Diameters of 3-sphere quotients (Q1012347)

Let \(X^{k}=S^{n}/G,\) where \(G\) is a closed nontransitive subgroup of \(O(n)\). When \(G\) is finite, \(k=n,\) and \(X^{n}\) is a manifold, one of the authors previously showed that there is a global lower bound on the diameter that is independent of the dimension [\textit{J. McGowan}, ``The diameter function on the space of space forms'', Compos. Math. 87, No.~1, 79--98 (1993; Zbl 0777.53045)]. Another of the authors previously showed [\textit{S. Greenwald}, ``Diameters of spherical Alexandrov spaces and curvature one orbifolds'', Indiana Univ. Math. J. 49, No.~4, 1449--1479 (2000; Zbl 0984.57019)] that for other closed nontransitive groups a lower bound on the diameter, depending on \(n,\) exists. Let \(n=4\) and \(G\) act isometrically on \(S^{3}.\) In the present work (taken from the summary) the authors explicitly calculate a lower bound for the diameter of the quotient spaces \(S^{3}/G\) and find it to be exactly the value of the lower bound for diameters of the spherical space forms. They also find a lower bound for diameters for the spherical Aleksandrov spaces, \(S^n/G\), of cohomogeneities 1 and 2, as well as for cohomogeneity 3 (with some restrictions on the group type). This leads them to conjecture that the diameter of \(S^n/G\) is increasing as the cohomogeneity of the group \(G\) increases.