Hodge Decomposition of Conformal Vector Fields on a Riemannian Manifold and Its Applications

For a compact Riemannian m-manifold (Mm,g),m>1, endowed with a nontrivial conformal vector field ζ with a conformal factor σ, there is an associated skew-symmetric tensor φ called the associated tensor, and also, ζ admits the Hodge decomposition ζ=ζ¯+∇ρ, where ζ¯ satisfies divζ¯=0, which is called the Hodge vector, and ρ is the Hodge potential of ζ. The main purpose of this article is to initiate a study on the impact of the Hodge vector and its potential on Mm. The first result of this article states that a compact Riemannian m-manifold Mm is an m-sphere Sm(c) if and only if (1) for a nonzero constant c, the function −σ/c is a solution of the Poisson equation Δρ=mσ, and (2) the Ricci curvature satisfies Ricζ¯,ζ¯≥φ2. The second result states that if Mm has constant scalar curvature τ=m(m−1)c>0, then it is an Sm(c) if and only if the Ricci curvature satisfies Ricζ¯,ζ¯≥φ2 and the Hodge potential ρ satisfies a certain static perfect fluid equation. The third result provides another new characterization of Sm(c) using the affinity tensor of the Hodge vector ζ¯ of a conformal vector field ζ on a compact Riemannian manifold Mm with positive Ricci curvature. The last result states that a complete, connected Riemannian manifold Mm, m>2, is a Euclidean m-space if and only if it admits a nontrivial conformal vector field ζ whose affinity tensor vanishes identically and ζ annihilates its associated tensor φ.