Two-stage spaces and the torus rank conjecture (Q260540)

From the introduction: ``The torus rank conjecture [states] that if a nilpotent finite dimensional CW-complex \(X\) admits an almost free \(T^n\) action, then \[ \text{dim} ~H(X; \mathbb{Q}) \geq 2^n. \] [...] There is an algebraic version of this conjecture. If \(M\) is an \(m\)-dimensional compact manifold, then there is an almost free \(T^n\) action on \(M\) if there exists a relative Sullivan algebra of the form \[ (\Lambda(x_1,x_2,\dots, x_n), 0)\rightarrow (\Lambda(x_1,x_2,\dots, x_n)\otimes \Lambda V, D) \rightarrow (\Lambda V, d), \] where \(|x_i|=2\), \((\Lambda V, d)\) is a minimal model of \(M\) and the cohomology groups \(H^\ast(\Lambda(x_1,x_2,\dots, x_n)\otimes \Lambda V, D)\) are finite dimensional.'' The conjecture was proved when \(n\geq 3\) for any \(X\) in [\textit{C. Allday} and \textit{V. Puppe}, Cohomological Methods in Transformation groups. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1993; Zbl 0799.55001)], and when \(n\geq 1\) but only for homogeneous spaces of a compact Lie group or spaces with the hard Lefschetz property in [\textit{C. Allday} and \textit{V. Puppe}, Lect. Notes Math. 1217, 1--10 (1986; Zbl 0612.55014)]. In the present paper the authors prove the conjecture for special families of two-stage spaces, the minimal model of which by definition is of the form \((\Lambda V\otimes \Lambda W, D)\) with \(D(V)=0\) and \(D(W)\subset \Lambda V\). The method here is to use the algebraic Serre spectral sequence of a K-S extension. The authors also use a key result of [\textit{C. Allday} and \textit{S. Halperin}, Q. J. Math. 29, 63--76 (1978; Zbl 0395.57024)] which states that \[ n\leq \text{dim}~ V^{\text{odd}}-\text{dim} ~V^{\text{even}}. \]