Cohomology of biquotients (Q1197359)

A biquotient is the double coset space \(M = U\setminus L/K\), where \(L\) is a compact Lie group, \(U\) and \(K\) its Lie subgroups such that \(U\) acts freely on \(L/K\). Another model is the quotient space \(G/U\), where \(G\) is a compact Lie group and \(U\) a Lie subgroup of \(G\times G\), acting on \(G\) by bilateral translations; one supposes that this action is free, i.e. that the components \(u_ 1,u_ 2\) are not conjugate in \(G\) for any \((u_ 1,u_ 2) \in U\). The author constructs a spectral sequence permitting to calculate the cohomology of a biquotient \(G/U\) over \(\mathbb{Z}\) or a field under the assumption that the cohomology algebra of \(G\) is an exterior algebra generated by odd elements. An explicit calculation is made for some biquotients which carry a metric of positive curvature.