The rational zero-divisor cup-length of oriented partial flag manifolds (Q6088285)

For a space \(X\) and a field \(K\), the \textit{\(K\)-cup-length of \(X\)} is defined as the maximal number of cohomology classes of positive degree whose cup product in \(H^*(X;K)\) is nonzero. Similarly, the \textit{\(K\)-zero-divisor cup-length of \(X\)} is the maximal number of elements of positive degree in \(\ker(\cup:H^*(X;K)\otimes H^*(X;K)\rightarrow H^*(X;K))\) with nonzero product in the algebra \(H^*(X;K)\otimes H^*(X;K)\) (where \(\cup\) is the cup product). The main reason for studying these invariants is the fact that the former one is a lower bound for the Lyusternik-Shnirel'man category of \(X\), and the latter one is a lower bound for the topological complexity of \(X\). In the paper under review the author calculates the \(\mathbb Q\)-cup-length and \(\mathbb Q\)-zero-divisor cup-length of oriented flag manifolds \(\widetilde F(n_1,\ldots,n_k)\). These manifolds consist of \(k\)-tuples \((V_1,\ldots,V_k)\) of oriented mutually orthogonal subspaces of \(\mathbb R^n\), where \(\dim V_k=n_k\) and \(n=n_1+\dots+n_k\), such that the induced orientation on \(V_1\oplus\dots\oplus V_k=\mathbb R^n\) coincides with the standard orientation of \(\mathbb R^n\). A special case (when \(k=2\)) is the Grassmann manifold \(\widetilde G_{n_1+n_2,n_1}\) of oriented \(n_1\)-dimensional subspaces in \(\mathbb R^{n_1+n_2}\). The value of \(\mathbb Q\)-zero-divisor cup-length of \(\widetilde F(n_1,\ldots,n_k)\) is then exhibited in the paper as a lower bound for the topological complexity of \(\widetilde F(n_1,\ldots,n_k)\). The \(\mathbb Z_2\)-zero-divisor cup-length of Grassmannians \(\widetilde G_{n,2}\) is also computed, and it turns out that better lower bounds for topological complexity of \(\widetilde G_{n,2}\) are provided with \(\mathbb Q\) coefficients. In contrast, for Grassmannians \(\widetilde G_{n,3}\) the author shows that in, loosely speaking, half of the cases, better lower bounds give \(\mathbb Z_2\)-zero-divisor cup-lengths (although the exact value of \(\mathbb Z_2\)-zero-divisor cup-length of \(\widetilde G_{n,3}\) is not determined).