A topological Maslov index for 3-graded Lie groups (Q2491624)

Generalizing the classical Maslov index, \textit{J.-L. Clerc} and the second author introduced a Maslov index \(\mu: S^3\to {\mathbb Z}\) for each finite-dimensional bounded symmetric domain~\({\mathcal D}\) of tube type, where~\(S\) is the Shilov boundary of~\({\mathcal D}\) [see Transform. Groups 6, 303--320 (2001; Zbl 1078.53076), also \textit{J.-L. Clerc}, J. Math.\ Pure Appl.\ 83, 99--114 (2004; Zbl 1061.53056)]. The article under review describes an index function generalizing the Maslov index, which makes sense just as well in infinite-dimensional situations. In particular, an index function is obtained for each bounded symmetric domain of tube type in a Banach space. The new construction requires as its input an involutive \(3\)-graded Banach-Lie group \((G, D ,\tau)\) satisfying some technical conditions (A1--3) which we assume satisfied here (although (A1) and (A2) shall not be stated). Thus~\(G\) is a Banach-Lie group with Lie algebra \({\mathfrak g}\), and \(D\in \text{ad}\,{\mathfrak g}\) a diagonalizable inner derivation with eigenvalues \(-1,0,1\), whose eigenspaces define a \(3\)-grading \({\mathfrak g}= {\mathfrak g}_{-1}\oplus {\mathfrak g}_0\oplus {\mathfrak g}_{+1}\), i.e., \([{\mathfrak g}_j, {\mathfrak g}_k] \subseteq {\mathfrak g}_{j+k}\) for all \(j,k\). Furthermore, \(\tau\) is an involutive automorphism of~\(G\) such that \(L(\tau)({\mathfrak g}_j)= {\mathfrak g}_{-j}\) for \(j \in \{-1,0,1\}\). Then the ternary operation \(\{x,y,z\}:=\frac{1}{2}[[x,L(\tau).y],z]\) makes \(V:={\mathfrak g}_1\) a Jordan triple system. Let \(G^\pm:=\exp_G({\mathfrak g}_{\pm 1})\) and \(G^0:=\{g\in G: (\forall j)\;\text{Ad}(g){\mathfrak g}_j= {\mathfrak g}_j\}\); these are Lie subgroups of~\(G\) corresponding to \({\mathfrak g}_{\pm 1}\) and \({\mathfrak g}_0\). A pair \((z,w)\in V^2\) is called quasi-invertible if \(\exp_G(-L(\tau).w)\exp_G(z)\in G^+G^0G^-\). The product map \(G^+\times G^0\times G^-\to G^+G^0G^-\) being a bijection (and in fact a diffeomorphism onto an open subset of~\(G\)), for \((z,w)\) quasi-invertible there is a unique element \(B_G(z,w)\in G^0\) such that \(\exp_G(-L(\tau).w)\exp_G(z)\in G^+B_G(z,w)^{-1}G^-\). Write \(V^3_\top\) for the set of all \((z_1,z_2,z_3)\in V^3\) such that \((z_j,z_k)\) is quasi-invertible for all \(j\not=k\), and \(d_G: V_\top^3\to G^0\) for the map taking \((x,y,z)\) to \[ B_G(x,y)B_G(z,y)^{-1}B_G(z,x)B_G(y,x)^{-1} B_G(y,z)B_G(x,z)^{-1}. \] Let \(S\) be the set of all invertible tripotents in~\(V\), i.e., elements \(e\in V\) such that \(\{e,e,e\}=e\) and \(Q(e): V\to V\), \(x\mapsto \{e,x,e\}\) is an invertible operator. Given \((x,y,z)\in S^3_\top:=S^3\cap V^3_\top\), the authors show that \((tx,ty,tz)\in V^3_\top\) for each \(t\in [0,1]\). This enables a path \([0,1]\to G^0\), \(t\mapsto d_G(tx,ty,tz)\) to be defined, which is in fact a loop, because hypothesis (A3) requires that \(d_G(S^3_\top)=\{1\}\). Writing \(\mu_G(x,y,z)\) for the homotopy class of this loop, one obtains a map \(\mu_G: S^3_\top\to \pi_1(G^0)\), called the topological Maslov index. To calculate \(\mu_G\) more explicitly, the authors show that \(\mu_G\) is constant on each connected component of \(S^3_\top\). They also show that each component contains an element of the form \((e,-e,\sigma)\) and satisfying some additional conditions (described in Theorem~3.9), which ensure that \(\mu_G(e,-e,\sigma)\) simply is the homotopy class of the continuous homomorphism \({\mathbb T}={\mathbb R}/{\mathbb Z}\to G^0\), \(t\mapsto \exp_G(-\pi t[\sigma,L(\tau).e])\). In the case of a finite-dimensional irreducible bounded symmetric domain~\({\mathcal D}\) of tube type, the usual Maslov index \(\mu: S^3\to {\mathbb Z}\) can be recovered from the topological Maslov index~\(\mu_G\) as a scalar multiple of \(\pi_1(\det\circ \rho_V)\circ \mu_G: S^3_\top\to\pi_1({\mathbb C}^\times)\cong {\mathbb Z}\), where \(\rho_V: G^0\to \text{GL}(V)\), \(g\mapsto \text{Ad}_G(g)| _V\) and \(\det : \text{GL}(V)\to {\mathbb C}^\times\).