Revisiting homogeneous spaces with positive curvature (Q1747192)

The list of simply connected, compact homogeneous \(n\)-dimensional spaces \(K/H\) of positive sectional curvature consists of round spheres \(S^n\), compact symmetric spaces of rank one (\(\mathbb{CP}^n, \mathbb{HP}^n\), \(\mathbb{OP}^2\)), Aloff-Wallach \(7\)-spaces \(\mathrm{SU}(3)/\mathrm U(1)_{k,l}\) and sporadic instances for \(n=6, 12, 24\) (Wallach flags) and \(n=7, 13\) . This classification is the result of a joint effort by \textit{M. Berger} [Ann. Sc. Norm. Super. Pisa, Sci. Fis. Mat., III. Ser. 15, 179--246 (1961; Zbl 0101.14201)], \textit{S. Aloff} and \textit{N. R. Wallach} [Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 81, 93--97 (1975; Zbl 0362.53033)], \textit{L. Bérard Bergery} [J. Math. Pures Appl. (9) 55, 47--68 (1976; Zbl 0289.53037)] and \textit{B. Wilking} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 127, No. 4, 1191--1194 (1999; Zbl 0948.53025)]. In [Differ. Geom. Appl. 42, 115--124 (2015; Zbl 1326.53066)] \textit{M. Xu} and \textit{J. A. Wolf} reopened the classification by pointing out a gap in the odd-dimensional list. The paper under review settles the matter, and provides a novel and complete proof of the classification, excluding potential new candidates.