Almost fixed points of finite group actions on manifolds without odd cohomology (Q2210575)

Let \(X\) be a smooth manifold and \(\mathcal G\) a subgroup of \(\mathrm{Diff} (X)\). Then \((X,\mathcal G)\) is said to have the fixed point property if \(X^G \ne \emptyset\) for all finite \(G \subseteq \mathcal G\). The study of this property has a long history. The author looks at a weaker property. One says that \((X,\mathcal G)\) has the {\em almost fixed point property} if there is a number \(C\) such that for every finite subgroup \(G \subseteq \mathcal G\) there is some \(x \in X\) with isotropy group \(G_x \subseteq G\) so that \([G:G_x] \le C\). A compact manifold is said to have {\em no odd cohomology} if its integral cohomology is torsion free and supported in even degrees. The main result is Theorem. Let \(X\) be a compact manifold without odd cohomology, possibly with boundary. Then \((X,\mathrm{Diff}(X))\) has the almost fixed point property. More precisely, there is a constant \(C\), depending only on the dimension of \(X\) and on \(H^*(X,\mathbb Z)\), such that any finite group \(G\) acting smoothly on \(X\) has a subgroup \(G_0\) satisfying \([G:G_0] \le C\) and \(\chi(Y^{G_0}) = \chi(Y)\) for every connected component \(Y \subseteq X\). The fixed point property has also been studied in algebraic geometry. Given a real affine algebraic variety \(Z\) the author denotes by \(\mathrm{Aut}(Z)\) the group of algebraic automorphisms of \(Z\) lifting to the identity on \(\mathrm{Spec}\, \mathbb R\). Theorem. Let \(Z\) be a smooth real algebraic manifold, not necessarily compact, without odd cohomology. Then \((Z, \mathrm{Aut}(Z))\) has the almost fixed point property.