Related papers: CAT(0) spaces of higher rank II

Ballmann's Rank Rigidity Conjecture predicts that a CAT(0) space of higher rank with a geometric group action is rigid -- isometric to a Riemannian symmetric space, a Euclidean building, or splits as a direct product. We confirm this…

A CAT(0) space has rank at least $n$ if every geodesic lies in an $n$-flat. Ballmann's Higher Rank Rigidity Conjecture predicts that a CAT(0) space of rank at least $2$ with a geometric group action is rigid -- isometric to a Riemannian…

If a group $\Gamma$ acts geometrically on a CAT(0) space $X$ without 3-flats, then either $X$ contains a $\Gamma$-periodic geodesic which does not bound a flat half-plane, or else $X$ is a rank 2 Riemannian symmetric space, a 2-dimensional…

We prove the following rank rigidity result for proper CAT(0) spaces with one-dimensional Tits boundaries: Let $\Gamma$ be a group acting properly discontinuously, cocompactly, and by isometries on such a space $X$. If the Tits diameter of…

We prove some finiteness results for discrete isometry groups $\Gamma$ of uniformly packed CAT$(0)$-spaces $X$ with uniformly bounded codiameter (up to group isomorphism), and for CAT$(0)$-orbispaces $M = \Gamma \backslash X$ (up to…

For a k-flat F inside a locally compact CAT(0)-space X, we identify various conditions that ensure that F bounds a (k+1)-dimensional half flat in X. Our conditions are formulated in terms of the ultralimit of X. As applications, we obtain…

Let $X$ be a proper, geodesically complete CAT(0) space which satisfies Chen and Eberlein's duality condition. We show the existence of a strong notion of rank for $X$ by proving that the parallel sets $P_v$ of geodesics $v$ in $X$ are…

We prove that any group acting essentially without a fixed point at infinity on an irreducible finite-dimensional CAT(0) cube complex contains a rank one isometry. This implies that the Rank Rigidity Conjecture holds for CAT(0) cube…

Let X be a locally compact geodesically complete CAT(0) space and G be a discrete group acting properly and cocompactly on X. We show that G contains an element acting as a hyperbolic isometry on each indecomposable de Rham factor of X. It…

Given a product X of locally compact rank one Hadamard spaces, we study asymptotic properties of certain discrete isometry groups. First we give a detailed description of the structure of the geometric limit set and relate it to the limit…

We explore the geometry of nonpositively curved spaces with isolated flats, and its consequences for groups that act properly discontinuously, cocompactly, and isometrically on such spaces. We prove that the geometric boundary of the space…

Any nonpositively curved symmetric space admits a topological compactification, namely the Hadamard compactification. For rank one spaces, this topological compactification can be endowed with a differentiable structure such that the action…

Given a complete CAT(0) space $X$ endowed with a geometric action of a group $\Gamma$, it is known that if $\Gamma$ contains a free abelian group of rank $n$, then $X$ contains a geometric flat of dimension $n$. We prove a converse of this…

We study geodesically complete and locally compact Hadamard spaces X whose Tits boundary is a connected irreducible spherical building. We show that X is symmetric iff complete geodesics in X do not branch and a Euclidean building…

We say that a Riemannian manifold M has rank at least k if every geodesic in M admits at least k parallel Jacobi fields. The Rank Rigidity Theorem of Ballmann and Burns-Spatzier, later generalized by Eberlein-Heber, states that a complete,…

We announce results on the structure of CAT(0) groups, CAT(0) lattices and of the underlying spaces. Our statements rely notably on a general study of the full isometry groups of proper CAT(0) spaces. Classical statements about Hadamard…

We show that Hadamard spaces with geometric group actions admit affine maps that are not dilations, if and only if they are Riemannian symmetric spaces of higher rank, Euclidean buildings of higher rank, or split as non-trivial metric…

Given a CAT(0) cube complex X, we show that if Aut(X) $\neq$ Isom(X) then there exists a full subcomplex of X which decomposes as a product with $\mathbb{R}^n$. As applications, we prove that if X is $\delta$-hyperbolic, cocompact and…

It is well-known that $\mathrm{SL}_{n}(\mathbf{Q}_{p})$ acts without fixed points on an $(n-1)$-dimensional $\mathrm{CAT}(0)$ space (the affine building). We prove that $n-1$ is the smallest dimension of $\mathrm{CAT}(0)$ spaces on which…

We investigate CAT(0) metric spaces whose associated Tits boundary is compact. Prominent examples of such spaces are of course the euclidean ones. However there exist non trivial geodesically complete CAT(0) spaces with compact Tits…