Isometry groups of unimodular simply connected 3-dimensional Lie groups (Q1360278)

The author determines all left-invariant Riemannian metrics on a simply connected 3-dimensional unimodular Lie group \(G\) such that the corresponding isometry group \(I(G)\) is at least four-dimensional (in other words, its connected component \(I_0(G)\) is not reduced to the group \(\ell(G)\) of left translations of \(G)\). The connected component \(I_0(G)\) is the product of \(\ell(G)\) and the stabilizer \(I_0(G)_e\) at the identity of \(G\), which is isomorphic to \(SO(2)\) or \(SO(3)\) if it is nontrivial. Hence, the possible dimensions of \(I(G)\) are 3, 4, and 6. \(G\) is one of the six groups \(\mathbb{R}^3\), Nil (Heisenberg group), SU(2), the universal covering group \(\widetilde {\text{PSL}} (2,\mathbb{R})\) of the special linear group, the connected component \(E(1,1)\) of the group of isometries of the Lorentzian plane, and the universal covering group \(\widetilde {E_0(2)}\) of the connected component of the Euclidean group. These groups and their left-invariant metrics are important as models for the geometries of 3-manifolds in the sense of Thurston. Except for the group \(\widetilde {E_0(2)}\), the group \(\ell(G)\) of left translation of \(G\) is known to be normal in \(I_0(G)\) for every left-invariant metric. The author shows that this is equivalent to \(I_0(G)_e \subseteq \Aut(G)\). This is important for the investigation in each of these cases. In the exceptional case \(G=\widetilde {E_0(2)}\), a different approach has to be used. Every element of \(I_0(G)_e\) preserves the directions of the principal Ricci curvatures; these have been determined by \textit{J. Milnor} [Adv. Math. 21, 293-329 (1976; Zbl 0341.53030)]. A similar study for the group SU(3) has been made by \textit{R. Coquereaux} and \textit{G. Esposito-Farèse} [J. Math. Phys. 32, 826-831 (1991; Zbl 0735.22008)].