Global \(G\)-manifold reductions and resolutions (Q1586061)

It is known that, if \(G\) is a compact Lie group acting smoothly on a manifold \(M\) with only one orbit type, then the orbit space \(M/G\) is a manifold and the orbit map \(\pi : M\to M/G\) is a locally trivial bundle with fiber \(G/H\), the typical \(G\)-orbit in \(M\). Moreover, the normalizer \(N(H)\) acts on the fixed point set, \(M^H\subset M\) of \(H\) in \(M\), with \(H\) as the ineffective kernel, and \(M^H\to M^H/N(H)= M/G\) is a principal \(N(H)/H\)-bundle. Its associated \(G/H\)-bundle is \(\pi\). In particular, for \(_cM = M^H\) and \(_cG = N(H)/H\), \(M ={}_cM\times_{_cG} G/H\). By this \(M\) can be recovered as a \(G\)-manifold completely from the \(_cG\)-manifold \(_cM\) and \(H\subset G\). The authors refer to \(_cM\) as the core of \((M,G)\) and to \(_cG\) as its core group. In general, when the action \(G\times M\to M\) has more than one orbit type no such simplification exists. Studying this case the authors prove a lot of results: Proposition 1.2. The core \(_cM\) is a smooth submanifold of \(M\). In fact, \(_cM\) is the disjoint union of those components, \(F\) of \(M^H\) such that \(F\cap M_0\neq\emptyset\) where \(M_0\) is the regular part of \(M\) (all principal orbits). (For these components, \(\dim F=\dim_c G + \dim M/G\)). Proposition 1.4. The inclusion \(_cM\subset M\) induces an isometry \(_cM/_cG \sim M/G\) and \((_cM)_0 = M^H_0={}_c (M_0)\). In particular, \(_cGx =Gx\cap{}_c M\) and \((_cG)_x ={}_c (Gx)\) for all \(x\in{}_c M\). Corollary 2.4. If \(M\) is a \(G\)-manifold without singular orbits then the manifold \(^rM := (_cM\times G/H)/_cG = G/H\times{}_{cGc} M\) (core-resolution of \(M\)) is equal to \(M\). Corollary 2.5. Let \(M\) be a 1-connected \(G\)-manifold with principal isotropy group \(H\). If there are no singular orbits in \(M\), and \(N(H)/H\) is finite, then all orbits are principal. Proposition 2.6. The resolution \(^rM\) of any Riemannian \(G\)-manifold \(M\) with sectional curvature, \(\text{sec } M \geq k\), \(k \leq 0\) supports a \(G\)-invariant Riemannian metric with \(\text{sec}^r M\geq k\). Some examples are given and a conjecture is formulated.