Optimal pinching constants of odd dimensional homogeneous spaces (Q1818346)

Berger, Wallach and Bérard Bergery have classified all simply connected compact homogeneous spaces \(G/H\) which admit a \(G\)-invariant Riemannian metric with positive sectional curvature. Some of the prominent examples are Berger spaces and Aloff-Wallach spaces. The pinching constant of a compact Riemannian manifold \((M,g)\) is defined as the quotient \(\delta(M,g)= \min K/\max K\) of the extreme values of the sectional curvature. The optimal pinching constant for a prescribed family of Riemannian metrics on \(M\) is the supremum of all corresponding pinching constants. The present author determines the optimal pinching constant of all invariant Riemannian metrics on the Berger space \(B^{13}\) and that of all invariant and \(U(2)\)-biinvariant metrics on the Aloff-Wallach space \(W^7_{1,1}\). In both cases, this constant is \(1/37\). He also investigates the optimal pinching constants of other Aloff-Wallach spaces \(W^7_{k,l}\) but with the restriction to \(T^2\)-biinvariant metrics. The value of the paper is in the new techniques it develops.