Semigroup actions on homogeneous spaces (Q1343216)

Motivated by considerations arising out of geometrical control theory, the authors consider subsemigroups of semisimple Lie groups and their actions on certain homogeneous spaces, the flag manifolds. Given a connected semisimple Lie group \(G\) with finite center and a subsemigroup \(S\) with interior points, one defines a transitive relation on a \(G\)- homogeneous space \(G/L\) by \(x \leq y\) if \(y \in Sx\). A control set is a maximal subset on \(G/L\) on which \(\leq\) is also reflexive and symmetric. Control sets are studied in the case \(L\) is a minimal parabolic subgroup, and are shown to be characterized by means of the Weyl chambers in \(G\) meeting the interior of \(S\). For each \(w \in W\), the Weyl group of \(G\), there is associated a control set \(D_w\). The set \(D_1\) is the unique \(S\)-invariant control set, the subset \(W_S := \{w : D_w = D_1\}\) is a subgroup of \(W\), and the control sets are determined by \(W_S \setminus W\). The following consequences are derived: (i) if \(G\) is simple and \(S\) acts transitively at each point of \(G/H\), where \(H\) is a proper non-discrete closed subgroup, then \(S = G\). (ii) If \(S \neq G\), then \(S\) is neither left nor right reversible. (iii) If \(S\) is a maximal subsemigroup, then it is the semigroup of compressions of a subset of some minimal flag manifold.