Conal orders on homogeneous spaces (Q1176641)

A cone field on a space \(M=G/H\), where \(G\) is a Lie group, assigns to each point \(x\in M\) a pointed closed convex cone \(\theta(x)\) in the tangent space \(T_ x(M)\), such that the action of \(G\) on \(M\) preserves the cone field. Such a field of cones gives rise to a conal order on \(M\), defined by \(x\prec y\) if there exists a piecewise smooth curve \(\alpha: [t_ 0,t_ 1]\to M\) with \(\alpha(t_ 0)=x\), \(\alpha(t_ 1)=y\) and \(\alpha'(t)\in\theta(\alpha(t))\) whenever the derivative exists. \(M\) is called globally orderable if the order \(\prec\) is partial and locally order convex. We write \(\leqq\) for the closure of the order \(\prec\) in \(M\times M\). Let \(\varepsilon=\pi(\mathbf{1})=H\), where \(\pi: G\to M\), \(g\to gH\) are the canonical projection. The main result is the following theorem. Suppose that \(M\) is globally orderable and \(\text{int}\{x\in M:\) \(\varepsilon\prec x\}\neq \emptyset\). Then the following are equivalent: (1) all order intervals \([x,y]_ \leqq\) are compact; (2) all order intervals \([x,y]_ \prec\) are relatively compact; (3) we find a function \(f\in\{g\in C^ \infty(M): dg(x)\in\text{int} \theta(x)^*\) for all \(x\in M\}\) such that \(\langle df(x),v\rangle\geq\| v\|\) for all \(x\geqq\varepsilon\), \(v\in\theta(x)\) (theorem about the connection between the structure of ordered homogeneous spaces and the existence of certain smooth monotone functions). The author obtains very general results on the structure of ordered homogeneous spaces and on the foliations of such spaces by hypersurfaces.