Lipschitz minimality of the multiplication maps of unit complex, quaternion and octonion numbers (Q395750)

A map \(f:M\to N\) between two metric spaces \((M,d_M)\) and \((N,d_N)\) is a Lipschitz map if there is \(C>0\) such that \(d_N(f(x_1),f(x_2))\leq Cd_M(x_1,x_2)\) for any \(x_1,x_2\in M\). The smallest such constant \(C\) is called the Lipschitz constant of \(f\) and denoted by \(L_f(M)\). If a Lipschitz map has the smallest Lipschitz constant in its homotopy class, then it is called a Lipschitz minimizer. The author studies the multiplication maps on some compact groups which are Lipschitz constant minimizers in their homotopy classes. Namely, he considers the multiplication groups on the spheres \(S^1,S^3, S^7\) induced by the multiplication of complex numbers, quaternions and octonions. The following result is proved. The Lipschitz constant of any map \(f:S^n\times S^n\to S^n\;(n=1,3,7)\) homotopic to the multiplication map \(m\) of unit complex, quaternion or octonion numbers is at least \( \sqrt{2}\), with equality if and only if \(f\) is isometric to \(m\). The proof is based on some results of R. Olivier and M. Gromov about Lipschitz minimality and of J. A. Wolf, J. C. Wong and H. Gluck about the extensions of \(f\) and \(m\) to isometric fibrations on \(\sqrt{2} S^{2n+1}\).