Universality in orbit spaces of compact linear groups (Q1180235)

The main result of the paper provides in detail a universality property of the orbit spaces of coregular compact linear groups \(G\) of transformations of \(\mathbb R^ n\), noted by the first author in Mod. Phys. Lett. A 4, 91--98 (1989)]. In particular, the authors of the paper show that for every coregular compact linear group \(G\), a polynomial contravariant metric matrix can be defined in the image of the orbit space \(\mathbb R^ n/G\) in \(\mathbb R^ q\) under the orbit map \(p=(p^ 1(x),\dots,p^ q(x)): \mathbb R^ n\to\mathbb R^ q\), where \(\{p^ 1(x),\dots,p^ q(x)\}\) is a minimal integrity basis of the ideal of polynomial invariants of \(G\). By the work of \textit{M. Abud} and the first author [Phys. Lett. B 104, 147--152 (1981); Ann. Phys. 150, 307--372 (1983; Zbl 0529.58028], as well as \textit{C. Procesi} and \textit{G. Schwarz} [Invent. Math. 81, 539--554 (1985; Zbl 0578.14010)], the polynomial equations and inequalities defining the semi-algebraic set \(p(\mathbb R^ n)\) can be obtained from semi-positivity conditions for the metric matrix. According to the first author [loc. cit.], the metric matrix can be determined as a solution of a canonical differential equation. In the present paper, the authors analyze the structure of the canonical equation and determine the initial conditions necessary to select solutions corresponding to matrices which are positive semi-definite only in a semi-algebraic set with the same geometric structure of the orbit spaces of the coregular compact linear groups.