Infinite-dimensionality of the automorphism groups of homogeneous Stein manifolds (Q1014212)

Let \(X\) be a complex manifold. Denote by \(\Aut_{\mathcal O}(X)\) the group of holomorphic automorphims of \(X\) and by \(V^c_{\mathcal O}(X)\) the Lie algebra generated by the complete holomorphic vector fields on \(X\). The main result of the paper is the following theorem. Let \(X\) be a connected Stein manifold with \(\dim X\geq 2\). If \(X\) is a homogeneous space \(G/H\) of a holomorphic action of a connected complex Lie group, then \(V^c_{\mathcal O}(X)\) is infinite dimensional. As a consequence \(\Aut_{\mathcal O}(X)\) is infinite dimensional and cannot be given the structure of a Lie group nor that of a locally compact group in the compact-open topology. The converse does not hold since there exist open domains \(D\) in \({\mathbb C}^n\) with infinite-dimensional algebra \(V^c_{\mathcal O}(D)\) on which no Lie group acts transitively (see \textit{W. Kaup} [Invent. Math. 3, 43--70 (1967; Zbl 0157.13401)] and \textit{J. Winkelmann} [Math. Z. 204, No.~1, 117--127 (1990; Zbl 0701.32014)]). One should note that for large classes of complex manifolds \(\Aut_{\mathcal O}(X)\) is known to be a Lie group. Among them are compact complex manifolds and complex hyperbolic manifolds. The main ingredient in the proof of the above theorem is the existence of a subgroup \(L\subset G\) and a holomorphic \(L\)-invariant surjective map \(\sigma: X\to Y\) onto a complex space \(Y\) whose algebra of holomorphic functions \({\mathcal O}(Y)\) is infinite-dimensional. Then to a holomorphic map \(f\circ \sigma\), with \(f\in \text{Hol}(Y,\text{Lie}(L))\), one associates a 1-parameter family in \(\Aut_{\mathcal O}(X)\) and a complete holomorphic vector field on \(X\). If \(G\) is non-solvable, then one takes for \(L\) a suitable one-dimensional torus in the semi-simple Levi subgroup of \(G\) and as \(Y\) the categorical quotient \(X\| L\), which in this case is a Stein space. If \(G\) is solvable, then the authors show that there exists a closed sugroup \(I\) of \(G\), containing \(H\), such that \(G/I\) is a Stein manifold with \(\dim G/H>\dim G/I>0\). Moreover, either the commutator subgroup \(G^\prime\) is contained in \( I\) or \(G/I\) is biholomorphic to \({\mathbb C}^m\). In the former case the result follows by taking \(L=I\) and \(Y=G/I\), while in the latter case it follows from a result of \textit{D. Varolin} [Mich. Math. J. 46, No.~3, 533--553 (1999; Zbl 0966.32013)]. Some of the results of this paper are also a consequence of the density results obtained by \textit{S. Kaliman} and \textit{F. Kutzschebauch} [Invent. Math. 172, No.~1, 71--87 (2008; Zbl 1143.32014)].