Annals of Mathematics

An Exotic Sphere With Nonnegative Sectional Curvature Author(s): Detlef Gromoll and Wolfgang Meyer Reviewed work(s): Source: The Annals of Mathematics, Second Series, Vol. 100, No. 2 (Sep., 1974), pp. 401-406 Published by: Annals of Mathematics Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1971078 . Accessed: 17/01/2012 03:38
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An exoticspherewithnonnegative curvature sectional

By DETLEF GROMOLL AND WOLFGANG MEYER

In this note we constructan exotic 7-sphere ' with a metric of nonnegative sectional curvature K. It is obtained as the quotient of a certain isometric action of Sp(1) on Sp(2), and hence as a riemanniansubmersion fromSp(2). By a formulaof O'Neill, ' automaticallyinheritsnonnegative sectional curvature. It turns out that K is even (strictly)positive on an open dense set of points. It is not known yet whetheror not this metric can be deformedinto one with positive curvature everywhere. However, a there is a conjecture that on any manifold, metricwith nonnegativesectional curvature which is positive at some point,can be deformedinto one withpositive curvature everywhere. By Aubin's Theorem,a similarresult holds for Ricci curvature [1]. We shall see that 7 has naturally many symmetries. In particular, 0(2) x SO(3) acts as an isometry group on
7

1. The constructionof

Let Sp(n) denote the group of symplecticn x n quaternion matrices; i.e., Q E Sp(n) if and only if QQ* = Q*Q = Id, where Q* is the transposed will conjugate matrixof Q. Stm denote the standard rn-sphere.The fieldof with R'. quaternionswill be identified We consideran action of S3 x S3 Sp(1) x Sp(1) on Sp(2) given by

(q, x q2 Q)

02

q,

?Q

[q2

?)

where q2denotes the conjugate of q2. This action is clearly free, and the to quotient manifoldSp(2)/S3x S3 is diffeomorphic S4. A diffeomorphism S4 is given by Sp(2)/S3 x S3

orbts~s3a d) b) orbitS3XS3(

2~~ff2jilb1 -lid 1fd12)y (2bdy 1

-

as one can check easily. In particular, the diagonal A in S3 x S3 acts freelyon Sp(2). The quotient manifold 7 = Sp(2)/A is an S3-bundleover

402

D. GROMOLL AND W. MEYER S3 X

S3/A

S3
=7

Sp(2)/A Sp(2)/S3x S3

S4.

by groupSO(4) are classified r3(SO(4)) over S4 withstructure S3-bundles bundleof type the corresponding Z Z (0 Z. For (m,n) e Z 0D one can construct (m, n) by glueing two trivial bundles R4 x S3 togetheron (R4 - 0) x S3 by copywith (u IIu I-', (u/! IU I )mq(u/ u II)"') in the I (u, identifying q) in the first II second copy. According to Milnor [2], whenever m + n = 1, the total structure is exotic if to space is homeomorphic S7, and the differentiable 7 with the total space of the bundle 1 mod7. We will identify (m-n)2 to corresponding (2, -1) and hencewith an exotic 7-sphere. It actually was Milnor's descriptionof this sphere which suggested considerationof the above action.
-

THEOREM

1.

is

the exotic7-sphereof type(2, -1).

17

Proof. Considerthe maps h1,h2:R4 x S3

h (u, q) = orbit,(p(u)( q -uq1

h2(v,r) = orbitA p(v) (,1)

) v

-r

where(p(u) = (1 + IunI)-"2. LettingQ=

(a

) e Sp(2),we have

hj(R4x S3) = {orbit Q id # 0} h2(R4x S3) = {orbit,Q Ib # 0} . the x Hence, hj(R4x S3) U h2(R4 S3) = 17. Furthermore, maps hl,h2are difthe inverses are given by ferentiableimbeddings; hT'(orbit Q) = IId!K2(bd,dad Ila 11-1) b Q) 2h-1(orbit, = IIl 11l-2( -6bob cII-1). WY fu f)`), which completes the iu u Finally, h-lh((u,q) = (u 1f1 1-2,(U/f1 1ff)2q(u/f I argument. 2. The action of 0(2) x SO(3) on
7

On Sp(2) we consider the standard bi-invariantmetric given by the Killingform. The actionof S3 x S3 describedabove is isometric. Therefore,

AN EXOTICSPHERE
7
-

403

inheritsa natural metricfromSp(2) such that the projection Sp(2) I' becomesa riemanniansubmersion. Now observe that the action of A commutes with the action of the group 0(2) x S3 on Sp(2) given by (A x q)Q = AQQ1 ?),forA E 0(2), q e Sp(1) = S3. Thus, 0(2) x S3 acts on ' by isometries
via

(A x q)orbit,Q = orbitA AQ( This action on 7/ has a kernel Z2 _ Id x Z2, since orbit Q(

?)

orbit'(-1

0)Q(1

0)(-1

orbit Q

One can see that 0(2) x SO(3) = 0(2) x S3/Idx Z2 acts effectively 7. on It is knownthat 4 = dim0(2) x SO(3) is the maximaldimension comof pact groups that can act effectively any exotic 7-sphere.* 0(2) x SO(3) on has been realized as an isometry group in a different of description ' given by Brieskorn, where the natural metric,however,has sectional curvatures of either sign. 3. The curvature of ' To fix notations we brieflyreview some facts about riemanniansubmersions. ConsiderriemannianmanifoldsM, M with dim M> dimM, and a submersionr: M-) M; i.e., w is surjectiveand of maximal rank. For each p e M, we have a submanifoldr-'(p) of M, the fiberof the submersionover p. The tangent space Mq of M at q splits into an orthogonal sum Mq= and A' is the Aq'0 Al, where Al is the tangent space of the fiber '-1(w(q)) if orthogonal complement.wis called a riemannian submersion w*:A I Mi(q) is isometric all q e M. AT and A' are calledthe verticaland horizontal for distributions the riemannian submersion. For a vector fieldZ on M, let of ZT denote its vertical component. Any vector field X on M has a unique horizontal lift Z on M; i.e., T =0 and r*X =Xor. The sectionalcurvatures K of M and k of M are related by O'Neill's formula (cf. [3]): If X, Y are orthonormal vectorfieldson an open subset of M, then

(1)

K(X, Y)o c = K(X, Y) ? 3 f[X,

4

Y]T I2I

We shalluse thisformula compute curvature 7, butfirst need to the we of

anotherelementaryfact.
* Communicated us by W. C. Hsiang, unpublished. to

404

D. GROMOLL AND W. MEYER

Let G be a Lie group withLie algebra i. L and R denoteleft and right translations, = RI'L* the adjoint representation. For u E D considerthe Ad left invariantvectorfieldLou and the rightinvariantvectorfield Rau with = Lg*u,Rau Ig= Rg*u. For a bi-invariant metric< , > on G and a, b E I, L*u Ig definea function G R by f(g) = <a, Adgb>. Then f: (2) (Lg*u)f - <a, Adg[u,b]> . Now we can establisha formulaforthe curvatureof 7 which involvesonly data of the Lie algebras in question and the adjoint representation.

a =(

THEOREM Let Q E Sp(2). For a quaterniona, set a+ = (0 ?) and 2.

(a) Thetangentspace ofthefiber wc-'(wu(Q))thesubmersion Sp(2)-7 of wc: is given by AT = {RQ*(a+ + a-) - LQ*a+ I Re a = 0} . (b) Let u, v be orthonormalvectorsin the Lie algebra of Sp(2) such that u = LQ*u E A- and v = LQ*VE AQ-. Then v] ff2 (3) K(w7?i, Y) = ~L-[in, V]? max112+l <Ad-'(a+ + a-) + a+,[,uv]>2 4 4 Re a=O IIfAd-'(a+ ? a-) - a+ ff2 In particular, K(c*,U, wr*) = 0 if and only if [u, v] = 0. Proof. (a) The Lie algebra of {(q ?) q E S3} is {a+ + a- Re a = 0}, and the Lie algebra of {(0 ?) q E S3} is {a+ IRe a = 0}. Let (a be the curve with LQ*a+, and Re a = 0}. I (b) Let a E R', Re a = 0. Define60a to be the 1-form Sp(2) with on
<pa(0) = -

a)

9'a(t)= exp t(a+ + a-)Q exp ta-+. Then

clearly AT = {fa(0)

RQ*(a+ + a-)

C(a(X)Q = <RQ*(a+ + a-)

LQ*a+, XQ>

Then
Q=

{W I a(W) = 0 for all a, Re a = 0}

the Lie bracketterm in O'Neill's formula. Observe that for any tangent vector w of Sp(2) at Q we have
wII WT12 = maea=~OfQ Wa wa(W)2 + ReaOn?RQ*(a+ a-)-LQ*a+
112

= Sincein(1) k(Z, Y) IQ K(i%, = K(u, v) = (1/4)ff v]112, have to compute we vr) [u,

-=

max

I fAd-'(a+ + a-) -a+a112

wja(W)2

and therefore,
11[Xs

Y]T

112 =

max
Rea=OIAd

tiU

-a+ -l'a+

a
L

f2 a)-a+
-

AN EXOTIC SPHERE

405

Computation w42(M, of Y]Q): We have

(4) 2d)a(2x, Y) =
O)a0?()

YQa(X)-()a(L, -W"a(L9,

Th) =

II),

since X, Y are horizontal, and k) v). dcojgXs IQ = dca&(?t On the other hand, (5)
2d)a(iU, V = 2d0)a(LQ*u, LQ*v) ) = (LQ*u)oa(L*v) - (LQ*v)oca(L*u) (oa(LQ*[Th, v])

Using the definition co,and (2) we get of (LQ*u)oa(L*v) = (LQ*u)<a+ + a-, Ad v> = <a+ + a-, AdQ[u,v]>, and (LQ*v)oa(L*u) = <a+ + a-, AdQ[v, u]> Finally,
(Oa(LQ*[u,v]) =

<a+ + a--

v]> AdQa+,AdQ[u,

Combining this with (4) and (5) yields w(0., i])Q =I-<Ad-'(a+ which completesthe proofof (3).
4. Remarks

+ a-) + a+, [u, v]>,

It follows from(3) thatthecurvatureof ' at r(Id) ispositiveforall planes. For thisobserve that AL= {a- I Re a = 0}. Hence, AId = {(-a Rea = 0}. By Theorem2, one has onlyto check: If u, v e AI'd and [u, v] = 0, then u and v are linearlydependentover the reals, whichis straightforward.

with actly for all planes spanned by Wr*LQ*UT Wr*LQ*v

Onthe other we 0 hand, obtain curvatue at w(Q), Q = (1/1V 2)(1

), ex=1.

(0 0),

il

/0

v= (0

oc + aj8k

a2

The exact set of pointsin 7 for which zero plane sectionsoccur can be describedin termsof certainquaternioninequalities;it is lower dimensional. Moreover,at any such point,the distribution zero sectionsis fairlythin. of We mightdiscuss details elsewhere. termof (3), one observesimmediately Looking only at the first that the ' is strictly Ricci curvature of positive.

406
STATE UNIVERSITY

D. GROMOLL AND W. MEYER

OF NEW YORK AT STONY BROOK REFERENCES

[1 ] T. AUBIN, Metriquesriemanniennes courbure,J. Diff.Geom. 4 (1970),383-424. et to [2] J. W. MILNOR, On manifolds homeomorphic the 7-sphere,Ann. of Math. 64 (1956), 399-405. [3] B. O'NEILL, The fundamental equations of a submersion,Mich. Math. J. 13 (1966), 459-469. (Received February 6, 1973)