Isometry Lie algebras of indefinite homogeneous spaces of finite volume

Abstract

Let $\mathfrak{g}$ be a real finite-dimensional Lie algebra equipped with a symmetric bilinear form $\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle$. We assume that $\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle $ is nil-invariant. This means that every nilpotent operator in the smallest algebraic Lie subalgebra of endomomorphims containing the adjoint representation of $\mathfrak{g}$ is an infinitesimal isometry for $\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle $. Among these Lie algebras are the isometry Lie algebras of pseudo-Riemannian manifolds of finite volume. We prove a strong invariance property for nil-invariant symmetric bilinear forms, which states that the adjoint representations of the solvable radical and all simple subalgebras of non-compact type of $\mathfrak{g} $ act by infinitesimal isometries for $\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle $. Moreover, we study properties of the kernel of $\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle $ and the totally isotropic ideals in $\mathfrak{g} $ in relation to the index of $\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle $. Based on this, we derive a structure theorem and a classification for the isometry algebras of indefinite homogeneous spaces of finite volume with metric index at most two. Examples show that the theory becomes significantly more complicated for index greater than two.