Related papers: Can lattices in SL(n,R) act on the circle?
The group SL(3,Z) cannot act (faithfully) on the circle (by homeomorphisms). We will see that many other arithmetic groups also cannot act on the circle. The discussion will involve several important topics in group theory, such as ordered…
Let S be a connected orientable surface with finitely many punctures, finitely many boundary components, and genus at least 6. Then any C^1 action of the mapping class group of S on the circle is trivial. The techniques used in the proof of…
The group SL(n,Z) admits a smooth faithful action on the (n-1)-sphere S^(n-1), induced from its linear action on euclidean space R^n. We show that, if m < n-1 and n > 2, any smooth action of SL(n,Z) on a mod 2 homology m-sphere, and in…
This paper contains both theoretical results and experimental data on the behavior of the dimensions of the cohomology spaces H^1(G,E_n), where Gamma is a lattice in SL(2,C) and E_n is one of the standard self-dual modules. In the case…
Rudin conjectured that there are never more than c N^(1/2) squares in an arithmetic progression of length N. Motivated by this surprisingly difficult problem we formulate more than twenty conjectures in harmonic analysis, analytic number…
We prove cocycle and orbit equivalence superrigidity for lattices in SL(n,R) acting linearly on R^n, as well as acting projectively on certain flag manifolds, including the real projective space. The proof combines operator algebraic…
We prove Zimmer's conjecture for co-compact lattices in ${\rm SL}(n, \mathbb C)$: for any co-compact lattice in ${\rm SL}(n, \mathbb C)$, $n \geq 3$, any $\Gamma$-action on a compact manifold $M$ with dimension: (I) less than $2n-2$ if $n…
We prove two theorems of reduction of cocycles taking values in the group of diffeomorphisms of the circle. They generalise previous results obtained by the author concerning rigidity for smooth actions on the circle of Kazhdan's groups and…
We consider Zimmer's program of lattice actions on surfaces by PL homomorphisms. It is proved that when the surface is not the torus or Klein bottle the action of any finite-index subgroup of SL(n,Z), n>4, (more generally for any 2-big…
We study the action of a lattice in the group SL(2,R) on the plane. We obtain a formula which simultaneously describes visits of an orbit to either a fixed ball, or an expanding or contracting family of annuli. We also discuss the…
In this partly expository monograph we develop a general framework for producing uncountable families of exotic actions of certain classically studied groups acting on the circle. We show that if $L$ is a nontrivial limit group then the…
For a certain class of groups of piecewise linear homeomorphisms of the interval, we prove that they admit no sufficiently regular faithful action on the line. Building on previous work of Brum, Matte Bon, Rivas, and the author…
We prove several rigorous results about the asymptotic behaviour of the numbers of tadpoles (or lassos) embedded in a lattice, including cases where the head is subject to a constraint like being unknotted, or where the tail pierces the…
For two-dimensional lattice equations one definition of integrability is that the model can be naturally and consistently extended to three dimensions, i.e., that it is "consistent around a cube" (CAC). As a consequence of CAC one can…
The main result is a classification of smooth actions of $SL(n,{\bf R})$, $n \geq 3$, or connected groups locally isomorphic to it, on closed $n$-manifolds, extending a theorem of Uchida. We construct new exotic actions of $SL(n,{\bf Z})$…
We construct a finitely presented, infinite, simple group that acts by homeomorphisms on the circle, but does not admit a non-trivial action by $C^1$-diffeomorphisms on the circle. The group emerges as a group of piecewise projective…
We construct lattices on six dimensional not completely solvable almost abelian Lie groups, for which the Mostow condition does not hold. For the corresponding compact quotients, we compute the de Rham cohomology (which does not agree in…
In these lectures we consider how algebraic properties of discrete subgroups of Lie groups restrict the possible actions of those groups on surfaces. The results show a strong parallel between the possible actions of such a group on the…
We show that for every quasivariety K of structures (where both functions and relations are allowed) there is a semilattice S with operators such that the lattice of quasi-equational theories of K (the dual of the lattice of…
The group $SL(n,{\bf Z})$ acts linearly on $\R^n$, preserving the integer lattice $\Z^{n} \subset \R^{n}$. The induced (left) action on the n-torus $\T^{n} = \R^{n}/\Z^{n}$ will be referred to as the ``standard action''. It has recently…