Closed approximate subgroups: compactness, amenability and approximate lattices
Simon Machado
备注：
39 pages. Structure theorem for amenable approximate subgroup added, this leads to a new shorter proof and a generalisation of Theorem 1.9 (which works in positive characteristic as well now). Other minor and local changes in order to state and prove theorems in the generality of approximate lattices as defined by Hrushovski
We investigate properties of closed approximate subgroups of locally compact groups, with a particular interest for approximate lattices i.e. those approximate subgroups that are discrete and have finite co-volume.
We prove an approximate subgroup version of Cartan's closed-subgroup theorem and study some applications. We give a structure theorem for closed approximate subgroups of amenable groups in the spirit of the Breuillard--Green--Tao theorem. We then prove two results concerning approximate lattices: we extend to amenable groups a structure theorem for mathematical quasi-crystals due to Meyer; we prove results concerning intersections of radicals of Lie groups and discrete approximate subgroups generalising theorems due to Auslander, Bieberbach and Mostow. As an underlying theme, we exploit the notion of good models of approximate subgroups that stems from the work of Hrushovski, and Breuillard, Green and Tao. We show how one can draw information about a given approximate subgroup from a good model, when it exists.
We show that if $H$ is a quasiconvex subgroup of infinite index in a non-elementary hyperbolic group $G$ then the Schreier coset graph $X$ for $G$ relative to $H$ is non-amenable (that is, $X$ has positive Cheeger constant). We present some corollaries regading the Martin boundary and Martin compactification of $X$ and the co-growth of $H$ in $G$.
Averaging linear functional on the space continuous functions of the group of diffeomorphisms of interval is found. Amenability of several discrete subgroups of the group of diffeomorphisms $\Diff^3([0,1])$ of interval is prove. In particular, a solution of the problem of amenability of the Thompson's group $F$ is given.
Averaging linear functional on the space continuous functions of the group of diffeomorphisms of interval is found. Amenability of several discrete subgroups of the group of diffeomorphisms $\Diff^3([0,1])$ of interval is prove. In particular, a solution of the problem of amenability of the Thompson's group $F$ is given.
Extensive amenability is a property of group actions which has recently been used as a tool to prove amenability of groups. We study this property and prove that it is preserved under a very general construction of semidirect products. As an application, we establish the amenability of all subgroups of the group IET of interval exchange transformations that have angular components of rational rank~${\leq 2}$. In addition, we obtain a reformulation of extensive amenability in terms of inverted orbits and use it to present a purely probabilistic proof that recurrent actions are extensively amena…
We adapt the notion of quasi-Hermition group to the pairs $(G,H)$ of discrete group $G$ and its subgroup $H$. We show that a quasi-Hermitian pair is amenable in the sense of Eymard.
We introduce a relative fixed point property for subgroups of a locally compact group, which we call relative amenability. It is a priori weaker than amenability. We establish equivalent conditions, related among others to a problem studied by Reiter in 1968. We record a solution to Reiter's problem. We study the class X of groups in which relative amenability is equivalent to amenability for all closed subgroups; we prove that X contains all familiar groups. Actually, no group is known to lie outside X. Since relative amenability is closed under Chabauty limits, it follows that any Chabauty l…
We show that free Burnside groups of sufficiently large odd exponent are non--amenable in a certain strong sense, more precisely, their left regular representations are isolated from the trivial representation uniformly on finite generating sets. This result is applied to the solution of a strong version of the von Neumann -- Day problem concerning amenability of groups without non--abelian free subgroups. As another consequence, we obtain that the above--mentioned groups are of uniform exponential growth.
This paper is devoted to the study of universality for a particular continuous action naturally attached to certain pairs of closed subgroups of $S_{\infty}$. It shows that three new concepts, respectively called relative extreme amenability, relative Ramsey property for embeddings, and relative Ramsey property for structures, are relevant in order to understand this property correctly. It also allows to provide a partial answer to a question posed by Kechris, Pestov and Todorcevic.
In this short paper we show that if $(G,H)$ is an amenable Hecke pair and $Γ$ is a subgroup of $G$ containing $H$, then the Hecke pair $(Γ, H)$ is amenable too. This answers positively a question of Pierre Eymard, asked in 1972, when it is restricted to Hecke pairs
P-E. Caprace and N. Monod isolate the class $\mathscr{X}$ of locally compact groups for which relatively amenable closed subgroups are amenable. It is unknown if $\mathscr{X}$ is closed under group extension. In this note, we exhibit a large, group extension stable subclass of $\mathscr{X}$, which suggests $\mathscr{X}$ is indeed closed under group extension. Along the way, we produce generalizations of the class of elementary groups and obtain information on groups outside $\mathscr{X}$.
We introduce right generating sets, Cayley graphs, growth functions, types and rates, and isoperimetric constants for left homogeneous spaces equipped with coordinate systems; characterise right amenable finitely right generated left homogeneous spaces with finite stabilisers as those whose isoperimetric constant is $0$; and prove that finitely right generated left homogeneous spaces with finite stabilisers of sub-exponential growth are right amenable, in particular, quotient sets of groups of sub-exponential growth by finite subgroups are right amenable.
Let O(f,Z) be the integral orthogonal group of an integral quadratic form f of signature (n,1). Let R(f,Z) be the subgroup of O(f,Z) generated by all hyperbolic reflections. Vinberg proved that if n > 29 then the reflective quotient O(f,Z)/R(f,Z) is infinite. In this note we generalize Vinberg's theorem and prove that if n > 91 then O(f,Z)/R(f,Z) contains a non-abelian free group (and thus it is not amenable).
Given a countable residually finite group, we construct a compact group K and two elements w and u of K with the following properties: The group generated by w and the cube of u is amenable, the group generated by w and u contains a copy of the given group, and these two groups are dense in K. By combining it with a construction of non-exact groups that are LEF by Osajda and Arzhantseva--Osajda and formation of diagonal products, we construct an example for which the latter dense group is non-exact. Our proof employs approximations in the space of marked groups of LEF ("Locally Embeddable into…
We first show that co-amenability does not pass to subgroups, answering a question asked by Eymard in 1972. We then address co-amenability for von Neumann algebras, describing notably how it relates to the former.
We define a notion of relative soficity for countable groups with respect to a family of groups. A group is sofic if and only if it is relative sofic with respect to the family consisting only of the trivial group. If a group is relatively sofic with respect to a family of sofic groups, then the group is sofic. Using this notion we generalize a theorem of Elek and Szabo on the soficity of an extension of sofic groups by amenable groups. In particular we prove that groups that are relatively sofic with respect to a family of sofic groups are sofic and more importantly extensions of sofic groups…
We define a relative property A for a countable group with respect to a finite family of subgroups. Many characterizations for relative property A are given. In particular a relative bounded cohomological characterization shows that if a group has property A relative to a family of subgroups, each of which has property A, then the group has property A. This result leads to new classes of groups that have property A. In particular, groups are of property A if they act cocompactly on locally finite property A spaces of bounded geometry with at least one stabilizer of property A. Specializing the…
Let $G$ be a subgroup of a discrete (countable) group $Γ$. We introduce a notion of relative inner amenability of $G$ in $Γ$, we prove some equivalent conditions and provide examples as well as counter-examples. We also discuss briefly the corresponding relative property gamma for pairs of finite factors and we deduce from this a characterization of discrete, icc groups which do not have Kazhdan's property $T$.
Let $H$ be a proper subgroup of a discrete group $G$. We introduce a notion of relative inner amenability of $H$ in $G$, we prove some equivalent conditions and provide examples as well as counter-examples. We also discuss the corresponding relative property gamma for pairs of finite factors $N\subset M$ and we deduce from this a characterization of discrete, icc groups which do not have Kazhdan's property (T).
We provide a general criterion to deduce maximal amenability of von Neumann subalgebras $LΛ\subset LΓ$ arising from amenable subgroups $Λ$ of discrete countable groups $Γ$. The criterion is expressed in terms of $Λ$-invariant measures on some compact $Γ$-space. The strategy of proof is different from S. Popa's approach to maximal amenability via central sequences [Po83], and relies on elementary computations in a crossed-product C*-algebra.
We construct a geometric model for the mapping class group M of a non-exceptional oriented surface of finite type and use it to show that the action of M on the compact Hausdorff space of complete geodesic laminations is topologically amenable. As a consequence, the Novikov higher signature conjecture holds for every subgroup of M.
Consider a proper cocompact CAT(0) space X. We give a complete algebraic characterisation of amenable groups of isometries of X. For amenable discrete subgroups, an even narrower description is derived, implying Q-linearity in the torsion-free case. We establish Levi decompositions for stabilisers of points at infinity of X, generalising the case of linear algebraic groups to Is(X). A geometric counterpart of this sheds light on the refined bordification of X (à la Karpelevich) and leads to a converse to the Adams-Ballmann theorem. It is further deduced that unimodular cocompact groups cannot …
We establish a general normal subgroup theorem for commensurators of lattices in locally compact groups. While the statement is completely elementary, its proof, which rests on the original strategy of Margulis in the case of higher rank lattices, relies heavily on analytic tools pertaining to amenability and Kazhdan's property (T). It is a counterpart to the normal subgroup theorem for irreducible lattices of Bader and the second named author, and may also be used to sharpen that result when one of the ambient factors is totally disconnected.
We prove a general version of the amenability conjecture in the unified setting of a Gromov hyperbolic group G acting properly cocompactly either on its Cayley graph, or on a CAT(-1)-space. Namely, for any subgroup H of G, we show that H is co-amenable in G if and only if their exponential growth rates (with respect to the prescribed action) coincide. For this, we prove a quantified, representation-theoretical version of Stadlbauer's amenability criterion for group extensions of a topologically transitive subshift of finite type, in terms of the spectral radii of the classical Ruelle transfer …
We completely characterize connected Lie groups all of whose countable subgroups are weakly amenable. We also provide a characterization of connected semisimple Lie groups that are weakly amenable. Finally, we show that a connected Lie group is weakly amenable if the group is weakly amenable as a discrete group.
In this paper we prove that the general version, F(N) of the Thompson group is inner amenable. As a consequence we generalize a result of P.Jolissaint. To do so, we prove first that F(N) together with a normal subgroup are i.c.c (infinite conjugacy classes) groups. Then, we investigate the relative McDuff property out of which we extract property $Γ$ for the group von Neumann algebras involved. By a result of E.G.Effros, F(N) follows inner amenable.
Equationally compact subgroups of countable groups were introduced by Banaschewski. For all known cases the orbit closure of such a subgroup is a countable subset in the space of subgroups and has finite Cantor-Bendixson rank. We show that there exists a finitely generated group $Γ$ such that for any countable ordinal $α$ we have an equationally compact subgroup $H\subset Γ$ for which the Cantor-Bendixson rank of the orbit closure of $H$ equals to $α+2$. Then we give an explicite construction of continuum many equationally compact subgroups of $Γ$ such that the associated ergodic Bernoulli shi…
For locally compact groups amenability and Kazhdan's property (T) are mutually exclusive in the sense that a group having both properties is compact. This is no longer true for more general Polish groups. However, a weaker result still holds for SIN groups (topological groups admitting a basis of conjugation-invariant neighbourhoods of identity): if such a group admits sufficiently many unitary representations, then it is precompact as soon as it is amenable and has the strong property (T) (i.e. admits a finite Kazhdan set). If an amenable topological group with property (T) admits a faithful …
This note describes the first example of a group that is amenable, but cannot be obtained by subgroups, quotients, extensions and direct limits from the class of groups locally of subexponential growth. It has a balanced presentation \[Δ= < b,t|[b,t^2]b^{-1},[[[b,t^{-1}],b],b]>.\] I show that it acts transitively on a 3-regular tree, and that $Γ=< b,b^{t^{-1}}$ stabilizes a vertex and acts by restriction on a binary rooted tree. $Γ$ is a "fractal group", generated by a 3-state automaton, and is a discrete analogue of the monodromy action of iterates of f(z)=z^2-1 on associated coverings of the…
The concept of configuration was first introduced by Rosenblatt and Willis to give a condition for amenability of groups. We show that if $G_1$ and $G_2$ have the same configuration sets and $H_1$ is a normal subgroup of $G_1$ with abelian quotient, then there is a normal subgroup $H_2$ of $G_2$ such that $\frac{G_1}{H_1}\cong\frac{G_2}{H_2}.$ Also configuration of FC-groups and isomorphism is studied.
We prove that weak amenability of a locally compact group imposes a strong condition on its amenable closed normal subgroups. This extends non weak amenability results of Haagerup (1988) and Ozawa--Popa (2010). A von Neumann algebra analogue is also obtained.
We here consider inner amenability from a geometric and group theoretical perspective. We prove that for every non-elementary action of a group $G$ on a finite dimensional irreducible CAT(0) cube complex, there is a nonempty $G$-invariant closed convex subset such that every conjugation invariant mean on $G$ gives full measure to the stabilizer of each point of this subset. Specializing our result to trees leads to a complete characterization of inner amenability for HNN-extensions and amalgamated free products. One novelty of the proof is that it makes use of the existence of certain idempote…
In 'The essentially chief series of a compactly generated locally compact group', an analogue of chief series for finite groups is discovered for compactly generated locally compact groups. In the present article, we show that chief factors necessarily exist in all locally compact groups with sufficiently rich topological structure. We also show that chief factors have one of seven types, and for all but one of these types, there is a decomposition into discrete groups, compact groups, and topologically simple groups. Our results for chief factors require exploring the theory developed in 'Chi…
We prove an extension property for $M_d$-multipliers from a subgroup to the ambient group, showing that $M_{d+1}(G)$ is strictly contained in $M_d(G)$ whenever $G$ contains a free subgroup. Another consequence of this result is the stability of the $M_d$-approximation property under group extensions. We also show that Baumslag-Solitar groups are $M_d$-weakly amenable with $\boldsymbolΛ(\operatorname{BS}(m,n),d)=1$ for all $d\geq 2$. Finally, we show that, for simple Lie groups with finite centre, $M_d$-weak amenability is equivalent to weak amenability, and we provide some estimates on the con…
We prove several results on the permanence of weak amenability and the Haagerup property for discrete quantum groups. In particular, we improve known facts on free products by allowing amalgamation over a finite quantum subgroup. We also define a notion of relative amenability for discrete quantum groups and link it with amenable equivalence of von Neumann algebras, giving additional permanence properties.
We study amenability of definable and topological groups. Among our main technical tools is an elaboration on and strengthening of the Massicot-Wagner version of the stabilizer theorem, and some results around measures. As an application we show that if $G$ is an amenable topological group, then the Bohr compactification of $G$ coincides with a certain "weak Bohr compactification" introduced in [24]. Formally, $G^{00}_{topo} = G^{000}_{topo}$. We also prove wide generalizations of this result, implying in particular its extension to a "definable-topological" context, confirming the main conjec…
We show that certain amenable subgroups inside $\tilde{A}_2$-groups are singular in the sense of Boutonnet and Carderi. This gives a new family of examples of singular group von Neumann subalgebras. We also give a geometric proof that if $G$ is an acylindrically hyperbolic group, $H$ is an infinite amenable subgroup containing a loxodromic element, then $H<G$ is singular. Finally, we present (counter)examples to show both situations happen concerning maximal amenability of $LH$ inside $LG$ if $H$ does not contain loxodromic elements.
Given a simple Lie group $G$, we show that the lattices in $G$ are weakly uniformly discrete. This is a strengthening of the Kazhdan-Margulis theorem. Our proof however is straightforward --- considering general IRS rather than lattices allows us to apply a compactness argument. In terms of p.m.p. actions, we show that for every $ε$ there is an identity neighbourhood $U$ which intersects trivially the stabilizers of $1-ε$ of the points in every non-atomic $G$-space.
We study continuous bounded cohomology of totally disconnected locally compact groups with coefficients in a non-Archimedean valued field $K$. To capture the features of classical amenability that induce the vanishing of real bounded cohomology, we introduce the notion of normed $K$-amenability, of which we prove an algebraic characterization. It implies that normed $K$-amenable groups are locally elliptic, and it relates an invariant, the norm of a $K$-amenable group, to the order of its discrete finite $p$-subquotients, where $p$ is the characteristic of the residue field of $K$. Moreover, w…
We provide characterizations of Lie groups as compact-like groups in which all closed zero-dimensional metric (compact) subgroups are discrete. The "compact-like" properties we consider include (local) compactness, (local) omega-boundedness, (local) countable compactness, (local) precompactness, (local) minimality and sequential completeness. Below is a sample of our characterizations: (i) A topological group is a Lie group if and only if it is locally compact and has no infinite compact metric zero-dimensional subgroups. (ii) An abelian topological group G is a Lie group if and only if G is l…
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…
The purpose of this paper is to link anisotropy properties of an algebraic group together with compactness issues in the topological group of its rational points. We nd equivalent conditions on a smooth ane algebraic group scheme over a non-Archimedean local eld for the associated rational points to admit maximal compact subgroups. We use the structure theory of pseudo-reductive groups provided, whatever the characteristic, by Conrad, Gabber and Prasad. We also investigate thoroughly maximal prop subgroups in the semisimple case, using Bruhat-Tits theory.
We prove that many completeness properties coincide in metric spaces, precompact groups and dense subgroups of products of separable metric groups. We apply these results to function spaces C_p(X,G) of G-valued continuous functions on a space X with the topology of pointwise convergence, for a separable metric group G. Not only the results but also the proofs themselves are novel even in the classical case when G is the real line. A space X is weakly pseudocompact if it is G_delta-dense in at least one of its compactifications. A topological group G is precompact if it is topologically isomorp…
We prove that for any infinite, maximal amenable subgroup $H$ in a hyperbolic group $G$, the von Neumann subalgebra $LH$ is maximal amenable inside $LG$. It provides many new, explicit examples of maximal amenable subalgebras in II$_1$ factors. We also prove similar maximal amenability results for direct products of relatively hyperbolic groups and orbit equivalence relations arising from measure-preserving actions of such groups.
In various occasions the conjugacy problem in finitely generated amalgamated products and HNN extensions can be decided efficiently for elements which cannot be conjugated into the base groups. This observation asks for a bound on how many such elements there are. Such bounds can be derived using the theory of amenable graphs: In this work we examine Schreier graphs of amalgamated products and HNN extensions. For an amalgamated product $G = H *_A K $ with $[H:A] \geq [K:A] \geq 2$, the Schreier graph with respect to $H$ or $K$ turns out to be non-amenable if and only if $[H:A] \geq 3$. Moreove…
In this article we introduce and study uniform and non-uniform approximate lattices in locally compact second countable (lcsc) groups. These are approximate subgroups (in the sense of Tao) which simultaneously generalize lattices in lcsc group and mathematical quasi-crystals (a.k.a. Meyer sets) in lcsc abelian groups. We show that envelopes of strong approximate lattices are unimodular, and that approximate lattices in nilpotent groups are uniform. We also establish several results relating properties of approximate lattices and their envelopes. For example, we prove a version of the Milnor-Sc…
A group G is non-topologizable if the only Hausdorff group topology that G admits is the discrete one. Is there an infinite group G such that H/N is non-topologizable for every subgroup H <= G and every normal subgroup N <| H? We show that a solution of this essentially group theoretic question provides a solution to the problem of c-compactness.
This book provides a gentle introduction to the study of arithmetic subgroups of semisimple Lie groups. This means that the goal is to understand the group SL(n,Z) and certain of its subgroups. Among the major results discussed in the later chapters are the Mostow Rigidity Theorem, the Margulis Superrigidity Theorem, Ratner's Theorems, and the classification of arithmetic subgroups of classical groups. As background for the proofs of these theorems, the book provides primers on lattice subgroups, arithmetic groups, real rank and Q-rank, ergodic theory, unitary representations, amenability, Kaz…
Consider the following property of a topological group G: every continuous affine G-action on a Hilbert space with a bounded orbit has a fixed point. We prove that this property characterizes amenability for locally compact sigma-compact groups (e.g. countable groups). Along the way, we introduce a "moderate" variant of the classical induction of representations and we generalize the Gaboriau--Lyons theorem to prove that any non-amenable locally compact group admits a probabilistic variant of discrete free subgroups. This leads to the "measure-theoretic solution" to the von Neumann problem for…
