Smoothness Conditions in Cohomogeneity manifolds

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the smoothness conditions for metrics on a cohomogeneity one manifold, i.e. metrics invariant under a Lie group whose generic orbits are hypersurfaces. Along these hypersurfaces one describes the metrics in terms of a collection of functions defined along a geodesic normal to the hypersurfaces. In a neighborhood of a lower dimensional orbit the functions must satisfy certain smoothness conditions for the metric to extend smoothly. In general these can be quite complicated. We present a method that makes it straightforward to compute them, and illustrate it in several examples. This second version contains some improvements in exposition and a reformulation of Theorem B, with a proof added.