On invariant Riemannian metrics on Ledger-Obata spaces (Q1728389)

Let \(F\) be a connected, compact, simple Lie group. A Ledger-Obata space is the Riemannian homogeneous space \(F^m/\text{diag}(F)\), where \(F^m=F\times\cdots\times F\). These spaces were introduced by \textit{A. J. Ledger} and \textit{M. Obata} in [J. Differ. Geom. 2, 451--459 (1968; Zbl 0177.24602)]. In the present article the authors provide a characterization of naturally reductive metrics on \(F^m/\text{diag}(F)\). In the case \(m=3\) any invariant metric is naturally reductive. They prove that a Ledger-Obata space is a geodesic-orbit space if and only if the metric is naturally reductive. Recall that a Riemannian manifold \((M=G/H, g)\), where \(H\) is a compact subgroup of the Lie group \(G\) and \(g\) is a \(G\)-invariant Riemannian metric on \(M\), is called a geodesic-orbit space if any geodesic of \(M\) is an orbit of a 1-parameter subgroup of the group \(G\). Also, a Riemannian manifold \((M, g)\) is called a geodesic-orbit manifold if any geodesic of \(M\) is an orbit of a 1-parameter subgroup of the full isometry group of \((M, g)\). They also show that a Ledger-Obata space is reducible if and only if it is isometric to the product of Ledger-Obata spaces, and that the full connected isometry group of an irreducible Ledger-Obata space \(F^m/\text{diag}(F)\) is \(F^m\). They deduce that a Ledger-Obata space is a geodesic-orbit manifold if and only if it is the product of naturally reductive Ledger-Obata spaces.