Semifree actions on spheres (Q5900404)

The author studies smooth semifree actions of finite groups on spheres (semifreeness means that stabilizier of every nonfixed point is trivial). In the present paper smooth semifree actions of finite cyclic groups whose sets of fixed points are smooth submanifolds of codimension two are explored. All such submanifolds turn out to be rational homology spheres, while the quotient spaces by such actions are branched coverings over simply connected manifolds. The author shows that any boundary of an isolated singularity of a complex algebraic affine hypersurface having the structure of a rational homology sphere can be the set of fixed points of some smooth semifree action on a (possibly homotopy) sphere.