Cohomogeneity one manifolds with positive Euler characteristic (Q367152)

A Riemannian manifold \(M\) with an action of a Lie group \(G\) is of homogeneity one if there is a \(G\)-orbit \(G/H \subset M\) of codimension one. Some exceptional holonomy groups occur on manifolds of cohomogeneity one but do not exist on homogeneous manifolds. The article under review classifies the manifolds \(M\) of cohomogeneity one with positive Euler characteristic \(e(M)\), which are acted on by a classical simple Lie group \(G\). More precisely, the work studies compact \(M\) with \(M / G = [-1, 1]\). They have two singular orbits \(G/ K_{\pm}\). Let us choose normal unit discs \(D_{\pm}\) to \(G/ K_{\pm}\) and consider the tubular neighborhoods \(G \times _{K_{\pm}} D_{\pm}\). If \(H\) is the generic isotropy group then the manifold \(M \simeq (G \times _{K_-} D_-) \cup _{G/H} (G \times _{K_+} D_+)\) is obtained from these tubular neighborhoods by gluing them along the common boundary \(G/H\) over \(0 \in [-1,1] = M / G\). In such a way, the manifold \(M\) is determined by the group diagram \(G \supset K_-, K_+ \supset H\), as far as the action of \(K_{\pm}\) on the sphere \(\partial D_{\pm} = K_{\pm} / H\) is linear and extends to \(D_{\pm}\). A cohomogeneity-one \(G\)-manifold \(M\) is primitive if for any group diagram \(G \supset K_-, K_+ \supset H\) of \(M\) there is no subgroup \(L \subset G\) containing \(K_-\) and \(K_+\). Two cohomogeneity-one \(G\)-manifolds \(M_1\) and \(M_2\) are orbit equivalent if there exist a diffeomorphism \(\psi : M_2 \rightarrow M_2\) and a group automorphism \(\varphi : G \rightarrow G\), such that \(\psi (gp) = \varphi (g) \psi (p)\) for all \(p \in M_1\) and all \(g \in G\). Let \(G\) be a compact connected Lie group, \(M\) a primitive \(G\)-manifold of cohomogeneity one with positive Euler characteristic and \(M / G = [ -1,1]\). If no normal subgroup of \(G\) acts orbit equivalently and \(G\) is not simple then \(M\) and \(G\) are shown to satisfy one of the following conditions: {\parindent=0.8cm\begin{itemize}\item[(i)] \(M\) is an even-dimensional sphere with a sum action of \(G\); \item[(ii)] \(M\) is the quotient of an odd-dimensional sphere with sum action by a subgroup of \(G\) of rank \(1\); \item[(iii)] \(G\) is covered by the product \(G'\times S^3\) of a simple Lie group \(G'\) and the \(3\)-dimensional sphere \(S^3\), while \(M\) has a singular \(G\)-orbit of codimension \(3\). \end{itemize}} The main result of the article is the classification of simply connected manifolds of positive Euler characteristic with a primitive, almost effective cohomogeneity-one action by a classical simple Lie group \(G\). Up to an outer automorphism of \(G\) and \(G\)-equivariance, \(M\) is proved to be one of the following: {\parindent=0.8cm\begin{itemize}\item[(a)] a symmetric space, \item[(b)] a Grassmannian,\item[(c)] \(\mathrm{Sp}(n+1) /\mathrm{Sp}(n-k+1)\mathrm {U}(k)\),\item[(d)]\(\mathrm{SO}(n+1) /\mathrm{SO}(n-2k+1)\mathrm{U}(k)\), \item[(e)] one of the \(24\) non-homogeneous spaces, described by an explicit group diagram \(G \supset K_-, K_+ \supset H\). \end{itemize}} The aforementioned \(24\) group diagrams are: {\parindent=0.8cm \begin{itemize}\item[(1)] \(G =\mathrm{SU}(3) \supset\mathrm{SO}(3)\), \(S(\mathrm{U}(1) \mathrm{U}(2)) \supset S^1\) with \(e(M) =3\), \item[(2)] \(G =\mathrm{SU}(3) \supset\mathrm{SO}(3)\), \(T^2 \supset S^1\) with \(e(M) =6\), \item[(3)] \(G =\mathrm{SU}(3) \supset\mathbb Z_3 \mathrm{SO}(3)\), \(T^2 \supset \mathbb Z_3\mathrm{SO}(2)\) with \(e(M) =6\), \item[(4)] \(G =\mathrm{SU}(4) \supset S(\mathrm{U}(2)\mathrm{U}(2))\), \(S(\mathrm{U}(1) \mathrm{U}(3)) \supset S^1\mathrm{SU}(2)\) with \(e(M) =10\), where \(S^1 = \{\operatorname{diag}( \overline{z} ^2, z^4, \overline{z}, \overline{z}) \} \subset\mathrm{N}( \mathrm{SU}(2))\), \item[(5)] \(G =\mathrm{SU}(4) \supset \sigma (S (\mathrm{U}(1) \mathrm{U}(3)))\), \(S(\mathrm{U}(1)\mathrm{U}(3)) \supset S^1\) with \(e(M) =8\), where \(S^1 = \{\operatorname{diag}( \overline{z}, z, 1,1) \}\), \(\sigma\) exchanges the first two coordinates, \item[(6)] \(G =\mathrm{SU}(n) \supset \sigma (\mathrm{U}(n-1))\), \(\mathrm{U}(n-1) \supset S^1 \mathrm{SU}(n-2)\) with \(n \geq 5\), \(e(M) = 2n\), where \(S^1 = \{ \operatorname{diag}( \overline{z}, z, 1, \ldots , 1) \}\), \(\sigma\) exchanges the first two coordinates, \item[(7)] \(G =\mathrm{SU}(n) \supset S(\mathrm{U}(2) \mathrm{U}(n-2))\), \(\mathrm{U}(n-1) \supset S^1\mathrm{SU}(n-2)\) with \(n \geq 5\), \(e(M) = \frac{n(n+1)}{2}\), where \(S^1=\{ \operatorname{diag} ( \overline{z} ^{n-2}, z^{n-2}, \overline{z}, \ldots , \overline{z}) \} \subset\mathrm{N}(\mathrm{SU}(n-2))\), \item[(8)] \(G =\mathrm{Spin} (7) \supset\mathrm{U}(3)\), \(\mathrm{SO}(2)\mathrm{SO}(5) \supset S^1 _k\mathrm{SU}(2)\) with \(e(M) =14\), where \(S^1 _k = \{ \operatorname{diag}( z^2, z^k, z^k, 1) \},\) \(k \in \{ 1, -3 \}\) and \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\) has trivial action on \(\mathbb Re_1\), \(\mathbb R e_2\), \(\mathbb R e_7\), \item[(9)] \(G =\mathrm{Spin} (7) \supset G_2\), \(\mathrm{SO}(6) \supset\mathrm{SU}(3)\) with \(e(M) =2\), \item[(10)] \(G =\mathrm{Spin} (7) \supset G_2\), \(\mathrm{U}(3) \supset\mathrm{SU}(3)\) with \(e(M) =8\), \item[(11)] \(G =\mathrm{Spin} (9) \supset\mathrm{U}(2)\mathrm{SO}(5)\), \(\mathrm{SO}(5)\mathrm{U}(2) \supset\mathrm{SU}(2) S^1 _H\mathrm{SU}(2)\) with \(e(M) = 48\), where \(S^1 _H = \{\operatorname{diag}(z ^{l_1}, z^{l_1}, 1, z^{l_2}, z^{l_2} ) \}\), \((l_1, l_2) = (2,1)\) or \((1,1)\), \item[(12)] \(G=\mathrm{SO}(7)\supset G_2\), \(\mathrm{U}(3) \supset\mathrm{SU}(3)\), with \(e(M) =8\), \item[(13)] \(G=\mathrm{SO}(8)\supset \operatorname{Spin}(7)\), \(\mathrm{U}(4)\supset\mathrm{SU}(4)\) with \(e(M) =8\), \item[(14)] \(G=\mathrm{SO}(9)\supset S^1 G_2\), \(\mathrm{U}(4) \supset S^1\mathrm{SU}(3)\) with \(e(M)=16\), \item[(15)] \(G=\mathrm{SO}(10)\supset S^1\operatorname{Spin}(7)\), \(\mathrm{U}(5)\supset S^1\mathrm{SU}(4)\) with \(e(M) =16\), \item[(16)] \(G=\mathrm{SO}(2n)\supset\sigma (\mathrm{U}(n)\), \(\mathrm{U}(n)\supset S^1\mathrm{SU}(n-1)\) with \(n \geq 4\), \(e(M)=2^{n+1}\), where \(S^1=\{ \operatorname{diag}( z, 1, \ldots ,1) \}\) or \(\operatorname{diag}(1, z, \ldots , z) \}\) and \(\sigma\) is the conjugation by \(\operatorname{diag}(-1,1, \ldots , 1)\), \item[(17)] \(G=\mathrm{SO}(2n)\supset\mathrm{SO}(3)S^1\mathrm{SU}(n-2)\), \(\mathrm{SO}(2)\mathrm{U}(n-1)\supset T^2\mathrm{SU}(n-2)\) with \(n \geq 4\), \(e(M)=n 2^{n-1}\), where \(S^1=\operatorname{diag}(1, 1, 1, 1, z, \ldots , z) \}\), \(T^2=\{\operatorname{diag} (z, 1, \ldots , 1) \}\cdot S^1\) and \(\mathrm{SO}(3)\) is the upper left block, \item[(18)] \(G=\mathrm{SO}(2n+1)\supset\mathrm{U}(2)\mathrm{SO}(2n-3)\), \(\mathrm{SO}(2)\mathrm{SO}(2n-2)\supset\mathrm{SO}(2)\mathrm{SO}(2n-3)\) with \(n\geq 3\), \(e(M)=2n(n+1)\), \item[(19)] \(G=\mathrm{SO}(2n+1)\supset\mathrm{SO}(3)S^1\mathrm{SU}(n-2)\), \(\mathrm{SO}(2)\mathrm{U}(n-1)\supset T^2\mathrm{SU}(n-2)\) with \(n\geq 3\), \(e(M)=n 2^n\), where \(S^1=\{\operatorname{diag}(1,1,1,z, \ldots , z)\},\) \(T^2=\{\operatorname{diag}(1, z, z^2, 1, \ldots , 1) \}\cdot S^1\), \(\mathrm{SO}(5)\) is the upper left block, \(\mathrm{SO}(3)\hookrightarrow\mathrm{SO}(5)\) is irreducible, \item[(20)] \(G=\mathrm{Sp}(n)\supset\mathrm{Sp}(n-2)\mathrm{SO}(2)\Delta\mathrm{Sp}(1)\), \(\mathrm{Sp}(n-1)\mathrm{Sp}(1)\supset\mathrm{Sp}(n-2)\Delta\mathrm{Sp}(1)\) with \(n \geq 2\), \(e(M)=n(2n-1)\), where \(\Delta\mathrm{Sp}(1)\) is the diagonal \(\mathrm{Sp}(1)\) in the upper left \(\mathrm{Sp}(2)\)-block and \(\mathrm{SO}(2)\) is the standard \(\mathrm{SO}(2)\) in this block, \item[(21)] \(G=\mathrm{Sp}(2)\supset\mathrm{SO}(2)\Delta\mathrm{Sp}(1)\), \(\mathbb Z_2\mathrm{Sp}(1)\mathrm{Sp}(1)\supset\mathbb Z_2\Delta\mathrm{Sp}(1)\) with \(e(M)=8\), \(\mathbb Z_2\) generated by \(\left( \begin{matrix} 0 & 1 \\ 1 & 0 \end{matrix} \right)\), \(\mathrm{SO}(2)\) and \(\Delta\mathrm{Sp}(1)\) as above, \item[(22)] \(G=\mathrm{Sp}(n)\supset\mathrm{U}(2)\mathrm{Sp}(n-2)\), \(S^1\mathrm{Sp}(n-1)\supset S^1\mathrm{Sp}(n-2)\) with \(n \geq 2\), \(e(M)=2n^2\), \(S^1=\{\operatorname{diag}(z, \overline{z}^2, 1, \ldots ,1) \}\), \item[(23)] \(\mathrm{Sp}(n)\supset\mathrm{Sp}(1)\mathrm{Sp}(n-2)\), \(S^1\mathrm{Sp}(n-1)\supset S^1 _H\mathrm{Sp}(n-2)\) with \(n\geq 2\), \(e(M)= 3^n\), where \(S^1 _H=\operatorname{diag}(z, z^3, 1, \ldots , 1) \}\), \(\mathrm{Sp}(1)\hookrightarrow\mathrm{Sp}(2)\) is the upper left block, given by the irreducible \(\mathrm{SO}(3)\hookrightarrow\mathrm{SO}(5)\), \item[(24)] \(G=\mathrm{Sp}(n)\supset S^1\mathrm{SO}'(3)\mathrm{Sp}(n-3)\), \(T^2\mathrm{Sp}(n-2)\supset T^2 _H\mathrm{Sp}(n-3)\) with \(n\geq 2\), \(e(M)=4n(n-1)\), where \(S^1=\{\operatorname{diag}(z,z,z,1, \ldots , 1) \},\) \(T^2 _H=\{ \operatorname{diag}(1,z,\overline{z}, 1, \ldots , 1) \}\cdot S^1\), \(\mathrm{SO}'(3)\) is the conjugation of the standard upper left \(\mathrm{SO}(3)\)-block by \(\left( \begin{matrix} 1 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 1 & i \\ 0 & 1 & -i \end{matrix} \right)\). \end{itemize}}