Smooth actions of finite Oliver groups on spheres (Q1863514): Difference between revisions

The paper is concerned with the characterization of the smooth (closed) manifolds \(F\) which occur as the fixed point sets of smooth actions of a given finite group \(G\) on spheres \(S\) and of the real \(G\)-vector bundles \(\nu\) over \(F\) which occur as the equivariant normal bundle. It extends the results of \textit{B.Oliver} [Topology 35, 583-615 (1996; Zbl 0861.57047)]. For a finite Oliver group \(G\) admitting a smooth one fixed point \(G\)-action on a sphere or on a disk and satisfying a gap condition, the answer is given by the Oliver obstruction of \(\nu \) in terms of real \(K\)-theory. Specific criteria are derived for finite perfect groups and for Oliver groups with a \(pqr\)-cyclic quotient. In the latter case, one can realise any sequence of Chern (resp.~Pontryagin numbers) of a smooth manifold as those of a \(G\)-fixed point set. The author's main contributions rely on equivariant thickening and surgery, an equivariant bundle extension method and an equivariant bundle subtraction property.