Non-linear Morse-Bott functions on quaternionic Stiefel manifolds

Abstract

In the Stiefel manifold $X_{n,k}$, we replace Frankel linear height function by a quadratic one. We prove this is still a Morse-Bott function, whose structure of critical levels presents a dichotomy according to the sign of $n-2k$. The critical submanifolds are no longer Grassmannians but total spaces of fibrations of basis a product of two Grassmannians. We explicitly integrate the gradient flow.