Einstein metrics on spheres of even dimension | BIMSA-BIT Differential Geometry Seminar

Abstract

The first non-round Einstein metrics on spheres were described in 1973 by Jensen in dimensions 4n+3 (n >0). For the next 25 years it remained an open problem whether the same could be done in even dimensions. This question was settled in 1998 when C. Böhm constructed infinite families of Einstein metrics on all Spheres of dimension between 5 and 9, in particular on $S^6$ and $S^8$. Over the last 25 years, all spheres of odd dimension (at least 5) have been shown to admit non-round Einstein metrics, but there have been no new developments in even dimensions above 8, leaving open to speculation the question of whether non-uniqueness of the round metric is a low-dimensional phenomenon or to be expected in all dimensions. I will give an overview of the methods used to construct non-round Einstein metrics, which we recently used to construct three new Einstein metrics on $S^{10}$. This is joint work with Matthias Wink.