No label defined (Q4032315)

Let \(G_ p(\mathbb{C}^ n)\) denote the Grassmann manifold of \(p\)-dimensional subspaces of \(\mathbb{C}^ n\). This manifold carries a natural Kähler structure inherited by the projective embedding in the projective space of \(\wedge^ p(\mathbb{C}^ n)\). The action of the unitary group \(U(n)\) on the Grassmann manifold is a Hamiltonian action, so that one obtains a moment map \(\Phi: G_ p(\mathbb{C}^ n)\to {\mathfrak u}(n)^*\). If \(U\subseteq U(n)\) is a subgroup, then we obtain a moment map \(\Phi_{\mathfrak u}: G_ p(\mathbb{C}^ n)\to {\mathfrak u}^*\) by restricting linear functions on \({\mathfrak u}(n)\) to \(\mathfrak u\). Now let \(G = Gl(n,\mathbb{R})\), \(H\subseteq G\) a closed subgroup invariant under transposition, and \(U\subseteq U(n)\) a compact real form of the complexification \(H_{\mathbb{C}}\). The real Grassmannian \(G_ p(\mathbb{R}^ n)\) is a \(G\)-orbit \(G/P\) in \(G_ p(\mathbb{C}^ n)\). The author describes several examples where the following behaviour occurs: \(H\) has at least two open orbits on \(G/P\), \(\Phi_{\mathfrak u}(G/P)\) is convex, \(\Phi_{\mathfrak u}(HP/P)\) is the relative interior of this set, and the restriction to the open \(H\)-orbit \(HP/P\) is a diffeomorphism onto its image. The author also observes that these properties of the moment mapping are closely related to the fact that the semigroup \(S = \{g \in G: gHP \subseteq HP\}\) of compressions of the open \(H\)-orbit has interior points or is big in some sense. The convexity properties of the moment map observed here are special cases of a convexity theorem proved by \textit{J. Hilgert} [A convexity theorem for boundaries of ordered symmetric spaces, Can. J. Math. (to appear)]. These results provide some new insights in the convexity properties of the moment map for Hamiltonian actions of non-abelian compact groups.