Twistors and 3-symmetric spaces

We describe complex twistor spaces over inner 3-symmetric spacesG/H, such that H acts transitively on the fibre. As in the symmetriccase, the complex twistor spaces are flag manifolds G/K, whereK is the centralizer of a torus in G. Moreover, they carry analmost complex structure defined using the horizontal distributionof the normal connection on G/H that coincides with the complexstructure associated to a parabolic subgroup PG if it is integrable.Conversely, starting from a complex flag manifold G/P, thereexists a natural fibration with complex fibres on a 3-symmetricspace, called fibration of degree 3.     

Permutation Groups in o-Minimal Structures

In this paper we develop a structure theory for transitive permutationgroups definable in o-minimal structures. We fix an o-minimalstructure M, a group G definable in M, and a set and a faithfultransitive action of G on definable in M, and talk of the permutationgroup (G, ). Often, we are concerned with definably primitivepermutation groups (G, ); this means that there is no propernon-trivial definable G-invariant equivalence relation on ,so definable primitivity is equivalent to a point stabiliserG being a maximal definable subgroup of G. Of course, sinceany group definable in an o-minimal structure has the descendingchain condition on definable subgroups [23] we expect many questionson definable transitive permutation groups to reduce to questionson definably primitive ones. Recall that a group G definable in an o-minimal structure issaid to be connected if there is no proper definable subgroupof finite index. In some places, if G is a group definable inM we must distinguish between definability in the full ambientstructure M and G-definability, which means definability inthe pure group G:= (G, .); for example, G is G-definably connectedmeans that G does not contain proper subgroups of finite indexwhich are definable in the group structure. By definable, wealways mean definability in M. In some situations, when thereis a field R definable in M, we say a set is R-semialgebraic,meaning that it is definable in (R, +, .). We call a permutationgroup (G, ) R-semialgebraic if G, and the action of G on canall be defined in the pure field structure of a real closedfield R. If R is clear from the context, we also just write‘semialgebraic’.     

The Symmetric Genus of the Mathieu Groups

The (symmetric) genus of a finite group may be defined as thesmallest genus of those closed orientable surfaces on whichG acts faithfully as a group of automorphisms. In this paperthe genus of each of the five Mathieu groups M₁₁, M₁₂, M₂₂,M₂₃ and M₂₄ is determined, with the help of some computer calculationsand a little-known of Ree on permutations.     

On Holomorphic Principal Bundles Over a Compact Riemann Surface Admitting a Flat Connection, II

Holomorphic principal bundles over a compact Riemann surfaceX that admits a flat connection are considered. A holomorphicG-bundle over X, where G is a connected semisimple linear algebraicgroup over C, admits a flat connection if and only if the adjointvector bundle admits one. More generally, for a complex reductivegroup G, the necessary and sufficient condition on a G-bundleto admit a flat connection is described. This simplifies thecriterion obtained by the authors and given in Math. Ann. 322(2002) 333–346. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification53C05, 32L05.     

A Note on Osserman Lorentzian Manifolds

Let p be a point of a Lorentzian manifold M. We show that ifM is spacelike Osserman at p, then M has constant sectionalcurvature at p; similarly, if M is timelike Osserman at p, thenM has constant sectional curvature at p. The reverse implicationsare immediate. The timelike case and 4-dimensional spacelikecase were first studied in [3]; we use a different approachto this case. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification 53B30,53C50.     

Index Theorem for Equivariant Dirac Operators on Noncompact Manifolds

Let D be a (generalized) Dirac operator on a noncompact complete Riemannian manifold M acted on by a compact Lie group G. Let v: M g = Lie G be an equivariant map, such that the corresponding vector field on M does not vanish outside of a compact subset. These data define an element of K-theory of the transversal cotangent bundle to M. Hence, by embedding of M into a compact manifold, one can define a topological index of the pair (D,v) as an element of the completed ring of characters of G. We define an analytic index of (D,v) as an index space of certain deformation of D and we prove that the analytic and topological indexes coincide. As a main step of the proof, we show that index is an invariant of a certain class of cobordisms, similar to the one considered by Ginzburg, Guillemin and Karshon. In particular, this means that the topological index of Atiyah is also invariant under this class of noncompact cobordisms. As an application, we extend the Atiyah–Segal–Singer equivariant index theorem to our noncompact setting. In particular, we obtain a new proof of this theorem for compact manifolds.     

On non-normalizable orbits of isometric actions on Lorentz manifolds

For an isometric action of a Lie group G on a Lorentz manifold (M, g) we consider non-normalizable orbits, i.e. orbits which do not posses a G-invariant normal bundle. Orbits of this type are lightlike. It is shown, that such orbits contain lightlike homogeneous geodesics. Moreover, conditions are given, under which there exists a set of normalizable orbits having an open dense union.     

On Orbits in Double Flag Varieties for Symmetric Pairs

Let G be a connected, simply connected semisimple algebraic group over the complex number field, and let K be the fixed point subgroup of an involutive automorphism of G so that (G, K) is a symmetric pair. We take parabolic subgroups P of G and Q of K, respectively, and consider the product of partial flag varieties G/P and K/Q with diagonal K-action, which we call a double flag variety for a symmetric pair. It is said to be of finite type if there are only finitely many K-orbits on it. In this paper, we give a parametrization of K-orbits on G/P × K/Q in terms of quotient spaces of unipotent groups without assuming the finiteness of orbits. If one of P ? G or Q ? K is a Borel subgroup, the finiteness of orbits is closely related to spherical actions. In such cases, we give a complete classification of double flag varieties of finite type, namely, we obtain classifications of K-spherical flag varieties G/P and G-spherical homogeneous spaces G/Q.     

Counting Horoballs and Rational Geodesics

Let M be a geometrically finite pinched negatively curved Riemannianmanifold with at least one cusp. The asymptotics of the numberof geodesics in M starting from and returning to a given cusp,and of the number of horoballs at parabolic fixed points inthe universal cover of M, are studied in this paper. The caseof SL(2, Z), and of Bianchi groups, is developed. 2000 MathematicsSubject Classification 53C22, 11J06, 30F40, 11J70.     

The Second Bounded Cohomology of a Group Acting on a Gromov-Hyperbolic Space

Suppose a group G acts on a Gromov-hyperbolic space X properlydiscontinuously. If the limit set L(G) of the action has atleast three points, then the second bounded cohomology groupof is infinite dimensional. For example, if M is a complete, pinched negatively curved Riemannianmanifold with finite volume, then is infinite dimensional. As an application, we show that ifG is a knot group with GZ, then is infinite dimensional. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification:primary 20F32; secondary 53C20, 57M25.     

Simplicity of stable principal sheaves

Let M be a compact connected Kähler manifold, and let Gbe a connected complex reductive linear algebraic group. Weprove that a principal G-sheaf on M admits an admissible Einstein–Hermitianconnection if and only if the principal G-sheaf is polystable.Using this it is shown that the holomorphic sections of theadjoint vector bundle of a stable principal G-sheaf on M aregiven by the center of the Lie algebra of G. The Bogomolov inequalityis shown to be valid for polystable principal G-sheaves.     

Ergodic Actions of Semisimple Lie Groups on Compact Principal Bundles

Let G = SL(n, ?) (or, more generally, let G be a connected, noncompact, simple Lie group). For any compact Lie group K, it is easy to find a compact manifold M, such that there is a volume-preserving, connection-preserving, ergodic action of G on some smooth, principal K-bundle P over M. Can M can be chosen independent of K? We show that if M = H/Λ is a homogeneous space, and the action of G on M is by translations, then P must also be a homogeneous space H′Λ′. Consequently, there is a strong restriction on the groups K that can arise over this particular M.     

Orbit duality for flag manifolds

 A geometric proof of Matsuki duality for orbits on real and complex flag mani- folds is given. This is achieved by analyzing the gradient flow of the norm-squared of a moment map. Received: 19 April 2002 / Revised version: 12 July 2002 Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): Primary 22F30; Secondary 14M15, 22E46, 32M10, 53C55     

Representations of Reductive p-Adic Groups: Localization of Hecke Algebras and Applications

Let F be a non-Archimedean local field and G be the group ofF-points of a connected reductive group defined over F. LetM be an F-Levi subgroup of G and P = MN be a parabolic subgroupwith Levi decomposition P = MN. Jacquet, or truncated, restrictiongives a functor from the category of smooth representationsof G to that of M. The main result describes this functor interms of homomorphisms and localizations of Hecke algebras attachedto certain compact open subgroups of G and M. This leads tonew and straightforward proofs of some fundamental results.The first computes the smooth dual of a Jacquet module of asmooth representation of G, generalizing the corresponding resultfor admissible representations due to Harish-Chandra and Casselman.The second identifies the co-adjoint of the Jacquet functorrelative to P as the induction functor relative to the M-oppositeof P, an unpublished result of J.-N. Bernstein.     

Residues of Holomorphic Foliations Relative to a General Submanifold

Let F be a holomorphic foliation (possibly with singularities)on a non-singular manifold M, and let V be a complex analyticsubset of M. Usual residue theorems along V in the theory ofcomplex foliations require that V be tangent to the foliation(that is, a union of leaves and singular points of V and F);this is the case for instance for the blow-up of a non-dicriticalisolated singularity. In this paper, residue theorems are introducedalong subvarieties that are not necessarily tangent to the foliation,including the blow-up of the dicritical situation. 2000 MathematicsSubject Classification 53C12, 57R20, 55N15.     

Gromov-Witten Invariants of Flag Manifolds, VIA D-Modules

We present a method for computing the 3-point genus zero Gromov–Witteninvariants of the complex flag manifold G/B from the relationsof the small quantum cohomology algebra QH^*G/B (G is a complexsemisimple Lie group and B is a Borel subgroup). In [3] and[9], at least in the case G = GL_nC, two algebraic/combinatoricmethods have been proposed, based on suitably designed axioms.Our method is quite different, being differential geometricin nature; it is based on the approach to quantum cohomologydescribed in [7], which is in turn based on the integrable systemspoint of view of Dubrovin and Givental.     

A Liouville Theorem for Matrix-Valued Harmonic Functions on Nilpotent Groups

Let be a non-degenerate positive M_n-valued measure on a locallycompact group G with |||| = 1. An M_n-valued Borel function fon G is called -harmonic if for all x G. Given such a function f which is bounded and leftuniformly continuous on G, it is shown that every central elementin G is a period of f. Further, it is shown that f is constantif G is nilpotent or central. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification31C05, 43A05, 45E10, 46G10.     

Poincaré-Hopf inequalities for periodic orbits

The interplay between the dynamics of a nonsingular Morse-Smale flow on a smooth, closed, n-dimensional manifold, M, and the topology of M, was exhibited in Franks (Comment Math Helv 53(2):279?C294, 1978), Smale (Bull Am Math Soc 66:43?C49, 1960), by means of a collection of inequalities, which we refer to as Morse-Smale inequalities. These inequalities relate the number of closed orbits of each index to the Betti numbers of M. These well-known inequalities provide the necessary conditions for a given dynamical data in the form of a specified number of closed orbits of a given index to be realized as a nonsingular Morse-Smale flow on M. In this article we provide two inequalities, hereby referred to as Poincaré-Hopf inequalities for periodic orbits, which imposes constraints on the dynamics of periodic orbits without reference to the Betti numbers of the manifold M. The main theorem establishes the necessity and sufficiency of the Poincaré-Hopf inequalities in order for the Morse-Smale inequalities to hold.     

The Amenability of Measure Algebras

In this paper we shall prove that the measure algebra M(G) ofa locally compact group G is amenable as a Banach algebra ifand only if G is discrete and amenable as a group. Our contributionis to resolve a conjecture by proving that M(G) is not amenablein the case where the group G is not discrete. Indeed, we shallprove a much stronger result: the measure algebra of a non-discrete,locally compact group has a non-zero, continuous point derivationat a certain character on the algebra.     

Maximal Subgroups of Large Rank in Exceptional Groups of Lie Type

Let G = G(q) be a finite almost simple exceptional group ofLie type over the field of q elements, where q = p^a and p isprime. The main result of the paper determines all maximal subgroupsM of G(q) such that M is an almost simple group which is alsoof Lie type in characteristic p, under the condition that rank(M)> rank(G). The conclusion is that either M is a subgroupof maximal rank, or it is of the same type as G over a subfieldof F_q, or (G, M) is one of (, F₄(q)), (, C₄(q)), (E₇(q),³D₄(q)). This completes work of the first author with Saxl andTesterman, in which the same conclusion was obtained under someextra assumptions.