Richness of Smith equivalent modules for finite gap Oliver groups (Q350571)

Motivated by a question of \textit{P. A. Smith} [Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 66, 401--415 (1960; Zbl 0096.37501)], two real \(G\) modules \(U\) and \(V\) of a finite (or even a compact Lie group) are said to be Smith equivalent (\(U \sim V\) and \([U] - [V] \in \mathrm{Sm}(G) \subseteq \mathrm{RO}(G)\)) if there is a smooth action of \(G\) on a homotopy sphere \(\Sigma\), so that the fixed point set \(\Sigma^G\) consists of exactly two points \(a\) and \(b\), and the tangent representations at these fixed points are \(T_a\Sigma \cong U\) and \(T_b\Sigma \cong V\). There is an extensive literature on both situations, when Smith equivalent representations must be isomorphic, and what pairs of non-isomorphic Smith equivalent representations there are. Let \(\mathcal P(G)\) be the set of subgroups of \(G\) of prime power order. The author says that \(U\) and \(V\) are \(\mathcal P(G)\)-connectively Smith equivalent \((U \sim_\mathcal P V\) and \([U] - [V] \in \mathrm{PSm}^c(G)\)) if \(\Sigma^P\) is connected for all \(P \in \mathcal P(G)\). Set \[ \mathrm{RO}(G)_{\mathcal P(G)} = \ker\left( \oplus_{P\in \mathcal P(G)} \mathrm{Res}^G_P: \mathrm{RO}(G) \to \oplus_{P\in \mathcal P(G)} \mathrm{RO}(P) \right). \] \textit{M. Morimoto} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 136, No. 10, 3683--3688 (2008; Zbl 1151.55003)] constructs a group \(\mathrm{RO}(G)^{\{\cap2(G)\}}\), and \(\mathrm{Sm}(G)\) is a subset of \(\mathrm{RO}(G)^{\{\cap2(G)\}}\). The author's main result is Theorem. If \(G\) has a quotient group of a certain kind (the quotient is a gap Oliver group that satisfies a Nil-\(\mathcal P\)-condition), then \[ \mathrm{PSm}^c(G) = \mathrm{RO}(G)^{\{\cap2(G)\}} \cap \mathrm{RO}(G)_{\mathcal P(G)}. \] In a second theorem, the author provides groups that satisfy the conditions alluded to above.