Positively curved Riemannian orbifolds and Alexandrov spaces with circle symmetry in dimension 4 (Q2063260)

The authors consider the following conjecture: Conjecture 7.1. Let \(T^1\) act isometrically and effectively on \(X^4\), where \(X^4\) is a 4-dimensional, closed, positively curved, orientable Alexandrov space. Then, up to equivariant homeomorphism, \(X\) is one of the following spaces: \begin{itemize} \item[1.] the suspension of a spherical 3-manifold, with a linear action; or \item[2.] a finite quotient of a weighted complex projective space with a linear action. \end{itemize} The authors define Condition Q for an isometric action of the circle \(T^1\) on a 4-dimensional Alexandrov space. Confirming Conjecture 7.1 under Condition Q is the major part of this long and meticulous paper. The authors show that any isometric circle action on a Riemannian 4-orbifold satisfies Condition Q. Then they apply the main theorem to confirm \textit{D. Yeroshkin}'s conjecture in [``On geometry and topology of 4-orbifolds'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1411.1700}]. Indeed, another main result of the paper is the following. Orbifold Classification Theorem: Let \(T^1\) act isometrically and effectively on \(X^4\), where \(X^4\) is a 4-dimensional, closed, positively curved, orientable Riemannian orbifold, with \(\pi_1^{\mathrm{orb}}(X)=\lbrace 0 \rbrace\). Then, up to equivariant homeomorphisms, the underlying topological space \(\left| X \right|\) is one of the following spaces: \begin{itemize} \item[1.] the 4-sphere, with a linear action; or \item[2.] a weighted complex projective space, with an action induced by a linear \(T^2\)-action on \(S^5\). \end{itemize}