Let $G$ be a group with a metric $\mathrm{d}$ invariant under left and right translations, and let $\bar{\mathbb{D}}_r$ be the ball of radius $r$ around the identity. A $(k,r)$-metric approximate subgroup is a symmetric subset $X$ of $G$ such that the pairwise product set $XX$ is covered by at most $k$ translates of $X\bar{\mathbb{D}}_r$. This notion was introduced in arXiv:math/0601431 along with the version for discrete groups (approximate subgroups). In arXiv:0909.2190, it was shown for the discrete case that, at the asymptotic limit of $X$ finite but large, the "approximateness" (or need for more than one translate) can be attributed to a canonically associated Lie group. Here we prove an analogous result in the metric setting, under a certain finite covering assumption on $X$ replacing finiteness. In particular, if $G$ has bounded exponent, we show that any $(k,r)$-metric approximate subgroup is close to a $(1,r')$-metric approximate subgroup for an appropriate $r'$.
We prove Schlichting's theorem for approximate subgroups: if $\mathcal{X}$ is a uniform family of commensurable approximate subgroups in some ambient group, then there exists an invariant approximate subgroup commensurable with $\mathcal{X}$.
We study infinite approximate subgroups of soluble Lie groups. Generalising a theorem of Fried and Goldman we show that approximate subgroups are close, in a sense to be defined, to genuine connected subgroups. Building up on this result we prove a structure theorem for approximate lattices in soluble Lie groups. This extends to soluble Lie groups a theorem about quasi-crystals due to Yves Meyer.
If F is a type-definable family of commensurable subsets, subgroups or sub-vector spaces in a metric structure, then there is an invariant subset, subgroup or sub-vector space commensurable with F. This in particular applies to type-definable or hyper-definable objects in a classical first-order structure.
Given a group $G$, we write $g^G$ for the conjugacy class of $G$ containing the element $g$. A theorem of B. H. Neumann states that if $G$ is a group in which all conjugacy classes are finite with bounded size, then the commutator subgroup $G'$ is finite. We establish the following results. Let $K,n$ be positive integers and $G$ a group having a $K$-approximate subgroup $A$. If $|a^G|\leq n$ for each $a\in A$, then the commutator subgroup of $\langle A^G\rangle$ has finite $(K,n)$-bounded order. If $|[g,a]^G|\leq n$ for all $g\in G$ and $a\in A$, then the commutator subgroup of $[G,A]$ has fin…
In this paper we give an alternative proof of Schreiber's theorem which says that an infinite discrete approximate subgroup in $\mathbb{R}^d$ is relatively dense around a subspace. We also deduce from Schreiber's theorem two new results. The first one says that any infinite discrete approximate subgroup in $\mathbb{R}^d$ is a restriction of a Meyer set to a thickening of a linear subspace in $\mathbb{R}^d$, and the second one provides an extension of Schreiber's theorem to the case of the Heisenberg group.
We extend classical density theorems of Borel and Dani--Shalom on lattices in semisimple, respectively solvable algebraic groups over local fields to approximate lattices. Our proofs are based on the observation that Zariski closures of approximate subgroups are close to algebraic subgroups. Our main tools are stationary joinings between the hull dynamical systems of discrete approximate subgroups and their Zariski closures.
We show that a K-approximate subgroup A of a residually nilpotent group G is contained in boundedly many cosets of a finite-by-nilpotent subgroup, the nilpotent factor of which is of bounded step. Combined with an earlier result of the author, this implies that A is contained in boundedly many translates of a coset nilprogression of bounded rank and step. The bounds are effective and depend only on K; in particular, if G is nilpotent they do not depend on the step of G. As an application we show that there is some absolute constant c such that if G is a residually nilpotent group, and if there…
We verify a conjecture of Vershik by showing that Hall's universal countable locally finite group can be embedded as a dense subgroup in the isometry group of the Urysohn space and in the automorphism group of the random graph. In fact, we show the same for all automorphism groups of known infinite ultraextensive spaces. These include, in addition, the isometry group of the rational Urysohn space, the isometry group of the ultrametric Urysohn spaces, and the automorphism group of the universal $K_n$-free graph for all $n\geq 3$. Furthermore, we show that finite group actions on finite metric s…
We extend several notions and results from the classical Patterson-Sullivan theory to the setting of Anosov subgroups of higher rank semisimple Lie groups, working primarily with invariant Finsler metrics on associated symmetric spaces. In particular, we prove the equality between the Hausdorff dimensions of flag limit sets, computed with respect to a suitable Gromov (pre-)metric on the flag manifold, and the Finsler critical exponents of Anosov subgroups.
We introduce the notion of metrically systolic simplicial complexes. We study geometric and large-scale properties of such complexes and of groups acting on them geometrically. We show that all two-dimensional Artin groups act geometrically on metrically systolic complexes. As direct corollaries we obtain new results on two-dimensional Artin groups and all their finitely presented subgroups: we prove that the Conjugacy Problem is solvable, and that the Dehn function is quadratic. We also show several large-scale features of finitely presented subgroups of two-dimensional Artin groups, lying ba…
For a group hyperbolic relative to virtually nilpotent subgroups, on a cusped graph associated to the group, we construct a random walk whose Martin boundary is the Bowditch boundary of the group. Moreover, the harmonic measure is a conformal density corresponding to a hyperbolic Green metric and is exact dimensional on the Bowditch boundary. The latter equipped with a visual distance induced by the Green metric is an Ahlfors-regular metric measure space. The dimension is given in terms of the drift, a Green drift and the asymptotic entropy. The Patterson-Sullivan density for the action on the…
Let $U$ be a Banach Lie group and $G\le U$ a compact subgroup. We show that closed Lie subgroups of $U$ contained in sufficiently small neighborhoods $V\supseteq G$ are compact, and conjugate to subgroups of $G$ by elements close to $1\in U$; this generalizes a well-known result of Montgomery and Zippin's from finite- to infinite-dimensional Lie groups. Along the way, we also prove an approximate counterpart to Jordan's theorem on finite subgroups of general linear groups: finite subgroups of $U$ contained in sufficiently small neighborhoods $V\supseteq G$ have normal abelian subgroups of inde…
We address the following natural extension problem for group actions: Given a group $G$, a subgroup $H\le G$, and an action of $H$ on a metric space, when is it possible to extend it to an action of the whole group $G$ on a (possibly different) metric space? When does such an extension preserve interesting properties of the original action of $H$? We begin by formalizing this problem and present a construction of an induced action which behaves well when $H$ is hyperbolically embedded in $G$. Moreover, we show that induced actions can be used to characterize hyperbolically embedded subgroups. …
Let $X$ be a proper geodesic Gromov hyperbolic metric space and let $G$ be a cocompact group of isometries of $X$ admitting a uniform lattice. Let $d$ be the Hausdorff dimension of the Gromov boundary $\partial X$. We define the critical exponent $δ(μ)$ of any discrete invariant random subgroup $μ$ of the locally compact group $G$ and show that $δ(μ) > \frac{d}{2}$ in general and that $δ(μ) = d$ if $μ$ is of divergence type. Whenever $G$ is a rank-one simple Lie group with Kazhdan's property $(T)$ it follows that an ergodic invariant random subgroup of divergence type is a lattice. One of our …
It is known that every infinite index quasi-convex subgroup $H$ of a non-elementary hyperbolic group $G$ is a free factor in a larger quasi-convex subgroup of $G$. We give a probabilistic generalization of this result. That is, we show that when $R$ is a subgroup generated by independent random walks in $G$, then $\langle H, R\rangle\cong H\ast R$ with probability going to one as the lengths of the random walks go to infinity and this subgroup is quasi-convex in $G$. Moreover, our results hold for a large class of groups acting on hyperbolic metric spaces and subgroups with quasi-convex orbits…
