Distinguished orbits and the L-S category of simply connected compact Lie groups (Q842970)

The (normalised) Lusternik-Schnirelmann category (L-S category), \(\text{cat}(X)\), of a space \(X\) is the least integer \(m\) such that \(X\) can be covered by \(m+1\) open sets that are contractible in \(X\). If \(Y\subset X\) then the relative L-S category, \(\text{cat}_X(Y)\), is the least integer \(m\) such that \(Y\) can be covered by \(n+1\) open subsets of \(X\), each contractible in \(X\). The main result of the paper is the following theorem. Let \(G\) be a simply connected compact Lie group and let \(\{v_1, \dots v_n\}\) be the set of vertices of the fundamental alcove for the action of the affine Weil group on the Lie algebra of a maximal torus of \(G\). Let \(O _k\) be the conjugacy class of \(\exp v_k\) in \(G\), \(0\leq k\leq n\). Then \[ \text{cat}(G)+1\leq \sum_{k=0}^n (\text{cat}_G(O_k)+1). \] In particular, the theorem generalises a result of \textit{W. Singhof} [Math. Z. 145, 111--116 (1975; Zbl 0315.55012)] saying that \(\text{cat}(SU(n+1))\leq n\).