Algebraic topology of special Lagrangian manifolds (Q2020424)

In this paper the authors completely determine the integral cohomology algebra of the Grassmann manifold of oriented \(3\)-dimensional subspaces of \(\mathbb R^6\) (in the paper denoted by \(G^+_3\mathbb R^6\)). They give the following description: \[ H^*(G^+_3\mathbb R^6;\mathbb Z)=\Lambda_\mathbb Z[x_3,x_4,x_5]/(2x_3,x_3x_5), \] where, as usual, \(\deg x_i=i\). Some homotopy groups of \(G^+_3\mathbb R^6\) are computed as well: \(\pi_2(G^+_3\mathbb R^6)\cong\pi_3(G^+_3\mathbb R^6)\cong\mathbb Z_2\), and \(\pi_4(G^+_3\mathbb R^6)\cong\mathbb Z\) (it is well-known that \(G^+_3\mathbb R^6\) is simply connected, i.e., \(\pi_0(G^+_3\mathbb R^6)=\pi_1(G^+_3\mathbb R^6)=0\)). The authors apply these results to special Lagrangian-free embeddings of surfaces and \(3\)-manifolds, respectively into \(\mathbb R^4\) and \(\mathbb R^6\). For example, they prove that a closed orientable surface can be embedded into \(\mathbb R^4\) as a special Lagrangian-free submanifold if and only if its Euler characteristic vanishes.