Homogeneous metrics with nonnegative curvature (Q1035202)

The authors give a construction of invariant metrics \(g_t\) of nonnegative curvature on a homogeneous manifold \(M=G/H\) of a compact Lie group \(G\). The starting point is the result by Cheeger that the inverse linear path \(g_t\) (such that \(g^{-1}_t\) is a linear path) joining metrics \(g_0,g_1 \) of nonnegative curvature consists of metrics of nonnegative curvature. Let \(\mathfrak{g} = \mathfrak{h} + \mathfrak{p} \) be the reductive decomposition associated with the manifold \(G/H\) and \(\mathfrak{k}= \mathfrak{h}+ \mathfrak{m},\, \mathfrak{m} \subset \mathfrak{p}\) a subalgebra. Recall that invariant metrics on \(G/H\) are defined by \(H\)-invariant Euclidean metrics on \(\mathfrak{p}\). The authors consider the inverse linear path \[ g_t(X,Y) = \frac{1}{1-t} g_0 (X_m, Y_m) + g_0(X_{m^\perp}, Y_{m^{\perp}}) \] where \(g_0\) is the Euclidean metric in \(\mathfrak{p}\) which corresponds to the normal metric of \(G/H\). Here \(X = X_m + X_{m^\perp}\) is the obvious orthogonal decomposition of \(X \in \mathfrak{p} = \mathfrak{m } + \mathfrak{m}^\perp \). They give necessary and sufficient conditions that the metric \(g_t\) for small \(t\) defines a nonnegatively curved metric on \(G/H\). Moreover, if the homogeneous manifold \(K/H\) associated with the reductive decomposition \(\mathfrak{k}= \mathfrak{h}+ \mathfrak{m}\) is a symmetric space, then these conditions imply that the metric \(g_t\) has nonnegative curvature for \(t \in (\infty, 1/4]\).