TITLE: Holomorphic forms and harmonic forms
QUESTION [8 upvotes]: Assume $M$ is a Kähler manifold. Is holomorphic $p$-form on $M$ necessarily a harmonic form?

REPLY [5 votes]: Note that on a Kähler manifold there are two notions of a harmonic form. The first is the usual sense of harmonic forms, which satisfy
$$\Delta \alpha = (dd^\ast + d^\ast d)\alpha = 0.$$
There are also $\bar{\partial}$-harmonic forms, which satisfy
$$\Delta_{\bar{\partial}} \alpha = (\bar{\partial}\bar{\partial}^\ast + \bar{\partial}^\ast \bar{\partial})\alpha = 0.$$
Below we will show that a holomorphic $p$-form is always $\bar{\partial}$-harmonic, and then we will show that on a Kähler manifold the notions of harmonic and $\bar{\partial}$-harmonic forms coincide so that a holomorphic $p$-form is then harmonic in the usual sense as well.
It is easy to see that any $\alpha \in \Omega^{p,0}(M)$ is $\bar{\partial}$-harmonic. Such an $\alpha$ satisfies $\bar{\partial} \alpha = 0$ and $\bar{\partial}^\ast \alpha = 0$, so
$$\Delta_{\bar{\partial}} \alpha = (\bar{\partial} \bar{\partial}^\ast \alpha + \bar{\partial}^\ast \bar{\partial}) \alpha = 0 \text{ for all } \alpha \in \Omega^{p,0}(M).$$
On a complex manifold $M$, $d = \partial + \bar{\partial}$ and $d^\ast = \partial^\ast + \bar{\partial}^\ast$. If the complex manifold is Kähler with Kähler form $\omega$, define
$$L : \Omega^{p, q}(M) \longrightarrow \Omega^{p+1,q+1}(M),$$
$$L(\alpha) = \alpha \wedge \omega$$
and let $\Lambda = L^\ast$ be the formal adjoint of $L$ with respect to the Hermitian metric on $M$. Then one may prove the Kähler identities
$$[\Lambda, \bar{\partial}] = -i\partial^\ast \text{ and } [\Lambda, \partial] = i\bar{\partial}^\ast.$$
Now we prove the following.

Theorem. On a Kähler manifold $M$,
  $$\Delta = 2\Delta_{\bar{\partial}}.$$

Proof. We start by defining the $\partial$-Laplacian
$$\Delta_\partial = \partial\partial^\ast + \partial^\ast \partial.$$
Then by the Kähler identities we have that
\begin{align}
\Delta_\partial & = i(\partial[\Lambda, \bar{\partial}] + [\Lambda, \bar{\partial}]\partial) \\
 & = i(\partial \Lambda \bar{\partial} - \partial\bar{\partial}\Lambda + \Lambda\bar{\partial}\partial - \bar{\partial}\Lambda\partial) \\
 & = i(\partial\Lambda\bar{\partial} + \bar{\partial}\partial\Lambda -\Lambda\partial\bar{\partial} - \bar{\partial}\Lambda\partial) \\
 & = -i(\bar{\partial}[\Lambda, \partial] + [\Lambda, \partial]\bar{\partial}) \\
 & = \Delta_{\bar{\partial}},
\end{align}
Additionally, we have that
$$\partial \bar{\partial}^\ast + \bar{\partial}^\ast \partial = -i(\partial(\Lambda\partial - \partial\Lambda) + (\Lambda\partial -\partial\Lambda)\partial) = 0$$
and similarly
$$\bar{\partial}\partial^\ast + \partial^\ast\bar{\partial} = 0.$$
Therefore
\begin{align}
\Delta & = dd^\ast + d^\ast d \\
 & = (\partial + \bar{\partial})(\partial^\ast + \bar{\partial}^\ast) + (\partial^\ast + \bar{\partial}^\ast)(\partial + \bar{\partial}) \\
 & = \partial\bar{\partial}^\ast + \partial\partial^\ast + \bar{\partial}\partial^\ast + \bar{\partial}\bar{\partial}^\ast + \partial^\ast \partial + \partial^\ast \bar{\partial} + \bar{\partial}^\ast \partial + \bar{\partial}^\ast \bar{\partial} \\
 & = \Delta_\partial + \Delta_{\bar{\partial}} \\
 & = 2\Delta_{\bar{\partial}}.
\end{align}
Hence $\Delta = 2\Delta_{\bar{\partial}}$. $\Box$
By the above theorem, it is clear that on a Kähler manifold,
$$\Delta \alpha = 0 \iff \Delta_{\bar{\partial}}\alpha = 0.$$
Since we already determined that a holomorphic $p$-form is always $\bar{\partial}$-harmonic, we have that a holomorphic $p$-form is also always harmonic in the usual sense as well (at least on a Kähler manifold; for a general Hermitian manifold the notions of harmonicity may be distinct).