Essential conformal actions of PSL(2,R) on real-analytic compact Lorentz manifolds

Abstract: The main result of this paper is the conformal flatness of real-analytic compact Lorentz manifolds of dimension at least

3

admitting a conformal essential (i.e. conformal, but not isometric) action of a Lie group locally isomorphic to PSL(2,R). It is established by using a general result of M. Gromov on local isometries of real-analytic

A

-rigid geometric structures. As corollary, we deduce the same conclusion for conformal essential actions of connected semi-simple Lie groups on real-analytic compact Lorentz manifolds. This work is a contribution to the understanding of the Lorentzian version of a question asked by A. Lichnerowicz.

Review text

If \(M\) is a differentiable manifold of dimension \(n\geq 3\), then two pseudo-Riemannian metrics \(g\) and \(g'\) on \(M\) are said to be conformal if there exists a positive smooth function \(\varphi\) on \(M\) such that \(g'=\varphi g\). Denote by \([g]\) the conformal class of \(g\). The manifold \((M,g)\) is conformally flat if every \(x\in M\) admits a neighbourhood \(U\) such that the restriction \(g_{|U}\) is conformal to a flat metric on \(U\). A local diffeomorphism \(f:(M,g)\to (N,h)\) between two pseudo-Riemannian manifolds is said to be conformal if \(f^*[h]=[g]\). The conformal group \(\roman{Conf}(M,g)\) consists of the conformal diffeomorphisms of \((M,g)\) and is a Lie transformation group. If \(H\) is a Lie subgroup of \(\roman{Conf}(M,g)\), then \(H\) is said to act inessentially on \(M\), or simply \(H\) is inessential, if there exists \(g'\) conformal to \(g\) such that \(H\) acts on \(M\) by isometries of \(g'\). If not, \(H\) acts essentially, or \(H\) is essential. In [Invent. Math. 83(3), 411--424 (1986; Zbl 0591.53026)], \textit{R.~J.~Zimmer} showed that if \((M,g)\) is a Lorentz manifold of finite volume, \(H\) is a semi-simple Lie group without compact factor, and \(H\) acts faithfully and isometrically on \((M,g)\), then it is locally isomorphic to \({\roman{PSL}}(2,\mathbb {R})\). In this paper, the author investigates the situation where a compact Lorentz manifold \((M,g)\) of dimension \(n\geq 3\) admits a conformal essential action of a semi-simple Lie group. The author proves that if \((M,g)\), \(n\geq 3\), is a real-analytic compact connected Lorentz manifold admitting a faithful conformal action of a connected Lie group locally isomorphic to \({\roman{PSL}}(2,\mathbb {R})\), then, either this action is inessential or \((M,g)\) is conformally flat. Also, it is shown that if a connected semi-simple Lie group acts faithfully, conformally, and essentially on \(M\), then \((M,g)\) is conformally flat. Finally, the author characterizes the essentiality by showing that if \(H\) is a non-compact, connected, semi-simple Lie group acting faithfully and conformally on a compact connected Lorentz manifold \((M,g)\), \(\mathfrak{h}_1\subset\mathfrak{h}\) is the sum of the non-compact simple ideals of \(\mathfrak{h}\), and \(H_1\) is the corresponding connected Lie subgroup of \(H\), then \(H\) is inessential if and only if \(\mathfrak{h}_1\cong\mathfrak{sl}(2,\mathbb R)\) and \(H_1\) acts locally freely on \(M\). This property implies that a conformal action of a Lie group locally isomorphic to \({\roman{PSL}}(2,\mathbb {R})\) is inessential if and only if it is everywhere locally free.

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