Groups of dimension two and three over o-minimal structures (Q1182480)

In an \(o\)-minimal structure \(M\), one can assign to any definable subset \(X\) a natural number (the dimension of \(X\)). Dimension plays in this unstable situation a role similar to the one of Morley rank in the \(\omega\)-stable case. So, from this point of view, the problem of classifying groups definable in \(o\)-minimal structures and having dimension 1 or 2 or 3 arises in a natural way from the corresponding Cherlin and Nesin analysis of \(\omega\)-stable groups of small Morley rank. 1-dimensional groups were already classified by the third author in a previous paper [ibid. 53, No. 3, 269-277 (1991)]. Here groups of dimension 2 and 3 are studied. In particular it is shown: (1) if \(G\) is a 2-dimensional definably connected group, then \(G\) is solvable; moreover, if \(G\) is nilpotent, then \(G\) is Abelian, while, in the non-nilpotent case, \(G\) is centerless and \(G\) is isomorphic to the semidirect product of \(R^ +\) and \(R^*_{>0}\) for some real closed field \(R\) definable in \(M\); (2) let \(G\) be a 3-dimensional definably connected nonsolvable group; if \(G\) has no definable 2-dimensional subgroup, then \(G/Z(G)\) is isomorphic to \(SO_ 3(R)\) for some real closed field \(R\) definable in \(M\); otherwise \(G/Z(G)\) is isomorphic to \(PSL_ 2(R)\) for some \(R\) as before.