein metrics. PDFarXiv:1211.4669
  5. 2021
    Non-compact Einstein manifolds with symmetry Christoph Böhm, Ramiro A. Lafuente · arXiv:2107.04210 Böhm–Lafuente: non-compact Einstein manifolds with symmetry, resolving the Alekseevskii conjecture. PDFarXiv:2107.04210

Where to start reading

Surveys & books

Longer, gentler routes in, and the references specialists keep on their desks.

  1. 1987
    Einstein Manifolds Arthur L. Besse · Springer Berlin Heidelberg Besse, *Einstein Manifolds*: the classic reference. DOI 10.1007/978-3-540-74311-8
  2. 2008
    A survey of Einstein metrics on 4-manifolds Michael T. Anderson · arXiv:0810.4830 Anderson: a survey of Einstein metrics on 4-manifolds. PDFarXiv:0810.4830

If you follow the research

Latest papers · 100 papers

The newest 20, updated every weekday from arXiv. Follow this topic with its own RSS feed, or see who writes most on it.

math.AGarXiv:2610.38137

The Miyaoka-Yau inequality and the delta invariant for Fano varieties II -soliton case-

Tomoyuki Hisamoto, Masataka Iwai

Inspired by recent work of Inoue and Hallam-Lahdili, we prove an equivariant Miyaoka-Yau inequality with a correction term for smooth Fano manifolds admitting Kähler-Ricci solitons. It recovers the usual Miyaoka-Yau inequality in the Kähler-Einstein case. Our proof uses weighted equivariant Bogomolov-Gieseker and Langer inequalities for torsion-free sheaves, together with a weighted slope estimate for the canonical extension sheaf. We also construct toric examples showing that the existence of a soliton implies neither weighted semistability of the canonical extension sheaf nor nonnegativity of the equivariant Miyaoka-Yau number.

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math.DGarXiv:2610.37151

Rigidity of Constant-Scalar-Curvature Ricci Shrinkers with Totally Geodesic Focal Set

Fengjiang Li, Wenqi Li, Jianyu Ou + 3 more

Let be a complete connected shrinking gradient Ricci soliton with constant scalar curvature, satisfying We prove that if the focal set of is totally geodesic, then is rigid. Equivalently, its universal cover is a product of a compact Einstein manifold and a Euclidean space.

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math.CVWider flowsarXiv:2610.31270

Continuation and convergence for the higher dimensional conformal Chern–Calabi flow

Hongyu Chen, Li Ma, Li Sheng

We study the volume-normalized gradient flow of the squared Chern scalar curvature on compact Hermitian manifolds of complex dimension . The flow extends smoothly past a finite time if the spatial supremum of Chern scalar curvature belongs to in time. A uniform curvature bound in the evolving norm, for one fixed , gives global existence and smooth convergence of the whole trajectory to a constrained critical metric. On Chern scalar-flat backgrounds, small initial curvature gives exponential convergence to the background. A corresponding condition on the trace-free first Chern–Ricci form gives exponential convergence on Chern–Ricci-flat Hermitian and positive Kähler–Einstein backgrounds. The smallness thresholds are independent of the initial higher derivatives. We also construct constant Chern scalar curvature backgrounds of either sign with arbitrarily small smooth perturbations whose solutions, if global, cannot converge back to the background.

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math.DGarXiv:2610.21934

Gromov-Hausdorff Convergence of Constant Scalar Curvature Kähler Metrics near the Canonical Class

Frederick Tsz-Ho Fong, Junbang Liu

Let be a compact Kähler manifold with semi-ample canonical bundle. For any Kähler class , Jian–Shi–Song proved that there exists a unique cscK metric in the class when , using the properness criterion of Chen–Cheng. We prove that the cscK metrics in converge, as , in the Gromov–Hausdorff topology to the metric completion of the twisted Kähler-Einstein metric on the canonical model of as conjectured by Jian–Shi–Song. Based on the technique developed in this paper, we can also give a new proof the theorem of Lee–Tosatti–Zhang on the Gromov-Hausdorff convergence of the normalized Kähler–Ricci flow on .

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math.DGarXiv:2610.12930

Direct proofs for spaces with cyclic parallel Ricci tensor

Fengyuan Zhang

We give direct proofs of rigidity results for gradient Ricci solitons, compact quasi-Einstein manifolds with boundary, and critical spaces with cyclic parallel Ricci tensor. For solitons and quasi-Einstein manifolds, successive traces of first-order pointwise identities yield quadratic equations for the Ricci tensor and its modification. These equations imply radial flatness and radial -flatness, respectively, and the corresponding global rigidity theorems apply. For critical spaces, comparison of two expressions for the Laplacian of the Hessian gives a pointwise tensor identity whose scalar contraction yields a weighted divergence formula. Integration then gives the vacuum static, CPE, and Miao–Tam conclusions. The same comparison also proves Ricci parallelism pointwise for solitons and quasi-Einstein manifolds.

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math.DGarXiv:2610.11935

Rigidity of Kähler-Ricci Solitons with Constant Scalar Curvature

Matheus Horácio, Wenqi Li, Jianyu Ou + 2 more

Let be a complete nonsteady gradient Kähler-Ricci soliton satisfying , . We prove that constant scalar curvature forces the soliton to be rigid. More precisely, the universal cover splits holomorphically and isometrically as , where is Kähler-Einstein with . In the shrinking case the quotient is trivial; in the normalization one has . The Kähler result rests on a Riemannian rigidity criterion. On a complete nonsteady gradient Ricci soliton, if is nonnegative or nonpositive everywhere, then it vanishes and the soliton is rigid; no assumption on the scalar curvature is needed. Along the Ricci flow generated by the soliton, this means that a Ricci tensor that is monotone in time is constant in time, and that this forces rigidity. We also give a direct proof that the pinching forces constant scalar curvature and radial flatness, yielding the rigidity conclusion through the Petersen-Wylie characterization. The proof combines a weighted cutoff argument with a partial Codazzi symmetry for the Ricci endomorphism.

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math.DGarXiv:2609.36418

Kähler–Ricci Shrinkers with Constant Scalar Curvature Are Rigid

Wenqi Li, Jianyu Ou, Guoqiang Wu, Detang Zhou

Let be a complete gradient Kähler–Ricci shrinker satisfying We prove that if the scalar curvature is constant, then the soliton is rigid. More precisely, there exists an integer such that and where is Kähler–Einstein and As part of the proof, we establish a Riemannian rigidity criterion: for a complete nonsteady gradient Ricci soliton with constant scalar curvature, the condition implies radial flatness and hence rigidity.

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math.DGarXiv:2609.28280

Cohomogeneity one solutions of the IIB system

Lorenzo Foscolo, Mario Garcia-Fernandez

The IIB system is a system of PDEs for an SU(3)–structure and a positive function on a 6-manifold. Its solutions describe conformally balanced pluriclosed Hemitian metrics on complex 3-folds with holomorphically trivial canonical line bundle. In particular, solutions of the IIB system are steady solitons for the generalized Ricci-flow and Bismut–Hermitian–Einstein metrics. In this paper we study cohomogeneity one solutions of the IIB system. We construct 1-parameter families (up to scaling symmetries) of complete non-compact non-Kähler solutions on the smoothing of the conifold with controlled geometry at infinity. The generic member of the family is asymptotically conical with tangent cone at infinity the Calabi–Yau cone metric on the conifold. As a limit of the family we recover an explicit solutions known in the physics literature as the Chamseddine–Volkov/Maldacena–Nuñez solution, which has an exotic asymptotic geometry. We show that there are no complete cohomogeneity one solutions on crepant resolutions of the conifold (or its quotient), but we also establish the existence of an analogous 1-parameter family of forward complete solutions defined on exterior domains of the conifold with prescribed incomplete behaviour along the interior boundary and similar asymptotic behaviour at infinity. As a byproduct of these existence results, we produce infinitely many complete non-compact non-Kähler Bismut–Hermitian–Einstein metrics in complex dimension 3 with full holonomy of the Bismut connection, in contrast to the holonomy reduction forced upon compact examples. We also find infinitely many such complete non-compact full-holonomy non-Kähler examples (with at least two ends) in complex dimension 2 by revisiting a construction due to Callan–Harvey–Strominger in the physics literature.

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math.DGWider flowsarXiv:2609.23627

Convergence of cohomogeneity-one Lagrangian mean curvature flow in positive Kähler-Einstein manifolds

Naotoshi Fujihara, Toru Kajigaya, Albert Wood

We prove that Lagrangian mean curvature flow starting from a closed, embedded, cohomogeneity-one Lagrangian in a closed, positive Kähler–Einstein manifold exists for all time, remains embedded, and converges smoothly and graphically to a minimal Lagrangian, under natural exactness and regularity assumptions. We also study the generalised Lagrangian mean curvature flow of Behrndt in Kähler manifolds which are almost-Einstein in the sense that the Ricci form satisfies , and which satisfy . With analogous assumptions on the flow, we obtain subconvergence to an -minimal Lagrangian submanifold, with an upgrade to smooth graphical convergence in the case that is analytic. The proof proceeds by first reducing the flow to a weighted curve shortening flow on a compact two-dimensional orbifold. We then establish both a Grayson-type description of finite-time singularities and a long-time subconvergence theorem for weighted curve shortening flow in the orbifold setting. Finally, we use a Łojasiewicz–Simon inequality argument to upgrade to smooth convergence of the full flow.

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math.DGarXiv:2609.20513

Finite-Time Singularities of the Kähler–Ricci Flow on Fano Bundles II

Wangjian Jian, Jian Song

The analytic minimal model program proposed in seeks to describe the birational transitions and fibre collapsing of the Kähler–Ricci flow through the geometry of its singularities. A fundamental conjecture of predicts Type I bounds for the scalar curvature and diameter of every fibre contratced by the limiting cohomological class at the finite singular time. This paper is a continuation of that establishes the Type I conjecture for collapsing solutions on Fano bundles with arbitrary smooth Fano fibres. If the fibre admits a smooth Kähler-Einstein metric, the Type I bound holds for the full curvature tensor.

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math.DGv2arXiv:2609.07124

Finite-Time Singularities of the Kähler–Ricci Flow on a -Bundle over a Product of Kähler–Einstein Manifolds

Yifan Xiao

In this paper, we study the Kähler–Ricci flow on -bundles over a product of Kähler–Einstein manifolds, starting from an initial metric with Calabi symmetry. We prove that every finite-time singularity arising along the flow must be of Type I.

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math.DGarXiv:2609.03332

Singularity Models of Finite-Time Kähler-Ricci Flows

Frederick Tsz-Ho Fong, Hung Tran

We study the singularity type and models of the Kähler–Ricci flow on compact manifolds constructed from the 1-parameter foliation of a circle-bundle over a product of Kähler–Einstein manifolds , with metric constructed using the ansatz considered in, et. al. In the earlier work by the authors, we considered the "two-bolt" case where both ends of the foliation close with the "bolt" . In this article, we continue our work on the more subtle "nut-bolt" and "two-nut" cases. The former has one end of the interval closes with a nut-type collapse (i.e. ) and the other with a bolt (i.e. ). The compactification is then a -bundle over . The "two-nut" case is one that both ends close with nut-type collapses, necessarily two of the 's must be and , and the compactification is a -bundle over . We proved that in all "two-bolt", "nut-bolt" and "two-nut" caess the singularity must be of Type I. Furthermore, we study the pointed Cheeger-Gromov limit of the rescaled and dilated sequence of the flow in all of three cases, and prove that the limit model must be with , where is one of the following: , , or a projectivization with , and is a line bundle over the product of some of the factors. The metric is a Kähler-Ricci shrinker satisfying the circle-bundle ansatz.

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math.DGv2arXiv:2608.21732

The rigity of spaces with cyclic parallel Ricci tensor

Fengyuan Zhang

The aim of this paper is to classify some special Riemannian manifolds with cyclic parallel Ricci tensor, i.e. \beginequation D_ijk=\nabla_iR_jk+\nabla_jR_ki+\nabla_kR_ij=0\nonumber \endequation These structures include non-compact gradient shrinking Ricci soliton, compact -quasi-Einstein manifolds with boundary and critical spaces. We will construct some integral identities and make use of the curvature conditions reasonably to prove that the Ricci tensor is parallel.

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math.DGarXiv:2608.16248

On a compact Einstein-type manifolds with Riemannian foliations

Jungwoo Moon

We investigate a compact Einstein-type manifold whose potential vector field generates a Riemannian foliation. In particular, we prove necessary conditions for such a manifold to be taut and to have a splitting property. Additionally, some properties of taut Riemannian foliations on a compact almost Ricci solitons and a compact Einstein manifolds are provided.

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math.DGarXiv:2608.14358

Hermitian curvature flow and HKT geometry

Beatrice Brienza, Jeffrey Streets

We identify a Hermitian curvature flow which preserves HKT geometry, and whose fixed points are HKT-Einstein metrics, equivalent to a flow suggested by Verbitsky in the context of the quaternionic Monge-Ampère equation. We exhibit a fundamental regularity obstruction and a monotonicity formula for the Chern scalar curvature. We formulate a maximal existence time conjecture for this flow, and give a conditional resolution. We establish the existence conjecture in dimension four. We show the existence of a divergent sequence of HKT-Einstein metrics on quaternionic Hopf surfaces. These are the first non-homogeneous examples in the literature, and indicate the delicacy of the convergence question. Finally we classify which strong HKT structures arising from bi-invariant metrics on Lie groups are also HKT-Einstein.

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math.DGv2arXiv:2608.08781

Sasaki with torsion manifolds and string backgrounds

Beatrice Brienza, Anna Fino, Udhav Fowdar, Gueo Grantcharov

Motivated by the analogy with the Bismut connection in Hermitian geometry, we study Sasaki with torsion manifolds. In particular, we characterize co-Kähler-like and flat Sasaki with torsion manifolds, and we introduce the notion of a -Einstein manifold as the odd-dimensional analogue of the Bismut Hermite-Einstein condition. We provide non-compact examples and we study compact -Einstein manifold in dimension and . We also develop a general framework for geometric flows of almost contact metric structures. In particular, we derive a flow for Sasaki with torsion structures that preserves the strong condition, that is, the closure of the torsion. Furthermore we prove that such flow is gauge-equivalent to the generalized Ricci flow and it is gauge-equivalent to the pluriclosed flow, after performing a trivial product with .

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math.DGarXiv:2607.06975

Solvable Lie algebras obtained by quivers and Einstein metrics

Fumika Mizoguchi

In geometry, it is important to study whether a given Lie group admits a special left-invariant geometric structure. In our previous work, we constructed nilpotent Lie algebras from finite quivers without cycles by utilizing paths within these quivers. Also, we proved that the simply-connected Lie groups corresponding to these nilpotent Lie algebras always admit left-invariant Ricci solitons. In this paper, we extend our approach by constructing solvable Lie algebras from finite quivers without cycles, adding vertices as paths of length zero. We demonstrate that the simply-connected Lie groups corresponding to these solvable Lie algebras always admit left-invariant Ricci solitons. Moreover, we prove that when the quivers are oriented multi-trees, these Ricci soliton Lie groups are rigid, that is the direct product manifold of a flat manifold and an Einstein manifold.

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math.DGarXiv:2607.05002

On the Stability of Einstein Manifolds with Boundary

Rasmus Jouttijärvi

We study the stability problem for Einstein manifolds with boundary with respect to the Einstein-Hilbert action. The geometric boundary conditions we are using arise naturally from studying the calculus of variations associated with Ricci flow. Upon the introduction of a boundary, the space of TTg tensors no longer arise naturally as the defining space for the stability condition. Thus we must settle for the larger subspace of tensors preserving the scalar curvature, the total volume and the Bianchi gauge condition, which we call the space of TVg tensors. As a test-case, we shall discuss stability of the Riemannian Schwarzschild anti-deSitter family of metrics; a problem known as "a Black hole in a box".

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math.DGarXiv:2606.13066

Ricci solitons as critical points of quadratic curvature functionals

Atreyee Bhattacharya, Sayoojya Prakash

Rigidity, stability and local minimizing properties of Einstein metrics as critical points of quadratic Riemannian functionals defined by -norms of Ricci curvature, scalar curvature, Weyl curvature and Riemannian curvature have been extensively studied. However, there are non-Einstein critical points of these functionals that are not so well understood. In this paper, we study Ricci solitons, a generalization of Einstein metrics, that are critical points of a special quadratic curvature functional and analyze their rigidity.

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All 100 papers on Einstein metrics, by year