No label defined (Q4032322)

The author pursues a classification program for stable planes \(S\) with automorphism groups of large dimension. A stable plane is a topological planar geometry where two points are joined by a unique line but intersection of lines exists only locally, i.e. the intersecting pairs form an open set. The point space is assumed to be locally compact and of finite positive covering dimension. The projective case (where lines do intersect) is characterized by compactness of the point set. For this case, a similar program has been carried out mainly by Salzmann, Betten and Hähl [see \textit{H. Salzmann}, Forum Math. 2, No. 1, 15-34 (1990; Zbl 0684.51012) and Can. J. Math. 39, 908-919 (1987; Zbl 0641.51006)]. It is known that the automorphism group \(\Gamma=\Aut S\) of a stable plane is a locally compact transformation group [the reviewer, Geom. Dedicata 5, 239-294 (1976; Zbl 0344.50003)], and the author observes that this group has finite dimension, so that Lie structure theory becomes available via approximation. This is particularly useful if one considers a semisimple subgroup \(\Delta\leq\Gamma\), because one may then use the classification of simple Lie groups and their representations. The present paper deals with the opposite case of a solvable subgroup \(\Delta\). The main result is that \(\dim \Delta\) is then at most 5/2 times the dimension \(d\) of the point set of the plane. (If \(d=8\), then even the bound 18 is obtained). The bounds are sharp for \(d \leq 4\), but probably not in the remaining cases \(d \in \{8,16\}\). The tools used are earlier results of the author on dimension bounds for abelian groups [Result. Math. 23, No. 3-4, 387-397 (1993; Zbl 0784.51013)] and on centralizers of quasi-perspective groups [Compact groups of automorphisms of stable planes, to appear in Forum Math.]. A group is said to be quasi- perspective (or `straight' in most recent articles) if each orbit is contained in a line. Moreover, results of the reviewer [Math. Ann. 236, 15-28 (1978; Zbl 0362.57005)] and of the author [J. Geom. 44, No. 1/2, 184-200 (1992; Zbl 0757.51014)] on planar groups (i.e., groups fixing some subplane pointwise) are used. Meanwhile, the work of the author has led to a first conclusive result. In his Habilitationsschrift, he proves that the classical projective, punctured projective and affine planes over, \(\mathbb{R}\), \(\mathbb{C}\), \(\mathbb{H}\) and \(\mathbb{O}\) are characterized as the stable planes with automorphism groups of maximal or next-to-maximal dimensions.