Lazy orbits: an optimization problem on the sphere

Abstract

Non-transitive subgroups of the orthogonal group play an important role in the non-Euclidean geometry. If $G$ is a closed subgroup in the orthogonal group such that the orbit of a single Euclidean unit vector does not cover the (Euclidean) unit sphere centered at the origin then there always exists a non-Euclidean Minkowski functional such that the elements of $G$ preserve the Minkowskian length of vectors. In other words the Minkowski geometry is an alternative of the Euclidean geometry for the subgroup $G$. It is rich of isometries if $G$ is "close enough" to the orthogonal group or at least to one of its transitive subgroups. The measure of non-transitivity is related to the Hausdorff distances of the orbits under the elements of $G$ to the Euclidean sphere. Its maximum/minimum belongs to the so-called lazy/busy orbits, i.e. they are the solutions of an optimization problem on the Euclidean sphere. The extremal distances allow us to characterize the reducible/irreducible subgroups. We also formulate an upper and a lower bound for the ratio of the extremal distances. As another application of the analytic tools we introduce the rank of a closed non-transitive group $G$. We shall see that if $G$ is of maximal rank then it is finite or reducible. Since the reducible and the finite subgroups form two natural prototypes of non-transitive subgroups, the rank seems to be a fundamental notion in their characterization. Closed, non-transitive groups of rank $n-1$ will be also characterized. Using the general results we classify all their possible types in lower dimensional cases $n=2, 3$ and $4$. Finally we present some applications of the results to the holonomy group of a metric linear connection on a connected Riemannian manifold.