Lower bounds for the immersion dimension of homogeneous spaces (Q5930694)

Let \(X\) be a connected compact oriented \(2n\)-dimensional manifold and \(ch(X)\) the image of the Chern character \(ch : K(X) \to H^*(X;Q)\). To each \(d \in H^2(X;Q)\) and \(z \in ch(X)\) one assigns the so-called Hilbert polynomial \(H(t) \in Q[t]\) of degree \(\leq n\). For \(q \in Q\) write \(\nu_2(q)\) for the exponent of \(2\) as a prime factor of \(q\). Then a result of \textit{K. H. Mayer} [Topology 4, 295-313 (1965; Zbl 0173.25903)] says that \(X\) cannot be immersed into Euclidean space of dimension \(-2\nu_2(H({1\over 2})) - 1\) and cannot be embedded into Euclidean space of dimension \(-2\nu_2(H({1\over 2}))\). The main results of the present paper deal with the explicit evaluation of the numbers \(\nu_2(H({1\over 2}))\) for the case where \(X\) is a homogeneous space of a compact Lie group. As a consequence, the author derives new concrete non-immersion theorems for flag manifolds and other homogeneous spaces.