Finite group actions on Kervaire manifolds (Q2517216)

A Kervaire manifold \({\mathbb{M}}^{4k+2}_K\) is a closed, piecewise linear manifold with Kervaire invariant \(1\) and with the same homology as the product \({\mathbb{S}}^{2k+1}\times{\mathbb{S}}^{2k+1}\) of spheres. Kervaire manifolds are smoothable in very few dimensions. In this paper the authors study symmetries of Kervaire manifolds. Assume \({\mathbb{M}}^{4k+2}_K\) is oriented. The authors obtain the following results concerning involutions: {\parindent=0.7cm\begin{itemize}\item[--] If \({\mathbb{M}}^{4k+2}_K\) is smoothable, then every smooth manifold \(N\) with \(N\cong_{\text{PL}} {\mathbb{M}}^{4k+2}_K\) admits a smooth, free orientation-preserving involution. \item[--] Any smooth structure on \({\mathbb{M}}^{30}_K\) admits a smooth, free orientation-preserving action of the group \({\mathbb{Z}}/2\times{\mathbb{Z}}/2\). \item[--] If \(4k+2\not=2^{j+2}-2\), then \({\mathbb{M}}^{4k+2}_K\) does not admit any free topological involutions. \end{itemize}} The authors also show that \({\mathbb{M}}^{126}_K\), which is not known to be smoothable, admits a piecewise linear, free orientation-preserving involution. Moreover, they construct some ``exotic'' involutions, namely they show that the Kervaire manifolds \({\mathbb{M}}^{30}_K\), \({\mathbb{M}}^{62}_K\) and \({\mathbb{M}}^{126}_K\) admit piecewise linear, free orientation-preserving involutions of linear type which are not smoothable. In addition, the authors consider odd order group actions on Kervaire manifolds. They prove that a finite group of odd order acts freely on \({\mathbb{M}}^{4k+2}_K\), preserving the orientation, if and only if it acts freely on \({\mathbb{S}}^{2k+1}\times{\mathbb{S}}^{2k+1}\).