Symmetric space, strongly isotropy irreducibility and equigeodesic properties

Abstract

A smooth curve on a homogeneous manifold $G/H$ is called a Riemannian equigeo-desic if it is a homogeneous geodesic for any $G$-invariant Riemannian metric. The homogeneous manifold $G/H$ is called Riemannian equigeodesic, if for any $x\in G/H$ and any nonzero $y\in T_x(G/H)$, there exists a Riemannian equigeodesic $c(t)$ with $c(0)=x$ and $\dot{c}(0)=y$. These two notions can be naturally transferred to the Finsler setting, which provides the definitions for Finsler equigeodesic and Finsler equigeodesic space. We prove two classification theorems for Riemannian equigeodesic spaces and Finsler equigeodesic spaces respectively. Firstly, a homogeneous manifold $G/H$ with connected simply connected quasi compact $G$ and connected $H$ is Riemannian equigeodesic if and only if it can be decomposed as a product of Euclidean factors and compact strongly isotropy irreducible factors. Secondly, a homogeneous manifold $G/H$ with a compact semi simple $G$ is Finsler equigeodesic if and only if it can be locally decomposed as a product, in which each factor is $Spin(7)/G_2$, $G_2/SU(3)$ or a symmetric space of compact type. These results imply that symmetric space and strongly isotropy irreducible space of compact type can be interpreted by equigeodesic properties. As an application, we classify the homogeneous manifold $G/H$ with a compact semi simple $G$, such that all $G$-invariant Finsler metrics on $G/H$ are Berwald. It suggests a new project in homogeneous Finsler geometry, to systematically study the homogeneous manifold $G/H$ on which all $G$-invariant Finsler metrics satisfy certain geometric property.