On the dimension of some real spaces of bounded rank matrices (Q616288)

The problem studied in the paper is related to a more general problem consisting to find the maximal dimension of a linear subspace of a given set of matrices verifying some algebraic conditions (e.g. symmetry or boundedness of rank). This question arise naturally in other particular problems: the problem to find independent vector fields on a sphere [solved by \textit{J. F. Adams, P. Lax} and \textit{R. Phillips}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 16, 318--322 (1965; Zbl 0168.02404)], spectral problems [\textit{S. Friedland, J. Robbin, J. Sylvester}, Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 37, 19--37 (1984; Zbl 0507.15009)], or the study of spaces of bilinear maps [\textit{K. Y. Lam, P. Yiu}, Linear Algebra Appl. 195, 69--79 (1993; Zbl 0795.15007)]. The paper under review is dealing with the sets of hermitian or real matrices of rank at least \(n-1\). The interest of the problem comes from the study of the kernel of a cup-product map on a compact variety without Albanese fibrations [see the author's paper Manuscr. Math. 121, No.~2, 157--168 (2006; Zbl 1107.32006)]. For an even \(n\), the author give a sharp estimate on the maximal dimension of the vector subspace. The arguments use the isomorphism ring of reduced K-theory of the associated projective space.