Related papers: Strong relative property $(T)$ and spectral gap of…

Relative property (T) has recently been used to construct a variety of new rigidity phenomena, for example in von Neumann algebras and the study of orbit-equivalence relations. However, until recently there were few examples of group pairs…

We give a complete characterization of connected Lie groups with the Approximation Property for groups (AP). To this end, we introduce a strengthening of property (T), that we call property (T*), which is a natural obstruction to the AP. In…

Let X be a solenoid, that is, a compact finite dimensional connected abelian group with normalized Haar measure m, and let G be a countable discrete group acting on X by continuous affine transformations. We show that the probability…

The existence of a strong spectral gap for quotients $\Gamma\bs G$ of noncompact connected semisimple Lie groups is crucial in many applications. For congruence lattices there are uniform and very good bounds for the spectral gap coming…

We establish a general spectral gap theorem for actions of products of groups which may replace Kazhdan's property (T) in various situations. As a main application, we prove that a confined subgroup of an irreducible lattice in a higher…

We provide a full and rigorous proof of a theorem attributed to \.Zuk, stating that random groups in the Gromov density model for d > 1/3 have property (T) with high probability. The original paper had numerous gaps, in particular, crucial…

For $i=1,\ldots,k$, let $\mathbf{G}_i$ be a connected, simply connected, semisimple algebraic group over some local field $\kappa_i$ of characteristic zero. Let $G_i=\mathbf{G}_i(\kappa_i)$ be the $\kappa_i$-points of $\mathbf{G}_i$ and…

We show that relative Property (T) for the abelianization of a nilpotent normal subgroup implies relative Property (T) for the subgroup itself. This and other results are a consequence of a theorem of independent interest, which states that…

Random matrices like GUE, GOE and GSE have been studied for decades and have been shown that they possess a lot of nice properties. In 2005, a new property of independent GUE random matrices is discovered by Haagerup and Thorbj{\o}rnsen in…

We show that every non-amenable free product of groups admits free ergodic probability measure preserving actions which have relative property (T) in the sense of S.-Popa \cite[Def. 4.1]{Pop06}. There are uncountably many such actions up to…

The semidirect product $\mathbb{G}=\mathbb{L}\rtimes \mathbb{K}$ attached to a compact-group action on a connected, simply-connected solvable Lie group has a dense set of compact elements precisely when the $s\in \mathbb{K}$ operating on…

Using a m\'elange of techniques at the rich intersection of deformation/rigidity theory, finite index subfactor theory, and geometric group theory, we prove the existence of a continuum of property (T) factors that are pairwise non-stably…

Let $G$ be a locally compact group and let $C^*(G)$ and $C^*_r(G)$ be the full group $C^*$-algebra and the reduced group $C^*$-algebra of $G$. We investigate the relationship between Property $(T)$ for $G$ and Property $(T)$ as well as its…

Stable commutator length scl_G(g) of an element g in a group G is an invariant for group elements sensitive to the geometry and dynamics of G. For any group G acting on a tree, we prove a sharp bound scl_G(g)>=1/2 for any g acting without…

Let $G$ be a locally compact group and $\mu$ a probability measure on $G,$ which is not assumed to be absolutely continuous with respect to Haar measure. Given a unitary representation $(\pi, \cal H)$ of $G,$ we study spectral properties of…

Let $\alpha\colon G\curvearrowright A$ be an action of a countable discrete group on a separable unital $C^*$-algebra. We study the simplex $\mathrm{T}(A)^G$ of $G$-invariant traces and ask when it is Bauer. Our main result is a…

We perform a systematic investigation of Kazhdan's relative Property (T) for pairs (G,X), where G a locally compact group and X is any subset. When G is a connected Lie group or a p-adic algebraic group, we provide an explicit…

Let us say that a discrete countable group is stable if it has an ergodic, free, probability-measure-preserving and stable action. Let G be a discrete countable group with a central subgroup C. We present a sufficient condition and a…

We consider actions of non-compact simple Lie groups preserving an analytic rigid geometric structure of algebraic type on a compact manifold. The structure is not assumed to be unimodular, so an invariant measure may not exist. Ergodic…

Let $\Ga$ be a connected, solvable linear algebraic group over a number field~$K$, let $S$ be a finite set of places of~$K$ that contains all the infinite places, and let $\theints$ be the ring of $S$-integers of~$K$. We define a certain…