The action of matrix groups on aspherical manifolds (Q1673640)

The author proves that any continuous group action by \(\operatorname{SL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\) on a closed aspherical manifold \(M^r\) is trivial under several different assumptions. For example, if \(n\geq 3\), \(r\leq n-1\), and the induced map \(\operatorname{SL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\rightarrow \operatorname{Out}(\pi_1(M))\) is trivial, then the \(\operatorname{SL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\) action on \(M\) is trivial. The same result holds if \(M\) is a closed almost flat manifold with holonomy group \(\phi\) if the induced homomorphism \(\operatorname{SL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\rightarrow \operatorname{Out}(\phi)\) is trivial. The author proves these theorems by pulling the action of \(\operatorname{SL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\) back to the Steinberg group \(\operatorname{St}_n(\mathbb{Z})\), a double cover of \(\operatorname{SL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\). He then provides characterizations of when the action of \(\operatorname{St}_n(\mathbb{Z})\) on generalized homology spheres and \(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}\)-acyclic homology manifolds is trivial. These characterizations allow him to show that the action of \(\operatorname{St}_n(\mathbb{Z})\) on closed aspherical manifolds is trivial under certain hypotheses, which then implies his main results.