Dynamics of the action of a \(\text{CAT}(0)\) group on the boundary (Q5933870)

Let \(X\) be a \(\text{CAT}(0)\) space. Let a group \(\Gamma\) act by isometries on \(X\) properly discontinuously and cocompactly (i.e. geometrically). One of the main results of this very interesting paper is the following: Theorem: If \(a,b\in\Gamma\) are infinite order elements with \(Td(\{a^{\pm\infty}\},\{b^{\pm\infty}\})>\pi\) (\(Td\) is the Tits metric on \(\partial X\)), then the subgroup generated by \(a\) and \(b\) contains a free subgroup. In fact, there exists \(N>0\) such that for all \(n\geq N\), \(a^nb^{-n}\) is of rank one. Here an element of rank one means that no axis of it bounds a flat half plane in \(X\). The above is a generalization for the \(\text{CAT}(0)\) case of a theorem for nonpositively curved manifolds [cf. \textit{W. Ballman}, \textit{M. Gromov} and \textit{V. Schroeder}, Manifolds of nonpositive curvature, Birkhäuser, Basel (1985; Zbl 0591.53001)]. Moreover, using an unpublished preprint of \textit{B. Leeb} [A characterization of irreducible symmetric spaces and Euclidean buildings of higher rank by their asymptotic geometry] the author proves: Theorem (7.3). Suppose \(\Gamma\) is a group acting geometrically on a rank 2 \(\text{CAT}(0)\) space \(X\) and suppose \(a,b\in\Gamma\) are finite order elements. Then \([a^p,b^q]=1\) for some \(p,q>0\) if and only if there exists an \(S^1\) isometrically embedded in \((\partial X,Td)\) with image in \(\text{Fix}(\overline a^p)\cup\text{Fix}(\overline b^q)\) which contains \(S^0_a\) and \(S^0_b\) as antipodal pair. Finally, we would like to mention also the following interesting result of the paper: Theorem (3.4). Suppose \(\Gamma\) acts geometrically on the \(\text{CAT}(0)\) space \(X\). Then \(\gamma\in\Gamma\) is virtually central in \(\Gamma\) if and only if \(\overline\gamma\) is the identity on \(\partial X\).