Spherical gradient manifolds (Q624783)

Let \(U\) be a compact real form of the reductive complex Lie group \(U^{\mathbb C}\) and let \(G\) be a closed subgroup of \(U^{\mathbb C}\), \(K:=G\cap U\), \(\mathfrak{p}:=\mathfrak{g}\cap i\mathfrak{u}\), such that the Cartan decomposition of \(U^{\mathbb C}\) restricts to a diffeomorphism \(K\times\mathfrak{p}\rightarrow G=K\exp(\mathfrak p)\). Assume that \(U^{\mathbb C}\) operates holomorphically on a Kähler manifold \(Z\) such that the Kähler form is \(U\)-invariant and the \(U\)-action is Hamiltonian with respect to a real-analytic \(U\)-equivariant moment map \(\mu: Z\rightarrow \mathfrak u^*\). Let \(X\) be a (connected) \(G\)-invariant real-analytic submanifold of \(Z\) and \(\mu_{\mathfrak p}:=\mu_{|X}: X\rightarrow \mathfrak p\), thereby identifying \((i\mathfrak u)^*\) with \(\mathfrak u\) via an \(U\)-invariant inner product. The authors call \(\mu_{\mathfrak p}\) a \(G\)-gradient map and \(X\) a \(G\)-gradient manifold. \(X\) is called spherical if a minimal parabolic subgroup of \(G\) has an open orbit in \(X\). Minimal parabolic subgroups \(Q\) of \(G\) are defined via a Cartan decomposition of the reductive Lie algebra \(\mathfrak g\) analogous to the definition of Borel subgroups in the complex case. The main theorem of the article is a characterization of spherical \(G\)-manifolds in terms of separability properties of the gradient map \(\mu_{\mathfrak p}\) with respect to the \(K\)-orbits \(K(x)=K/K_x\) in \(X\). The manifold \(X\) is spherical if and only if \(K_{\mu_{\mathfrak p}(x)}/K_x\) is a union of connected components of \(\mu_{\mathfrak p}^{-1}(x)\) for all \(x\) in some \(K\)-invariant open subset \(\Omega\not=\emptyset\) of \(X\). The last condition is then satisfied by all \(x\in X\), i.e., the induced map \(X/K\rightarrow \mathfrak p/K\) has discrete fibers. The authors observe that \(X\) is spherical iff \(X\times (G/Q)\) contains an open \(G\)-orbit with respect to the diagonal \(G\)-action and that \(\mu_{\mathfrak p}\) induces a gradient map \(\tilde\mu_{\mathfrak p}\) on \(X\times (G/Q)\). In this situation, the methods about the Cartan decomposition of the gradient map as developed by \textit{P. Heinzner} and \textit{G. W. Schwarz} [Math. Ann. 337, No.~1, 197--232 (2007; Zbl 1110.32008)] can be applied and are an essential tool for the proof. The special case \(X=Z\) compact and \(G=U^\mathbb C\) was solved by \textit{M. Brion} [Lect. Notes Math. 1296, 177--192 (1987; Zbl 0667.58012)] with a different proof. Finally, the authors list several applications of the main result; e.g., if \(G\) acts properly on the \(G\)-gradient manifold \(X\) and the linear \(G\)-representation on the space of real-analytic functions on \(X\) is multiplicity-free, then \(X\) is spherical.