Geometric cycles, Albert algebras and related cohomology classes for arithmetic groups (Q664245)

Let \(X\) be a symmetric space of non-compact type without euclidean factors, i.e. the quotient of a non-compact semisimple Lie group \(G\) by a maximal compact subgroup endowed with a \(G\)-invariant Riemannian metric. Let \(\Gamma\) be a torsion-free lattice in \(G\), then the quotient \(X/\Gamma\) is a finite-volume Riemannian manifold and each reductive subgroup \(H\) of \(G\) such that \(\Gamma\cap H\) is a lattice yields a totally geodesic imbedded submanifold of \(X/\Gamma\). The image of this ``geometric cycle'' in homology can often be nontrivial, and this gives interesting non-vanishing results on the cohomology of \(\Gamma\): for example \textit{J. Millson} has proved in [Ann. Math. (2) 104, 235--247 (1976; Zbl 0364.53020)] that if \(\Gamma\) is an arithmetic lattice of the simplest type in \(\mathrm{SO}(n,1)\) then there is a finite-index subgroup of \(\Gamma\) such that \(H^1(\Gamma)\) is infinite. A recent survey on this subject is given by the author in [Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 47, No. 2, 187--279 (2010; Zbl 1254.11053)]; in the the present paper he studies the construction of cohomology classes in middle degree for compact arithmetic quotients of the hyperbolic Cayley plane, the 16-dimensional exceptional rank-one symmetric space associated to the real Lie group \(G=F_{4(-20)}\). The cycles that he uses arise from certain embeddings of spin groups of 9-dimensional quadratic forms into the automorphism group of Albert algebras over number fields; he checks that their image in the homology of the associated arithmetic quotients is (up to finite covers) nonzero by an application of the criterion previously proved together with \textit{J. Rohlfs} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 6, No.3, 755--778 (1993; Zbl 0811.11039)]. Moreover, a general result of \textit{J. Millson} and \textit{M. Raghunathan} [Geometry and analysis, Pap. dedic. Mem. V. K. Patodi, 103--123 (1981); also published in Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., Math. Sci. 90, 103--124 (1981; Zbl 0514.22007)] implies that these classes do not come from the compact dual. Nonzero cohomology classes for a compact quotient correspond to nontrivial irreducible subrepresentations of the space \(L^2(G/\Gamma)\); the representations that can occur for middle degree classes have been classified and they are all discrete series (this is reviewed in Section 4 of the paper). It is known by a result of \textit{D. DeGeorge} and \textit{N. Wallach} [Ann. Math. (2) 107, 133--150 (1978; Zbl 0397.22007)] that the multiplicities of such representations are asymptotically proportional to the volume for congruence covers of an arithmetic manifold; the construction in the reviewed paper thus gives a geometric proof of the non-vanishing result for multiplicities this implies.