Isometry-invariant geodesics and nonpositive derivations of the cohomology

Abstract

We introduce a new class of zero-dimensional weighted complete intersections, by abstracting the essential features of rational cohomology algebras of equal rank homogeneous spaces of compact connected Lie groups. We prove that, on a 1-connected closed manifold M whose rational cohomology algebra belongs to this class, every isometry has a non-trivial invariant geodesic, for any metric on M. We use rational surgery to construct large classes of new examples for which the above result may be applied.