One fixed point actions on spheres

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(Introduction)
(Introduction)
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In connection with their work on fiberings with singularities, Montgomery and Samelson {{cite|Montgomery&Samelson1946}} made a comment that when a compact Lie group $G$ acts smoothly on a sphere in such a way as to have one fixed point, it is likely that there must be a second fixed point.
In connection with their work on fiberings with singularities, Montgomery and Samelson {{cite|Montgomery&Samelson1946}} made a comment that when a compact Lie group $G$ acts smoothly on a sphere in such a way as to have one fixed point, it is likely that there must be a second fixed point.
Contrary to this speculation, suppose that a compact Lie group $G$ acts smoothly on a sphere $S^n$ with exactly one fixed point. Then, by removing from $S^n$ an invariant open disk neighborhood around the single fixed point, one obtains a smooth fixed point free action of $G$ on the disk $D^n$, and therefore, by the work of Oliver {{cite|Oliver1975}} and {{cite|Oliver1976}}, the identity connected component $G_0$ is non-abelian or the quotient group $G/G_0$ is an [[Group_actions_on_disks#Oliver_group|Oliver group]]. So, it is natural to ask whether the converse conclusion is true, i.e., whether any such a group $G$ has a smooth one fixed point action on some sphere.
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Contrary to this speculation, suppose that a compact Lie group $G$ acts smoothly on a sphere $S^n$ with exactly one fixed point. Then, by removing from $S^n$ an invariant open disk neighborhood around the single fixed point, one obtains a smooth fixed point free action of $G$ on the disk $D^n$, and therefore, by the work of Oliver {{cite|Oliver1975}} and {{cite|Oliver1976}}, the identity connected component $G_0$ is non-abelian or the quotient group $G/G_0$ is an [[Group_actions_on_disks#Oliver_group|Oliver group]]. So, it is natural to ask whether in fact any such a group $G$ has a smooth one fixed point action on some sphere.
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Revision as of 20:50, 3 December 2010


This page has not been refereed. The information given here might be incomplete or provisional.

Contents

1 Introduction

In connection with their work on fiberings with singularities, Montgomery and Samelson [Montgomery&Samelson1946] made a comment that when a compact Lie group G acts smoothly on a sphere in such a way as to have one fixed point, it is likely that there must be a second fixed point. Contrary to this speculation, suppose that a compact Lie group G acts smoothly on a sphere S^n with exactly one fixed point. Then, by removing from S^n an invariant open disk neighborhood around the single fixed point, one obtains a smooth fixed point free action of G on the disk D^n, and therefore, by the work of Oliver [Oliver1975] and [Oliver1976], the identity connected component G_0 is non-abelian or the quotient group G/G_0 is an Oliver group. So, it is natural to ask whether in fact any such a group G has a smooth one fixed point action on some sphere.

2 Problem

Conjecture 2.1. Let G be a compact Lie group such that the identity connected component is non-abelin or the quotient group G/G_0 is an Oliver group. Then there exists a smooth action of G on some sphere with exactly one fixed point.


3 Results so far

  • Stein [Stein1977] has obtained for the first time smooth one fixed point actions on spheres. For G=SL_2(\mathbb{F}_5) or SL_2(\mathbb{F}_5)\times \mathbb{Z}_r with (120, r)=1, he constructed a smooth action of G on the sphere S^7 with exactly one fixed point.
  • Petrie [Petrie1982] described smooth one fixed point actions on spheres in the case the acting group G is a finite abelian group of odd order and with three or more non-cyclic Sylow subgroups, as well as for G=S^3 or SO(3). Moreover, he announced the existence of such actions for the non-solvable groups SL_2(\mathbb{F}_q) and PSL_2(\mathbb{F}_q), where q\geq 5 is a power of an odd prime.
  • Laitinen, Morimoto, and Pawałowski [Laitinen&Morimoto&Pawalowski1995] proved that any finite non-solvable group G can act smoothly on some sphere with exactly one fixed point.
  • Laitinen and Morimoto [Laitinen&Morimoto1998] proved that any finite Oliver group G can acts smoothly on some sphere with exactly one fixed point.

4 Further discussion

...

5 References

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