Isometry groups of non-positively curved spaces: structure theory

Infinite dimensional non-positively curved symmetric spaces of finite rank

This paper concerns a study of three families of non-compact type symmetric spaces of infinite dimension. Although they have infinite dimension they have finite rank. More precisely, we show they have finite telescopic dimension. We also show the existence of Furstenberg maps for some group actions on these spaces. Such maps appear as a first step toward superrigidity results.

On the joint spectral radius for isometries of non-positively curved spaces and uniform growth

We recast the notion of joint spectral radius in the setting of groups acting by isometries on non-positively curved spaces and give geometric versions of results of Berger-Wang and Bochi valid for $δ$-hyperbolic spaces and for symmetric spaces of non-compact type. This method produces nice hyperbolic elements in many classical geometric settings. Applications to uniform growth are given, in particular a new proof and a generalization of a theorem of Besson-Courtois-Gallot.

Non-positively curved aspects of Artin groups of finite type

Artin groups of finite type are not as well understood as braid groups. This is due to the additional geometric properties of braid groups coming from their close connection to mapping class groups. For each Artin group of finite type, we construct a space (simplicial complex) analogous to Teichmueller space that satisfies a weak nonpositive curvature condition and also a space "at infinity" analogous to the space of projective measured laminations. Using these constructs, we deduce several group-theoretic properties of Artin groups of finite type that are well-known in the case of braid group…

Fixed point theorems for groups acting on non-positively curved manifolds

We study isometric actions of Steinberg groups on Hadamard manifolds. We prove some rigidity properties related to these actions. In Particular we show that every isometric action of $St_n(F_p\langle t_1,\ldots ,t_k \rangle)$ on Hadamard manifold when $n \geq 3$ is finite. We further study actions on infinite dimensional manifolds and prove a fixed point theorem related to such actions.

Some Remarks on the Geodesic Completeness of Compact Nonpositively Curved Spaces

We make some remarks on the existence of a geodesically complete core for any compact non-positively curved space.

Lifting Group Actions, Equivariant Towers and Subgroups of Non-positively Curved Groups

If $\mathcal C$ is a class of complexes closed under taking full subcomplexes and covers and $\mathcal G$ is the class of groups admitting proper and cocompact actions on one-connected complexes in $\mathcal C$, then $\mathcal G$ is closed under taking finitely presented subgroups. As a consequence the following classes of groups are closed under taking finitely presented subgroups: groups acting geometrically on regular $CAT(0)$ simplicial complexes of dimension $3$, $k$-systolic groups for $k\geq 6$, and groups acting geometrically on $2$-dimensional negatively curved complexes. We also show…

Connectivity properties of group actions on non-positively curved spaces I: Controlled connectivity and openness results

Let G be a group and let M be a CAT(0) proper metric space (e.g. a simply connected complete Riemannian manifold of non-positive sectional curvature or a locally finite tree). Isometric actions of G on M are (by definition) points in the space R := Hom(G, Isom(M)) with the compact open topology. Sample theorems: 1. The cocompact actions form an open subset of R. 2. The cocompact actions with discrete orbits whose point-stabilizers have type F_n form an open subset of the subspace of R consisting of all actions with discrete orbits. (F_1 means finitely generated, F_2 means finitely presented et…

A combination theorem for combinatorially non-positively curved complexes of hyperbolic groups

We prove a combination theorem for hyperbolic groups, in the case of groups acting on complexes displaying combinatorial features reminiscent of non-positive curvature. Such complexes include for instance weakly systolic complexes and C'(1/6) small cancellation polygonal complexes. Our proof involves constructing a potential Gromov boundary for the resulting groups and analyzing the dynamics of the action on the boundary in order to use Bowditch's characterization of hyperbolicity. A key ingredient is the introduction of a combinatorial property that implies a weak form of non-positive curvatu…

Connectivity properties of group actions on non-positively curved spaces II: The geometric invariants

This is the second of two papers but has been written so as to have minimal dependence on the first paper (which is also on this archive). Let G be a group and let M be a CAT(0) proper metric space (e.g. a simply connected complete Riemannian manifold of non-positive sectional curvature or a locally finite tree). Assume G is of type F_n (type F_1 is finitely generated, type F_2 is finitely presented etc.) The "boundary", bdM, of M at infinity has two customary topologies - the compact "cone" topology and the Tits metric topology. We associate with any isometric action of G on M two subsets of …

Cremona groups over finite fields, Neretin groups, and non-positively curved cube complexes

We show that plane Cremona groups over finite fields embed as dense subgroups into Neretin groups, i.e. groups of almost automorphisms of rooted trees. We also show that if the finite base field has even characteristic and contains at least 4 elements, then the permutations induced by birational transformations on rational points of regular projective surfaces are even. In a second part, we construct explicit locally compact CAT(0) cube complexes, on which Neretin groups act properly. This allows us to recover in a unified way various results on Neretin groups such as that they are of type $F_…

非正曲率群的拟重定向边界

Quasi-redirecting boundaries of non-positively curved groups

本文证明多类群的拟重定向边界存在，刻画Croke-Kleiner容许群的边界并证明其满射到Bowditch边界，拓宽了该边界的存在性。

CAT(0) is an algorithmic property

In this article we give an explicit algorithm which will determine, in a discrete and computable way, whether a finite piecewise Euclidean complex is non-positively curved. In particular, given such a complex we show how to define a boolean combination of polynomial equations and inequalities in real variables, i.e. a real semi-algebraic set, which is empty if and only if the complex is non-positively curved. Once this equivalence has been shown, the main result follows from a standard theorem in real algebraic geometry.

作用于非正曲率空间的局部紧群上的尺度函数

The scale function for locally compact groups acting on non-positively curved spaces

本文针对完全间断局部紧群在非正曲率空间上的作用，给出了Willis尺度函数的几何刻画，包括抛物子群、收缩子群、整齐子群及尺度为1的判据。

Controlled embeddings into groups that have no non-trivial finite quotients

If a class of finitely generated groups Curly(G) is closed under isometric amalgamations along free subgroups, then every G in Curly(G) can be quasi-isometrically embedded in a group Hat(G) in Curly(G) that has no proper subgroups of finite index. Every compact, connected, non-positively curved space X admits an isometric embedding into a compact, connected, non-positively curved space Overline(X) such that Overline(X) has no non-trivial finite-sheeted coverings.