Smooth projective planes (Q2490387)

A smooth projective plane is a projective plane whose point space \(P\) and line space \({\mathcal L}\) are smooth manifolds such that the flag space \({\mathcal F}\) is a smoothly embedded submanifold of \(P\times {\mathcal L}\) and such that the geometric operations of joining points by lines and of intersecting lines are smooth maps. Examples are provided by the classical planes over one of the real alternative division algebras \({\mathbb R}, {\mathbb C}, {\mathbb H}\) (the quaternions) or \({\mathbb O}\) (the Cayley algebra of octonions). Nevertheless, there is a vast number of nonclassical smooth projective planes. Given a nondiscrete smooth projective plane, the dimension \(\dim P\) of its point space \(P\) has to be one of the numbers \(2, 4, 8\) or \(16\). Moreover, \(P\) (and \({\mathcal L}\), too, by duality) is homeomorphic to the classical model of the respective dimension [\textit{L.\ Kramer}, Arch. Math. 63, No. 1, 85--91 (1994; Zbl 0831.51011)]. Indeed, \(P\) always is diffeomorphic to the classical model: this fact was well known for \(\dim P = 2\) and was recently shown by L.\ Kramer and S.\ Scholz for \(\dim P \in \{8,16\}\). The discussion of the remaining case \(\dim P = 4\) is contained in the paper under review -- the point space of a \(4\)-dimensional smooth projective plane is diffeomorphic to \({\mathbb CP}^2\). For the proof of this theorem the author shows that the point space of such a plane is a compact manifold carrying a symplectic structure, that the lines are diffeomorphic to spheres and have nonnegative self-interesection, and then applies results of \textit{F.\ Lalonde} and \textit{D.\ McDuff} [in Contact and symplectic geometry. Cambridge University Press. Publ.\ Newton Inst.\ 8, 3--42 (1996; Zbl 0867.53028)]. Moreover, the author introduces the notion of a plane curve in a \(2l\)--dimensional smooth projective plane as an \(l\)-dimensional smoothly embedded submanifold of the point space which is tangent to a line at each point. It turns out that plane curves are precisely the solutions of a certain system of first-order partial differential equations. If the plane is regular (in the sense of \textit{R.\ Bödi} [Smooth stable and projective planes, PhD thesis, Tübingen (1996)]) and at least \(4\)-dimensional, then this differential system is elliptic. Moreover, in regular planes with \(\dim P \in \{8,16\}\), one has that precisely the lines are plane curves. If \(\dim P = 4\), then the differential system for plane curves in a regular plane determines the plane. Furthermore, the author shows that every regular \(4\)-dimensional plane can be deformed through a family of projective planes into one which is isomorphic to \({\mathbb CP}^2\), characterizes the classical planes \({\mathbb RP}^2\) and \({\mathbb CP}^2\) in terms of local differential invariants, and reveals some elegant facts about the topology and moduli of smooth quadrics in \(4\)-dimensional planes. Summing up, the paper under review looks at smooth projective planes from a new point of view: as stated by the author, it builds a bridge between topological geometry and symplectic topology indeed.