English

Character rigidity of simple algebraic groups

Group Theory 2020-05-14 v2 Operator Algebras

Abstract

We prove the following extension of Tits' simplicity theorem. Let kk be an infinite field, GG an algebraic group defined and quasi-simple over k,k, and G(k)G(k) the group of kk-rational points of G.G. Let G(k)+G(k)^+ be the subgroup of G(k)G(k) generated by the unipotent radicals of parabolic subgroups of GG defined over kk and PG(k)+PG(k)^+ the quotient of G(k)+G(k)^+ by its center. Then every normalized function of positive type on PG(k)+PG(k)^+ which is constant on conjugacy classes is a convex combination of 1PG(k)+1_{PG(k)^+} and δe.\delta_e. As corollary, we obtain that the only ergodic invariant random subgroups (IRS) of PG(k)+PG(k)^+ are δPG(k)+\delta_{PG(k)^+} and δ{e},\delta_{\{e\}}, when kk is countable. A further consequence is that, when kk is a global field and GG is kk-isotropic and has trivial center, every measure preserving ergodic action of G(k)G(k) on a probability space either factorizes through the abelianization of G(k)G(k) or is essentially free.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1908.06928,
  title  = {Character rigidity of simple algebraic groups},
  author = {Bachir Bekka},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1908.06928},
  year   = {2020}
}

Comments

Statement of Proposition 2.2 (ii) and first steps of Proof of Theorem A corrected

R2 v1 2026-06-23T10:51:16.795Z