Accidental CR structures

Abstract

We noticed a discrepancy between \'Elie Cartan and Sigurdur Helgason about the lowest possible dimension in which the simple exceptional Lie group ${\bf E}_8$ can be realized. This raised the question about the lowest dimensions in which various real forms of the exceptional groups ${\bf E}_\ell$ can be realized. Cartan claims that ${\bf E}_6$ can be realized in dimension 16. However Cartan refers to the complex group ${\bf E}_6$, or its split real form $E_I$. His claim is also valid in the case of the real form denoted by $E_{IV}$. We find however that the real forms $E_{II}$ and $E_{III}$ of ${\bf E}_6$ can not be realized in dimension 16 \`a la Cartan. In this paper we realize them in dimension 24 as groups of CR automorphisms of certain CR structures of higher codimension. As a byproduct of these two realizations, we provide a full list of CR structures $(M,H,J)$ and their CR embeddings in an appropriate ${\bf C}^N$, which satisfy the following conditions: (1) they have real codimension $k>1$, (2) the real vector distribution $H$ proper for the action of the complex structure $J$ is such that $[H,H]+H=TM$, (3) the local group $G_J$ of CR automorphisms of the structure $(M,H,J)$ is simple, acts transitively on $M$ and has isotropy $P$ being a parabolic subgroup in $G_J$, (4) the local symmetry group $G$ of the vector distribution $H$ on $M$ coincides with the group $G_J$ of CR automorphisms of $(M,H,J)$. Because all the CR structures from our list satisfy the last property we call them accidental. Our CR structures of higher codimension with the exceptional symmetries $E_{II}$ and $E_{III}$ are particular entries in this list.