The Jordan normal form of Osserman algebraic curvature tensors (Q5954151)

Let \((M,g)\) be a Riemannian manifold with Riemann curvature \(R\). To every unit vector \(X\) tangent to \(M\), one can associate the Jacobi operator \(R_X: Y\mapsto R(Y,X)X\), which is a symmetric endomorphism. \((M,g)\) is said to be an \textit{Osserman space} if the eigenvalues of \(R_X\) and their multiplicities are independent of the unit vector \(X\). This is the case for spaces locally isometric to a two-point homogeneous space. R. Osserman conjectured that these are the only ones. For \(\dim M\neq 4k\), \(k\geq 2\), this was proved by Chi. Recently, Y. Nikolayevsky has announced a proof also for the case when \(\dim M=4k\), \(k\neq 4\). In the pseudo-Riemannian context, the situation is essentially different. A manifold \((M,g)\) of signature \((p,q)\) is said to be spacelike, resp. timelike, Osserman if the eigenvalues of \(R_X\) are independent of the unit spacelike, resp. timelike, vector \(X\). For Lorentz manifolds (\(p=1\) or \(q=1\)), spacelike or timelike Osserman manifolds must have constant sectional curvature. For higher signature (\(p\geq 2\) and \(q\geq 2\)) counterexamples to the pseudo-Riemannian analogue of Osserman's conjecture have been found. For such signatures, the eigenvalues of \(R_X\) and their multiplicities no longer determine the Jordan normal form of \(R_X\). This has led to the introduction of spacelike, resp. timelike, Jordan Osserman spaces, i.e., spaces for which the Jordan normal form of \(R_X\) is independent of the spacelike, resp. timelike, unit vector \(X\). In this paper, the authors make an algebraic, i.e., `pointwise', study of Osserman-type properties for signature \((p,q)\), \(p,q\geq 2\). First, they show that any algebraic curvature tensor can be built from some symmetric or anti-symmetric bilinear form. Next, they use this representation of algebraic curvature tensors to clarify the relations between the different kinds of Osserman conditions (at least on the algebraic level) and to show the existence of algebraic Jordan Osserman curvature tensors having arbitrary Jordan normal form.