Differential topological restrictions by curvature and symmetry (Q1392741)

The aim of the paper is to classify pairs \((M,G)\) where \(M\) is a compact Riemannian manifold of positive sectional curvature and \(G\) a large compact Lie group acting almost effectively and isometrically on \(M\). In the first part (Section 2), ``large'' means ``fixed point homogeneous'', i.e., \(G\) acts transitively on all directions in a normal space of the fixed point set \(M^G\) and, if \(M^G = \emptyset\), it acts transitively on \(M\). Such actions are classified in Theorem 2.8; in particular, it is shown that the only spaces \(M\) which occur are covered by a rank-one symmetric space. In the second part (Section 3) a ``large'' action is defined by a dimensional restriction. By a previous result of the authors on torus actions [\textit{K. Grove} and \textit{C. Searle}, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 91, 137-142 (1994; Zbl 0793.53040)] it remains to consider (semi-)simple groups. One observes that any simple compact Lie group \(G\) other than \(E_6, E_7, E_8\) acts transitively on a space of positive curvature \(G/H\) where \(H \subset G\) is a proper subgroup of maximal dimension. The main result now is as follows. If \(G\) acts on any positively curved space \(M\) whose dimension is not more than about twice \(\dim(G/H)\), then \(M\) is still diffeomorphic to a homogeneous space of positive curvature. This restricts the possibilities of finding new spaces of positive curvature with large isometry groups. The proof consists in a case-by-case study of all possible principal isotropy subgroups of \(G\) not contradicting the dimension constraint; it turns out that only fixed point homogeneous or cohomogeneity-one actions remain. The basic geometric ideas which made the classifications possible are discussed in Section 1; the fact that the orbit space \(M/G\) is an Alexandrov space of positive curvature is heavily exploited.