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Suppose A and B are normed division algebras, i.e. R,C,H or O, we introduce and study Grassmannians of linear subspaces in (A ⊗ B)n which are complex/Lagrangian/maximal isotropic with respect to natural two tensors on (A ⊗ B)n. We show that every irreducible compact symmetric space must be one of these Grassmannian spaces, possibly up to a finite cover. This gives a simple and uniform description of all compact symmetric spaces. This generalizes the Tits magic square description for simple Lie algebras to compact symmetric spaces.

In a previous paper we have constructed an invariant of fourdimensional manifolds with boundary in the form of an element in the stable homotopy group of the Seiberg-Witten Floer spectrum of the boundary. Here we prove that when one glues two four- manifolds along their boundaries, the Bauer-Furuta invariant of the resulting manifold is obtained by applying a natural pairing to the invariants of the pieces. As an application, we show that the connected sum of three copies of the K3 surface contains no exotic nuclei. In the process we also compute the Floer spectrum for several Seifert fibrations.

A foliation F on a Riemannian manifold M is hyperpolar if it admits a flat section, that is, a connected closed flat submanifold of M that intersects each leaf of F orthogonally. In this article we classify the hyperpolar homogeneous foliations on every Riemannian symmetric space M of noncompact type. These foliations are constructed as follows. Let  be an orthogonal subset of a set of simple roots associated with the symmetric space M. Then  determines a horospherical decomposition M = Fs ×ErankM−||×N, where Fs  is the Riemannian product of || symmetric spaces of rank one. Every hyperpolar homogeneous foliation on M is isometrically congruent to the product of the following objects: a particular homogeneous codimension one foliation on each symmetric space of rank one in Fs , a foliation by parallel affine subspaces on the Euclidean space ErankM−||, and the horocycle subgroup N of the parabolic subgroup of the isometry group of M determined by .

Let $ f : \sum_1 \to \sum_2$ be a map between compact Riemannian manifolds of constant curvature. This article considers the evolution of the graph of f in $\sum_1 \times \sum_2$2 by the mean curvature flow. Under suitable conditions on the curvature of $\sum_1$ and $\sum_2$ and the differential of the initial map, we show that the flow exists smoothly for all time. At each instant $t$, the flow remains the graph of a map $f_t$ and $f_t$ converges to a constant map as $t$ approaches infinity. This also provides a regularity estimate for Lipschtz initial data.