On completeness of certain locally symmetric pseudo-Riemannian manifolds of signature $(2,2)$

Abstract

We show geodesic completeness of certain compact locally symmetric pseudo-Riemannian manifolds of signature $(2,n)$. Our model space $\mathbf{X}$ is a $1$-connected, indecomposable symmetric space of signature $(2,n)$, that admits a unique (up to scale) parallel lightlike vector field. This class of spaces is the natural generalization of the class of Cahen--Wallach spaces to signature $(2,n)$. In dimension $4$ we show that $\mathbf{X}$ has no proper domain $\Omega$ which is divisible by the action of a discrete group $\Gamma$ of $\operatorname{Isom}(\mathbf{X})$, i.e. $\Gamma$ acts properly and cocompactly on $\Omega$. Therefore, we deduce geodesic completeness in the aforementioned situation. In arbitrary dimension we show geodesic completeness of compact locally symmetric space modeled on $\mathbf{X}$ under the assumption that the transition maps of $M$ are restrictions of transvections of $\mathbf{X}$. Along the way, we establish a new case in the Kleinian $3$-dimensional Markus's conjecture for flat affine manifolds. Moreover, we classify geometrically Kleinian compact manifolds that are modeled on the hyperbolic oscillator group endowed with its bi-invariant metric. Finally we discuss a natural dynamical problem motivated by the Lorentz setting (Brinkmann spacetimes). Specifically, we show that the parallel flow on $M$ is equicontinuous in dimension $4$, even in our non-Lorentz setting.