Discrete group actions and generalized real Bott manifolds (Q2391576)

A binary matrix is a matrix whose entries are 0 or 1, i.e., elements of \(\mathbb Z/2\mathbb Z\). Let \(A\) be a binary square matrix whose diagonal entries are 0. In the paper under review, the author defines a certain discrete group action on Euclidean space generated by the binary matrix \(A\), and studies the quotient manifold, say \(M(A)\), of Euclidean space by this action. The following three results are the main results of this paper: necessary and sufficient conditions when \(M(A)\) is a compact manifold in terms of the binary matrix \(A\); if \(M(A)\) is compact then \(M(A)\) is homeomorphic to a generalized real Bott manifold; every generalized real Bott manifold is homeomorphic to \(M(A)\) for some binary matrix \(A\). Here, a generalized real Bott manifold is a special type of iterated real projective space bundles. This is known as an example of real toric manifolds or small covers defined by \textit{M. W. Davis} and \textit{T. Januszkiewicz} [Duke Math. J. 62, No. 2, 417--451 (1991; Zbl 0733.52006)]. As a consequence of the main results of the paper, the author gives a new definition of the generalized real Bott manifolds by \(M(A)\). This definition is more geometrical than the definition of generalized real Bott manifolds by using small covers.