Homogeneity for a class of Riemannian quotient manifolds (Q1694891)

Let \(S\) denote a connected simply connected Riemannian homogeneous space and \(S \to S/\Gamma\) a Riemannian covering. The \textit{Homogeneity Conjecture} states that \(S/\Gamma\) is homogeneous if and only if every \(\gamma \in \Gamma\) is (an isometry) of constant displacement. It may be observed that the infinitesimal version of an isometry of constant displacement is given by a Killing vector field of constant length. This observation makes it possible to consider the problem also in pseudo-Riemannian settings, where one does not have a good notion for the displacement of an isometry. The ``if'' part of the conjecture is relatively easy to prove in general. The converse was proved when \(S\) is symmetric and in some other cases. In this interesting paper, the homogeneity conjecture is proved for isotropy-splitting fibrations. In this case, one has \(M=G/K\), where (a) \(G\) is a compact connected simply connected Lie group; (b) \(K=K_1 K_2\) with \(K_i \neq 0\) closed connected subgroups of \(G\), such that \(K=(K_1 \times K_2)/(K_1 \cap K_2)\), \(\mathfrak{k}_1 \perp \mathfrak{k}_2\), with centralizers \(Z_G (K_1)=Z_{K_1} \widetilde{K_2}\) with \(K_2=\widetilde{K_2}^0\) and conversely; (c) \(M=G/H\) and \(\tilde{M}=G/K_1\) are normal Riemannian homogeneous spaces. (The Riemannian metrics on \(M\) and \(\tilde{M}\) being the negative of the Killing form on \(G\).) In this settings, \(\tilde{M}=G/K_1\) is called an \textit{isotropy- splitting} homogeneous space, and \(\pi: \tilde{M} \to M\) an \textit{isotropy-splitting fibration}. Several well-known examples are included in this framework. Among others: the natural fibrations of Stiefel manifolds over Grassmann manifolds and quaternion-Kähler symmetric spaces (\textit{Wolf spaces}). The main result states that if \(\pi: \tilde{M} \to M\) is an isotropy-splitting fibration, and one of the following conditions holds: (i) rank\(K\)=rank\(G\), or (ii) \(M\) is a Riemannian symmetric space, or (iii) \(\Gamma \subset I^0 (\tilde{M})\), then \(\tilde{M}/\Gamma\) is homogeneous if and only if every \(\gamma \in \Gamma\) is of constant displacement. Several examples and applications are discussed in detail.