Proper actions of \(\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb C)\) on irreducible complex symmetric spaces (Q2378647)

An affine manifold is said to be locally symmetric if its torsion tensor vanishes and the curvature tensor is invariant under all parallel translations. It is complete if any geodesic is defined for all time intervals. A basic problem is: What discrete groups can arise as the fundamental groups of complete, locally symmetric spaces? Any complete, locally-symmetric space \(M\) is represented as the Clifford-Klein form \(\Gamma\backslash G/H\) where \(G/H\) is a globally symmetric space and \(\Gamma\) is a discrete subgroup of a Lie group \(G\) such that \(\Gamma\simeq\pi_1(M)\). Consequently, the problem may be reformalized as: What discrete subgroups of \(G\) can act as discontinuous groups for \(G/H\)? In this paper, the author focuses on discontinuous groups for irreducible complex symmetric spaces. Let \(G_{\mathbb C}\) be a complex simple Lie group, \(\theta\) is a holomorphic involutive automorphism of \(G_\mathbb C\), and \(K_\mathbb C\) is an open subgroup of \(G_\mathbb C^\theta:=\{g\in G_\mathbb C: \theta g = g\}\). Then \(G_{\mathbb C}/K_{\mathbb C}\) is an irreducible complex symmetric space. The main results of the paper are stated as follows: The following four conditions are equivalent: {\parindent=7mm \begin{itemize}\item[i)] \(G_{\mathbb C}/K_{\mathbb C}\) admits an infinite discontinuous group generated by a unipotent element of \(G_{\mathbb C}\). \item[ii)] There exists a group homomorphism \(\rho\): \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb R) \to G_{\mathbb C}\) such that \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb R)\) acts properly on \(G_{\mathbb C}/K_{\mathbb C}\) via \(\rho\). \item[iii)] There exists a holomorphic group homomorphism \(\rho_{\mathbb C}: \text{SL}(2,\mathbb C) \to G_{\mathbb C}\) such that \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb C)\) acts properly on \(G_{\mathbb C}/K_{\mathbb C}\) via \(\rho_{\mathbb C}\). \item[iv)] The pair of Lie algebras \((\mathfrak g_{\mathbb C},\mathfrak k_{\mathbb C})\) is isomorphic to \[ (\mathfrak s\mathfrak o(p + q,\mathbb C),\mathfrak s\mathfrak o(p,\mathbb C)\oplus\mathfrak s\mathfrak o(q,\mathbb C)), \quad p, q\;\text{ is odd},\quad p + q = 0 \mod 4. \] \end{itemize}} A Kleinian group is a discrete subgroup of \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb C)\). Any discrete subgroup of proper transformation groups is automatically a discontinuous group. Hence, we have a `geometric model' of a Kleinian group on locally complex symmetric spaces as follows: For any Kleinian group \(\Gamma\), and for any odd integers \(p, q\) such that \(p+q\equiv0\mod 4\), there exists a locally complex symmetric space \(X\) whose fundamental group is isomorphic to \(\Gamma\), and whose universal covering is biholomorphic to the global complex symmetric space \(\text{Spin}(p + q,\mathbb C)/\text{Spin}(p,\mathbb C)\times \text{Spin}(q, \mathbb C)\).