Some examples of higher rank manifolds of nonnegative curvature (Q749885)

Let M be a complete Riemannian manifold. If \(\gamma\) is a complete geodesic of M, then define the rank of \(\gamma\) to be the dimension of the space of parallel Jacobi vector fields along \(\gamma\). Define the rank of M to be the minimum of the ranks of all geodesics of M. If M has nonpositive sectional curvature and is locally irreducible with finite volume and rank at least two, then M must be locally symmetric [see \textit{W. Ballmann}, Ann. Math., II. Ser. 22, 597-609 (1985; Zbl 0586.53022) and \textit{K. Burns} and \textit{R. Spatzier}, Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Etud. Sci. 65, 35-59 (1987; Zbl 0643.53037)]. The analogue of the result above for manifolds of nonnegative sectional curvature is false, and the authors describe several counterexamples as well as a method for constructing them. Their main tool is the following result, which is Theorem 1.2 of the paper: Theorem. Let M be a compact Riemannian manifold, and let H be a compact group of isometries of M that acts on M with only principal orbits. If \(\pi\) : \(M\to B=M/H\) is the associated Riemannian submersion, then \(rank(B)\geq rank(M)-\dim F,\) where F is the fiber of the submersion. One application of this result is the following construction, due first to E. Heintze, of normal homogeneous spaces with nonnegative sectional curvature and rank at least two: Let \(M=G\) be a compact Lie group with a biinvariant metric, and let H be a closed subgroup of T with \(\dim H+2\leq rank(G).\) Then \(B=G/H\) carries a Riemannian metric with nonnegative sectional curvature and rank(B)\(\geq 2\) by the theorem above. A second application of the theorem above is Corollary 1.4. Let M with metric \(g_ 0\) be a symmetric space of the compact type with global rank \(k\geq 2\) (every geodesic of M lies in a \(k\)-flat\(=a\) totally geodesic, isometrically immersed copy of \({\mathbb{R}}^ k\), but this is not true for \(k+1\)-flats.) Then there is a 1-parameter variation of metrics \(g_ t\) with global rank k and nonnegative curvature for all t such that none of the metrics \(g_ t\) is symmetric for any \(t>0\). In these examples the Tits geometries of the k-flats of the metrics \(\{g_ t\}\) are combinatorially isomorphic but metrically distinct from the Tits geometry of the metric \(g_ 0.\) The authors also construct higher rank examples that are strongly inhomogeneous; that is, they do not have the homotopy type of a compact homogeneous space. Theorem 1.5. There are strongly inhomogeneous compact 9-manifolds with locally irreducible metrics of nonnegative sectional curvature and global rank 2. These examples have the form \(X=(SU(3)\times S^ 1)/S^ 1,\) for an appropriate action of \(S^ 1\), and they are 2- sphere bundles over examples of Eschenburg of the form \(Y=SU(3)/S^ 1\), where \(S^ 1\) acts appropriately on SU(3). Finally, in Proposition 5.1 the authors generalize Berger's theorem on the nonexistence of variations positive of first order of the product metric on \(S^ 2\times S^ 2\) to metrics of nonnegative curvature with a 2-flat.