A geometric splitting theorem for actions of semisimple Lie groups (Q2058447)

Let \(M\) be a compact, connected, smooth pseudo-Riemannian manifold that admits a topologically transitive \(G\)-action by isometries. Here \(G\) is a semisimple Lie group \(G=G_{1}\cdots G_{l}\) without compact factors. Let \(m_{0}\), \(n_{0}\) and \(n_{0}^{i}\) be the dimensions of the maximal light-like subspaces tangent to \(M\), \(G\) and \(G_{i}\), respectively. In this paper, the author studies \(G\)-actions on \(M\) that satisfy the condition \(m_{0}=n_{0}^{1}+ \cdots + n_{0}^{l}\). Under this assumption, the restriction of the pseudo-Riemannian metric to the \(G\)-orbits is non-degenerate and it is thus possible to define a normal bundle to the orbits, which turns out to be integrable. Let \(L\) be a leaf tangent to the normal bundle. Then the main theorem of the paper asserts that \(M\) is isometrically covered by \(\tilde{G}\times \tilde{L}\), where the metric on \(\tilde{G}\times \tilde{L}\) can be written explicitly in terms of the Killing forms on \(G_{i}\) and the restriction of the ambient pseudo-Riemannian metric to the leaf \(L\).