Let $Γ$ be a finitely generated group of matrices over $\mathbb{C}$. We construct an isometric action of $Γ$ on a complete CAT(0) space $X$ such that the restriction of this action to any subgroup of $Γ$ containing no nontrivial unipotent elements is well behaved. As an application, we show that if $M$ is a graph manifold that does not admit a nonpositively curved Riemannian metric, then any finite-dimensional $\mathbb{C}$-linear representation of $π_1(M)$ maps a nontrivial element of $π_1(M)$ to a unipotent matrix. In particular, the fundamental groups of such 3-manifolds do not admit any faithful finite-dimensional unitary representations.
Let $\mathcal C$ be a class of $T_1$ topological semigroups, containing all Hausdorff zero-dimensional topological semigroups. A semigroup $X$ is $\mathcal C$-$closed$ if $X$ is closed in any topological semigroup $Y\in\mathcal C$ that contains $X$ as a discrete subsemigroup; $X$ is $injectively$ $\mathcal C$-$closed$ if for any (injective) homomorphism $h:X\to Y$ to a topological semigroup $Y\in\mathcal C$, the image $h[X]$ is closed in $Y$. A semigroup $X$ is $unipotent$ if it contains a unique idempotent. We prove that a unipotent commutative semigroup $X$ is (injectively) $\mathcal C$-clos…
We show that a linear group without unipotent elements of infinite order possesses properties akin to those held by groups of non positive curvature. Moreover in positive characteristic any finitely generated linear group acts properly and semisimply on a CAT(0) space.
This is the first of two papers in which we introduce and study two bivariate zeta functions associated to unipotent group schemes over rings of integers of number fields. One of these zeta functions encodes the numbers of isomorphism classes of irreducible complex representations of finite dimensions of congruence quotients of the associated group and the other one encodes the numbers of conjugacy classes of each size of such quotients. In this paper, we show that these zeta functions satisfy Euler factorizations and almost all of their Euler factors are rational and satisfy functional equati…
We investigate positive-dimensional closed reductive subgroups of almost simple algebraic groups containing a regular unipotent element. Our main result states that such subgroups do not lie inside proper parabolic subgroups unless possibly when their connected component is a torus. This extends the earlier result of Testerman and Zalesski treating connected reductive subgroups.
Let $G$ be a simple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field $K$ of characteristic $p > 0$. We consider connected reductive subgroups $X$ of $G$ that contain a given distinguished unipotent element $u$ of $G$. A result of Testerman and Zalesski (Proc. Amer. Math. Soc., 2013) shows that if $u$ is a regular unipotent element, then $X$ cannot be contained in a proper parabolic subgroup of $G$. We generalize their result and show that if $u$ has order $p$, then except for two known examples which occur in the case $(G, p) = (C_2, 2)$, the subgroup $X$ cannot be contained in a proper para…
The current article continues a series of papers on decomposition of unipotents and its applications. Let $G(Φ,R)$ be a Chevalley group with a reduced irreducible root system $Φ$ over a commutative ring $R$. Fix $h\in G(Φ,R)$. Call an element $a\in G(Φ,R)$ "good", if it lies in the unipotent radical of a parabolic subgroup whereas the conjugate to $a$ by $h$ belongs to another proper parabolic subgroup (here we assume that all parabolics contain a given split maximal torus). Decomposition of unipotents is a representation of a root unipotent element as a product of "good" elements. Existence o…
This is the second of two papers introducing and investigating two bivariate zeta functions associated to unipotent group schemes over rings of integers of number fields. In the first part, we proved some of their properties such as rationality and functional equations. Here, we calculate such bivariate zeta functions of three infinite families of nilpotent groups of class 2 generalising the Heisenberg group of three by three unitriangular matrices over rings of integers of number fields. The local factors of these zeta functions are also expressed in terms of sums over finite hyperoctahedral …
We prove that a semi-direct product of two finite rank free groups $F_k$ and $F_n$ such that $F_k$ acts on $F_n$ by polynomially growing automorphisms acts properly isometrically on a finite dimensional CAT(0) cube complex provided some finite-index unipotent subgroup of $F_k$ satisfies two supplementary properties. In particular any such group is a-T-menable in the sense of Gromov (equivalently satisfies the Haagerup property).
