A generalization of the double commutator lemma for normal subgroups is shown for invariant random subgroups of a countable group acting faithfully on a Hausdorff space. As an application, we classify ergodic invariant random subgroups of topological full groups of Cantor minimal $\mathbb{Z}^{d}$-systems. Another corollary is that for an ergodic invariant random subgroup of a branch group, a.e. subgroup $H$ must contain derived subgroups of certain rigid stabilizers. Such results can be applied towards classification of invariant random subgroups of Grigorchuk groups.
For the class of solvable groups of homeomorphisms of the line preserving orientation and containing a freely acting element, we establish the metabelianity of the quotient group $G/H_G$, where the elements of the normal subgroup $H_G$ are stabilizers of the minimal set. This fact is an important element in the classification theorem, used, in particular, in the study of the Thompson's group $F$.
We consider irreducible actions of locally compact product groups, and of higher rank semi-simple Lie groups. Using the intermediate factor theorems of Bader-Shalom and Nevo-Zimmer, we show that the action stabilizers, and all irreducible invariant random subgroups, are co-amenable in their normal closure. As a consequence, we derive rigidity results on irreducible actions that generalize and strengthen the results of Bader-Shalom and Stuck-Zimmer.
We study the uniformly recurrent subgroups of groups acting by homeomorphisms on a topological space. We prove a general result relating uniformly recurrent subgroups to rigid stabilizers of the action, and deduce a $C^*$-simplicity criterion based on the non-amenability of rigid stabilizers. As an application, we show that Thompson's group $V$ is $C^\ast$-simple, as well as groups of piecewise projective homeomorphisms of the real line. This provides examples of finitely presented $C^\ast$-simple groups without free subgroups. We prove that a branch group is either amenable or $C^\ast$-simple…
In this paper, we investigate an equivariant homeomorphism of the boundaries $\partial X$ and $\partial Y$ of two proper CAT(0) spaces $X$ and $Y$ on which a CAT(0) group $G$ acts geometrically. We provide a sufficient condition and an equivalent condition to obtain a $G$-equivariant homeomorphism of the boundaries $\partial X$ and $\partial Y$ as a continuous extension of the quasi-isometry $ϕ:Gx_0\rightarrow Gy_0$ defined by $ϕ(gx_0)=gy_0$, where $x_0\in X$ and $y_0\in Y$. In this paper, we say that a CAT(0) group $G$ is {\it equivariant (boundary) rigid}, if $G$ determines its ideal boundar…
In 2012, Bartholdi, Siegenthaler, and Zalesskii computed the rigid kernel of the Hanoi towers group. We present a simpler proof that the rigid kernel is the Klein 4 group. In the course of the proof, we also compute the rigid stabilizers and present proofs that this group is a self-similar, recurrent, regular branch group.
Let $G$ be a group acting by homeomorphisms on a Hausdorff compact space $Z$. We constructed a new space $X$ that blows up equivariantly the bounded parabolic points of $Z$. This means, roughly speaking, that $G$ acts by homeomorphisms on $X$ and there exists a continuous equivariant map $π: X \rightarrow Z$ such that for every non bounded parabolic point $z \in Z$, $\#π^{-1}(z) = 1$. We use such construction to characterize topologically some spaces that $G$ acts with the convergence property and to construct new convergence actions of $G$ from old ones. As one of the applications, if $G$ is …
Set theory, logic, and homeomorphism groups of manifolds
Iowa State University(爱荷华州立大学);University of Virginia(弗吉尼亚大学);Korea Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS)(韩国高等研究院);University of Maryland, College Park(马里兰大学帕克分校)
We study actions of groups by homeomorphisms on $\mathbf{R}$ (or an interval) that are minimal, have solvable germs at $\pm \infty$ and contain a pair of elements of a certain type. We call such actions coherent. We establish that such an action is rigid, i.e. any two such actions of the same group are topologically conjugate. We also establish that the underlying group is always non elementary amenable, but satisfies that every proper quotient is solvable. As a first application, we demonstrate that any coherent group action $G<Homeo^+(\mathbf{R})$ that produces a nonamenable equivalence rela…
It is well known that a countable group admits a left-invariant total order if and only if it acts faithfully on R by orientation preserving homeomorphisms. Such group actions are special cases of group actions on simply connected 1-manifolds, or equivalently, actions on oriented order trees. We characterize a class of left-invariant partial orders on groups which yield such actions, and show conversely that groups acting on oriented order trees by order preserving homeomorphism admit such partial orders as long as there is an action with a point whose stabilizer is left-orderable.
Given a group $G$ of homeomorphism of a first-countable Hausdorff space $\mathcal{X}$, we prove that if the action of $G$ on $\mathcal{X}$ is minimal and has rigid stabilisers that act locally minimally, then the neighbourhood stabilisers of any two points in $\mathcal{X}$ are conjugated by a homeomorphism of $\mathcal{X}$. This allows us to study stabilisers of points in many classes of groups, such as topological full groups of Cantor minimal systems, Thompson groups, branch groups, and groups acting on trees with almost prescribed local actions.
We construct `structure invariants' of a one-ended, finitely presented group that describe the way in which the factors of its JSJ decomposition over two-ended subgroups fit together. For groups satisfying two technical conditions, these invariants reduce the problem of quasi-isometry classification of such groups to the problem of relative quasi-isometry classification of the factors of their JSJ decompositions. The first condition is that their JSJ decompositions have two-ended cylinder stabilizers. The second is that every factor in their JSJ decompositions is either `relatively rigid' or `…
We show that, in many situations, a homeomorphism $f$ of a manifold $M$ may be recovered from the (marked) isomorphism class of a finitely generated group of homeomorphisms containing $f$. As an application, we relate the notions of {\em critical regularity} and of {\em differentiable rigidity}, give examples of groups of diffeomorphisms of 1-manifolds with strong differential rigidity, and in so doing give an independent, short proof of a recent result of Kim and Koberda that there exist finitely generated groups of $C^α$ diffeomorphisms of a 1-manifold $M$, not embeddable into $\mathrm{Diff}…
We introduce the space of relative orders on a group and show that it is compact whenever the group is finitely generated. We use this to show that if $G$ is a finitely generated group acting by order preserving homeomorphism of on the line, then if some stabilizer of a point is proper and co-amenable subgroup, then $G$ surjects onto $\mathbb{Z}$. This is a generalization of a theorem of Morris.
In this paper, we show some splitting theorems for CAT(0) spaces on which a product group acts geometrically and we obtain a splitting theorem for compact geodesic spaces of non-positive curvature. A CAT(0) group $Γ$ is said to be {\it rigid}, if $Γ$ determines the boundary up to homeomorphisms of a CAT(0) space on which $Γ$ acts geometrically. C.Croke and B.Kleiner have constructed a non-rigid CAT(0) group. As an application of the splitting theorems for CAT(0) spaces, we obtain that if $Γ_1$ and $Γ_2$ are rigid CAT(0) groups then so is $Γ_1\times Γ_2$.
We give a structural description of the normal subgroups of subgroups of finite index in branch groups in terms of rigid stabilizers. This gives further insight into the structure lattices of branch groups introduced by the second author. We derive a condition concerning abstract commensurability of branch groups acting on the p-ary tree for any prime p.
A subshift on a group G is a closed, G-invariant subset of A^G, for some finite set A. It is said to be a subshift of finite type (SFT) if it is defined by a finite collection of 'forbidden patterns', to be strongly aperiodic if all point stabilizers are trivial, and weakly aperiodic if all point stabilizers are infinite index in G. We show that groups with at least 2 ends have a strongly aperiodic SFT, and that having such an SFT is a QI invariant for finitely presented torsion free groups. We show that a finitely presented torsion free group with no weakly aperiodic SFT must be QI-rigid. The…
We investigate invariant random subgroups in groups acting on rooted trees. Let $\mathrm{Alt}_f(T)$ be the group of finitary even automorphisms of the $d$-ary rooted tree $T$. We prove that a nontrivial ergodic IRS of $\mathrm{Alt}_f(T)$ that acts without fixed points on the boundary of $T$ contains a level stabilizer, in particular it is the random conjugate of a finite index subgroup. Applying the technique to branch groups we prove that an ergodic IRS in a finitary regular branch group contains the derived subgroup of a generalized rigid level stabilizer. We also prove that every weakly bra…
The paper consists of two parts. In the first one we show that a relatively hyperbolic group $G$ splits as a star graph of groups whose central vertex group is finitely generated and the other vertex groups are maximal parabolic subgroups. As a corollary we obtain that every group which admits 3-discontinuous and 2-cocompact action by homeomorphisms on a compactum is finitely generated with respect to a system of parabolic subgroups. The second part essentially uses the methods of topological entourages developed in the first part. Using also Floyd metrics we obtain finer properties of finitel…
We prove that Whitehead's algorithm for solving the automorphism problem in a fixed free group $F_k$ has strongly linear time generic-case complexity. This is done by showing that the ``hard'' part of the algorithm terminates in linear time on an exponentially generic set of input pairs. We then apply these results to one-relator groups. We obtain a Mostow-type isomorphism rigidity result for random one-relator groups: If two such groups are isomorphic then their Cayley graphs on the \emph{given generating sets} are isometric. Although no nontrivial examples were previously known, we prove tha…
We exhibit rigid rotations of spheres as distortion elements in groups of diffeomorphisms, thereby answering a question of J Franks and M Handel. We also show that every homeomorphism of a sphere is, in a suitable sense, as distorted as possible in the group Homeo(S^n), thought of as a discrete group. An appendix by Y de Cornulier shows that Homeo(S^n) has the strong boundedness property, recently introduced by G Bergman. This means that every action of the discrete group Homeo(S^n) on a metric space by isometries has bounded orbits.