Divergence in lattices in semisimple Lie groups and graphs of groups
Cornelia Drutu, Shahar Mozes, Mark Sapir
备注：
v1: 34 pages; v2: implemented referee's comments/ The paper is accepted in Tr.AMS v3: more small changes are made, especially in Section 3, v6: added an erratum correcting Proposition 3.24 and Theorems 4.4, 4.9; v7: fixed the proof of Theorem 7.7
Divergence functions of a metric space estimate the length of a path connecting two points $A$, $B$ at distance $\le n$ avoiding a large enough ball around a third point $C$. We characterize groups with non-linear divergence functions as groups having cut-points in their asymptotic cones. By Olshanskii-Osin-Sapir, that property is weaker than the property of having Morse (rank 1) quasi-geodesics. Using our characterization of Morse quasi-geodesics, we give a new proof of the theorem of Farb-Kaimanovich-Masur that states that mapping class groups cannot contain copies of irreducible lattices in semi-simple Lie groups of higher ranks. It also gives a generalization of the result of Birman-Lubotzky-McCarthy about solvable subgroups of mapping class groups not covered by the Tits alternative of Ivanov and McCarthy.
We show that any group acting acylindrically on a simplicial tree or a locally compact hyperbolic graph always has "many" periodic Morse quasi-geodesics (i.e. Morse elements), so its divergence functions are never linear. We also show that the same result holds in many cases when the hyperbolic graph satisfies Bowditch's properties that are weaker than local compactness. This gives a new proof of Behrstock's result that every pseudo-Anosov element in a mapping class group is Morse.
On the other hand, we conjecture that lattices in semi-simple Lie groups of higher rank always have linear divergence. We prove it in the case when the $\mathbb{Q}$-rank is 1 and when the lattice is $SL_n(\mathcal{O}_S)$ where $n\ge 3$, $S$ is a finite set of valuations of a number field $K$ including all infinite valuations, and $\mathcal{O}_S$ is the corresponding ring of $S$-integers.
We study primitive stable representations of free groups into higher rank semisimple Lie groups and their properties. Let $Σ$ be a compact, connected, orientable surface (possibly with boundary) of negative Euler characteristic. We first verify the $σ_{mod}$-regularity for convex projective structures and positive representations. Then we show that the holonomies of convex projective structures and positive representations on $Σ$ are all primitive stable if $Σ$ has one boundary component.
Given a group automorphism $ϕ:Γ\to Γ$, one has an action of $Γ$ on itself by $ϕ$-twisted conjugacy, namely, $g.x=gxϕ(g^{-1})$. The orbits of this action are called $ϕ$-conjugacy classes. One says that $Γ$ has the $R_\infty$-property if there are infinitely many $ϕ$-conjugacy classes for every automorphism $ϕ$ of $Γ$. In this paper we show that any irreducible lattice in a connected semi simple Lie group having finite centre and rank at least 2 has the $R_\infty$-property.
We prove that if $Γ$ is a lattice in the group of isometries of a symmetric space of non-compact type without euclidean factors, then the virtual cohomological dimension of $Γ$ equals its proper geometric dimension.
Let a split element of a connected semisimple Lie group act on one of its flag manifolds. We prove that each connected set of fixed points of this action is itself a flag manifold. With this we can obtain the generalized Bruhat decomposition of a semisimple Lie group by entirely dynamical arguments.
We show that, in compact semisimple Lie groups and Lie algebras, any neighbourhood of the identity gets mapped, under the commutator map, to a neighbourhood of the identity.
We prove that Ad-semisimple conjugacy classes in a connected Lie group $G$ are closed embedded submanifolds of $G$. We also prove that if $α:H\to G$ is a homomorphism of connected Lie groups such that the kernel of $α$ is discrete in $H$, then for an Ad-semisimple conjugacy class $C$ in $G$, every connected component of $α^{-1}(C)$ is a conjugacy class in $H$. Corresponding results for adjoint orbits in real Lie algebras are also proved.
We give a short elementary proof of the fact that connected semisimple real Lie groups satisfy property RD. The proof is based on a process of linearization.
First we give a new proof of Goto's theorem for Lie algebras of compact semisimple Lie groups using Coxeter transformations. Namely, every $x$ in $L = \operatorname{Lie}(G)$ can be written as $x =[a, b]$ for some $a$, $b$ in $L$. By using the same method, we give a new proof of the following theorem (thus avoiding the classification tables of fundamental weights): in compact semisimple Lie algebras, orthogonal Cartan subalgebras always exist (where one of them can be chosen arbitrarily). Some of the consequences of this theorem are the following. $(i)$ If $L=\operatorname{Lie}(G)$ is such a Li…
Let $G$ be a non-compact semisimple Lie group with finite centre and finitely many components. We show that any finitely generated group $Γ$ which is quasi-isometric to an irreducible lattice in $G$ has the $R_\infty$-property, namely, that there are infinitely $ϕ$-twisted conjugacy classes for every automorphism $ϕ$ of $Γ$. Also, we show that any lattice in $G$ has the $R_\infty$-property, extending our earlier result for irreducible lattices.
In this note, we formulate an observation that "almost all" irreducible ordinary characters of finite groups of Lie type remain irreducible when restricted to the derived subgroups. To see this, key ingredients are some asymptotic results for conjugacy classes of finite groups of Lie type and strongly regular semisimple elements in dual groups.
The adjoint action of a finite group of Lie type on its Lie algebra is studied. A simple formula is conjectured for the number of split semisimple orbits of a given genus. This conjecture is proved for type A, and partial results are obtained for other types. For type A a probabilistic interpretation is given in terms of card shuffling.
For any noncompact semisimple real Lie group $G$, we construct a group of affine transformations of its Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ whose linear part is Zariski-dense in $\operatorname{Ad} G$ and which is free, nonabelian and acts properly discontinuously on $\mathfrak{g}$.
Sharp Fourier type and cotype of Lebesgue spaces and Schatten classes with respect to an arbitrary compact semisimple Lie group are investigated. In the process, a local variant of the Hausdorff-Young inequality on such groups is given.
Let $\mathfrak{g}$ be a real semisimple Lie algebra with Iwasawa decomposition $\mathfrak{k} \oplus \mathfrak{a} \oplus \mathfrak{n}$. We show that, except for some explicit exceptional cases, every derivation of the nilpotent subalgebra $\mathfrak{n}$ that preserves its restricted root space decomposition is of the form $\text{ad}( W)$, where $W \in \mathfrak{m}\oplus .
We study locally compact group topologies on semisimple Lie groups. We show that the Lie group topology on such a group $S$ is very rigid: every 'abstract' isomorphism between $S$ and a locally compact and $σ$-compact group $Γ$ is automatically a homeomorphism, provided that $S$ is absolutely simple. If $S$ is complex, then non-continuous field automorphisms of the complex numbers have to be considered, but that is all.
We classify all pairs (m,e), where m is a positive integer and e is a nilpotent element of a semisimple Lie algebra, which arise in the classification of simple rational W-algebras.
Let $G$ be a real semisimple Lie group with trivial centre and no compact factors. Given a conjugate pair of either real hyperbolic elements or unipotent elements $a$ and $b$ in $G$ we find a conjugating element $g \in G$ such that $d_G(1,g) \leq L(d_G(1,u)+d_G(1,v))$, where $L$ is a positive constant which will depend on some property of $a$ and $b$. For the vast majority of such elements however, $L$ can be assumed to be a uniform constant.
We compute L2-invariants of certain nonuniform lattices in semisimple Lie groups by means of the Borel-Serre compactification of arithmetically defined locally symmetric spaces. The main results give new estimates for Novikov-Shubin numbers and vanishing L2-torsion for lattices in groups with even deficiency. We discuss applications to Gromov's Zero-in-the-Spectrum Conjecture as well as to a proportionality conjecture for the L2-torsion of measure equivalent groups.
We obtain non-vanishing of group $L^p$-cohomology of Lie groups for $p$ large and when the degree is equal to the rank of the group. This applies both to semisimple and to some suitable solvable groups. In particular, it confirms that Gromov's question on vanishing below the rank is formulated optimally. To achieve this, some complementary vanishings are combined with the use of spectral sequences. To deduce the semisimple case from the solvable one, we also need comparison results between various theories for $L^p$-cohomology, allowing the use of quasi-isometry invariance.
We give very precise bounds for the congruence subgroup growth of arithmetic groups. This allows us to determine the subgroup growth of irreducible lattices of semisimple Lie groups. In the most general case our results depend on the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis for number fields but we can state the following unconditional theorem: Let $G$ be a simple Lie group of real rank at least 2, different than $D_4(\bbc)$, and let $Γ$ be any non-uniform lattice of $G$. Let $s_n(Γ)$ denote the number of subgroups of index at most $n$ in $Γ$. Then the limit $\lim\limits_{n\to \infty} \frac{\log s_n(Γ)}…
We show that Nichols algebras of most simple Yetter-Drinfeld modules over the projective special linear group over a finite field, corresponding to non-semisimple orbits, have infinite dimension. We spell out a new criterium to show that a rack collapses.
We prove that the Harish-Chandra--Schwartz space associated with a discrete subgroup of a semisimple Lie group is a dense subalgebra of the reduced $C^*$-algebra of the discrete subgroup. Then, we prove that for the reduced $C^*$-norm is controlled by the norm of the Harish-Chandra--Schwartz space. This inequality is weaker than property RD and holds for any discrete group acting isometrically, properly on a Riemannian symmetric space.
Random walk on the chambers of hyperplanes arrangements is used to define a family of card shuffling measures $H_{W,x}$ for a finite Coxeter group W and real $x \neq 0$. By algebraic group theory, there is a map from the semisimple orbits of the adjoint action of a finite group of Lie type on its Lie algebra to the conjugacy classes of the Weyl group. Choosing such a semisimple orbit uniformly at random thereby induces a probability measure on the conjugacy classes of the Weyl group. For types A, B, and the identity conjugacy class of W for all types, it is proved that for q very good, this me…
The existence of closed orbits of real algebraic groups on real algebraic varieties is established. As an application, it is shown that if G is a real reductive linear group with Iwasawa decomposition G= KAN, then every unipotent subgroup of G is conjugate to a subgroup of N.
We show that Nichols algebras of most simple Yetter-Drinfeld modules over the projective special linear group over a finite field, corresponding to semisimple orbits, have infinite dimension. We introduce a new criterium to determine when a conjugacy class collapses and prove that for infinitely many pairs (n,q), any finite-dimensional pointed Hopf algebra H with G(H) = PSL(n,q) or SL(n,q) is isomorphic to a group algebra.
Suppose $G$ is a compact semisimple Lie group, $μ$ is the normalized Haar measure on $G$, and $A, A^2 \subseteq G$ are measurable. We show that $$μ(A^2)\geq \min\{1, 2μ(A)+ημ(A)(1-2μ(A))\}$$ with the absolute constant $η>0$ (independent from the choice of $G$) quantitatively determined. We also show a more general result for connected compact groups without a toric quotient and resolve the Kemperman Inverse Problem from 1964.
We show that stationary characters on irreducible lattices $Γ< G$ of higher-rank connected semisimple Lie groups are conjugation invariant, that is, they are genuine characters. This result has several applications in representation theory, operator algebras, ergodic theory and topological dynamics. In particular, we show that for any such irreducible lattice $Γ< G$, the left regular representation $λ_Γ$ is weakly contained in any weakly mixing representation $π$. We prove that for any such irreducible lattice $Γ< G$, any uniformly recurrent subgroup (URS) of $Γ$ is finite, answering a questio…
