\(G_{s,3}(C)\) is prime if \(n\) is odd (Q1295263)

A finite CW complex \(X\) is said to be prime if for every Hurewicz fibration \(F \to E \to B\) with \(E\) homotopically equivalent to \(X\), and \(B\) and \(F\) homotopically equivalent to finite CW complexes, either \(B\) or \(F\) is contractible. In the paper under review there is demonstrated that the complex Grassmannian \(C_{n,3}\) is prime if \(n\) is odd. For \(n \leq 17\) this result was obtained earlier, so the author has to deal with the case \(n \geq 19\). The proof is based on a detailed study of generators and polynomial relations of the rings \(H^*(B;Q)\) and \(H^*(B,Z_p)\), for a Hurewicz fibration \(F \to E \to B\), where \(E\) is homotopically equivalent to \(C_{n,3}\). It is proved that among the generators of \(H^*(B,Q)\) exactly one has dimension divisible by 4, and the Euler characteristic of \(F\) is odd. Then the Steenrod operations for the primes 2 and 3 are used to get contradiction with the fact that a nontrivial compact fibering exists. Note also that the introduction to this paper contains corrections of the paper [\textit{J. Ferdinands}, Topology Appl. 40, No. 3, 221-231 (1991; Zbl 0746.57010)].