Modified \(H\)-type groups and symmetric-like Riemannian spaces (Q1295482)

Let \((N,\langle,\rangle)\) be a simply connected real nilpotent Lie group endowed with a left-invariant Riemannian metric, where \(\langle,\rangle\) denotes the inner product on the Lie algebra \({\mathfrak n}\) of \(N\). The Riemannian geometry of \((N,\langle,\rangle)\) has been studied at several occasions, in particular when \((N,\langle,\rangle)\) is 2-step nilpotent. For this case, let \({\mathfrak z}\) be the center of \({\mathfrak n}\), put \({\mathfrak v}={\mathfrak z}^{\perp}\) and define \(J_z:{\mathfrak v}\to{\mathfrak z}\) by \(\langle J_zx,y\rangle= \langle z,[x,y]\rangle\) for \(x,y\in{\mathfrak v}\), \(z\in{\mathfrak z}\). These maps \(J_z\) play an important role in this study. Among the 2-step nilpotent Lie groups, those of H-type (generalized Heisenberg groups) are particularly significant and are defined by the additional condition \(J^2_z= -\langle z,z\rangle I\) for all \(z\in{\mathfrak z}\). They are generalized by the author to obtain the modified H-type groups by replacing the above condition by \(J^2_z= \lambda(z) I\) for \(\lambda(z)< 0\) and all \(z\in{\mathfrak z}\). In [Lecture Notes in Math. 1598, Springer, Berlin (1995; Zbl 0818.53067)], \textit{J. Berndt}, \textit{F. Tricerri} and the reviewer described the H-type groups in view of the classification of several classes of Riemannian manifolds which are natural generalizations of symmetric spaces: naturally reductive spaces, Riemannian g.o. spaces (each geodesic is an orbit of a one-parameter subgroup of isometries), weakly symmetric spaces (each pair of points can be interchanged by an isometry), commutative spaces (the algebra of isometry-invariant differential operators of (\(M= G/H\), \(g\); \(G=\text{Isom}(M,g)\)) is commutative) and the spaces with volume-preserving geodesic symmetries, up to sign (i.e., D'Atri spaces). The complete classification of these particular classes of H-type groups is given and their inclusion relations are discussed there, leading also to several open problems (see also [\textit{O. Kowalski}, \textit{F. Prüfer} and \textit{L. Vanhecke}, Prog. Nonlinear Differ. Equ. Appl. 20, 241-284 (1996; Zbl 0862.53039)]). In this paper, the author starts by presenting the basic aspects of the so-called symmetric-like Riemannian spaces, given above, for the general class of nilpotent Lie groups. It follows that, for the first four classes, they are always at most 2-step nilpotent. Then he provides the complete classification of the modified H-type groups which belong to each one of the five mentioned classes. In this way, he obtains new examples and provides several positive and negative answers to the open questions concerning the inclusion relations. The interesting paper ends with a complete description of the 2-step nilpotent Lie groups with \(\dim{\mathfrak z}=2\) which are g.o. spaces.