Automorphism groups of differentiable double loops (Q1801620)

A loop is defined, like a group, by stipulating unique solvability of the equations \(a+x=b\) and \(x+a=b\), but associativity is not required. A double loop has two operations \(+\) and \(\cdot\), like a field, but addition and multiplication merely form loops, and there is no distributive law. Double loops satisfying additional conditions on the solvability of certain `linear equations', the so-called planar ternary fields, arise in the coordinatization of projective planes. Locally compact, connected double loops \(D\) with continuous operations will briefly be called topological double loops in the sequel; for details on all those definitions, see [\textit{Th. Grundhöfer} and \textit{H. Salzmann}, Quasigroups and loops: theory and applications. Sigma Ser. Pure Math. 8, 313-355 (1990; Zbl 0749.51016)]. A long standing conjecture says that the automorphism group \(\Aut D\) of a topological double loop \(D\) is always compact with respect to the compact-open topology. A positive answer would have strong impact on the classification of compact projective planes. What is known is that \(\Aut D\) is locally compact if \(D\) is a topological ternary field [see \textit{H. Salzmann}, Pac. J. Math. 60, 217-234 (1975; Zbl 0323.50009)]. This was shown even for topological double loops by the author [Arch. Math. 61, 291-294 (1993; Zbl 0783.22001)]. In the present paper, the author proves the compactness conjecture in the differentiable case. More precisely, he assumes that addition is differentiable of class \(C^ 2\) with respect to some \(C^ 2\)-structure defined on an open neighbourhood of the neutral element 0, and he does not consider the full group of continuous automorphisms, but only the subgroup consisting of those automorphisms that are differentiable of class \(C^ 1\) near 0. (Observe that the notation \(\Aut^ 1({\mathcal L})\) used for this group is in conflict with the common use of the symbol \(G^ 1\) for the connected component of a group \(G\).) The main tool for the proof is a result of \textit{J. Kozma} [Arch. Math. 55, 498-502 (1990; Zbl 0731.22004)] on differentiable loops, which says that, in terms of a suitable local coordinate system, every differentiable automorphism is a linear map. This is used in order to embed \(\Aut^ 1({\mathcal L})\) as a closed subgroup of some group \(GL_ n\mathbb{R}\). The theorem of Arzela- Ascoli is applied in order to show that this subgroup is in fact compact.