The gap phenomenon in parabolic geometries (Q507465)

A Riemannian metric on a connected manifold of dimension \(n\) admits a symmetry algebra of dimension at most \(d := \binom{n+1}{2}\) and this maximum is attained for spaces of constant curvatures. It is well-known that the submaximal dimension (the second-largest possible dimension) is strictly less than \(d-1\). A similar phenomenon occurs in other geometric structures and has been investigated for a long time. In this article, the authors consider this ``symmetry gap problem'' for the infinitesimal symmetric algebra in parabolic geometries -- special Cartan geometries defined by real or complex semisimple Lie groups and a parabolic subgroup. Building on ideas of \textit{A. Čap} and \textit{K. Neusser} [Differ. Geom. Appl. 27, No. 6, 769--779 (2009; Zbl 1190.58004)] they develop a very general framework for determining the second largest possible dimension. (The largest dimension equals the group dimension and is attained for flat geometries.) The authors establish a universal upper bound for this dimension which is sharp in almost all complex or split-real cases and can be efficiently computed. Their approach is capable of recovering numerous classical results for particular examples of parabolic geometries but also yields the submaximal dimension in a wealth of cases for which it was hitherto unknown.