\(E_7\), Wirtinger inequalities, Cayley 4-form, and homotopy (Q2518253)

This paper deals with systolic inequalities for the projective spaces over the division algebras \(\mathbb R\), \(\mathbb C\), and \(\mathbb H\). The authors exploit a map of classifying spaces \(BS^1\to BS^3\) so as to relate the systolic ratios of the quaternionic projective space and the complex projective space, and to relate the quaternionic projective space and a hypothetical Joyce manifold (with Spin(7)-holonomy) with \(b_4=1\). They study optimal curvature-free inequalities of the type discovered by C.~ Loewner and M.~Gromov, using a generalization of the Wirtinger inequality for the comass. Using a model for the classifying space \(BS^3\) built inductively out of \(BS^1\), the authors prove that the symmetric metrics of certain two-point homogeneous manifolds turn out not to be the systolically optimal metrics on those manifolds. By calculating the Wirtinger constants for \(\mathbb R^8\) the authors show that the common value of the optimal systolic ratio for \(\mathbb H\mathbb P^2\) and \(\mathbb C\mathbb P^4\) satisfies \(6\leq \text{SR}_4(\mathbb H\mathbb P^2) = \text{SR}_4(\mathbb C\mathbb P^4)\leq 14\). The constant \(14\) is twice the dimension of the Cartan subalgebra of the exceptional Lie algebra \(E_7\).