Dense subset in Grassmann manifold

algebraic-topologygeneral-topologygrassmannian

for integers $k$ and $n$ with $1\leq k\leq n-1$. Let $G_k(\mathbb{R}^n)$ denote the set of linear subspaces of dimension $k$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$, and let $X_{n,k}=\{A\in M_{n,k}(\mathbb{R})|\mbox{rank}(A)=k\}$ denote the set of all $n\times k$ real matrics of maximal rank $k$. Futhermore, denote by $\pi:X_{n,k}\rightarrow G_k(\mathbb{R}^n)$ the map which sends the matrix $A$ to be the span of its columns, The map $\pi$ is surjection, therefore we can equip $X_{n,k}\subseteq M_{n,k}(\mathbb{R})$ with the subspace topology and $G_k(\mathbb{R}^n)$ is given with the quotient topology with respect to the map $\pi$.
This $G_k(\mathbb{R}^n)$ is called Grassmann manifolds.
I want to prove that
given a linear subspace $H$ of $\mathbb{R}^n$ of dimension $n-k$, then the set $\{V\in G_k(\mathbb{R}^n|V\cap H=\{0\})\}$ is dense in $G_k(\mathbb{R}^n)$.

Best Answer

It is enough to check that the preimage $A = \pi^{-1}(B)$ in $X_{n,k}$ is dense ($\pi(\bar A) \subset \overline{\pi(A)}$ for continuous $\pi$). Now reduce to the case $W = \{0\}_k \times \mathbb{R}^{n-k}$. Then $\pi^{-1}(B)$ are the $n\times k$ matrices with the leading $k\times k$ minor $\ne 0$. This is clearly dense in $X_{n,k}$, since it is dense in the set of all $n\times k$ matrices.

It is interesting to consider Plücker coordinates. The condiition $V\cap W = 0$ is a linear condition $\ne 0$ in the Plücker coordinates of $V$.