Global rigidity of solvable group actions on \(S^1\) (Q1882836)

Let \(\text{Aff}({\mathbb R})\) be the group of all affine motions of the real line \(\mathbb R\). The natural embedding \(\mathbb R\to {\mathbb RP}^1\) defines an action of Aff\(\,({\mathbb R})\) on the circle \(S^1={\mathbb RP}^1\) with precisely one common fixed point (at infinity). For any finite covering map \(\pi:\,S^1\to S^1\) this action admits a lift that agrees with \(\pi\) ({a ramified lift}). It permutes points in \(\pi^{-1}(\infty)\) and arcs in the set \(\pi^{-1}(\mathbb R)\); furthermore, it is unique up to a dihedral group of homeomorphisms \(S^1\to S^1\). One of the main results of the paper is a classification of solvable subgroups in the group \(\text{Diff}^\omega(S^1)\) of real analytic diffeomorphisms of \(S^1\). If \(G\) is such a group and \(G^m=\{g^m:\,g\in G\}\) is an abelian group for no \(m\) then \(G\) is conjugate to a subgroup of a ramified affine group \(\text{Aff}^s({\mathbb R})\). The index \(s\) runs through an infinite countable set and each of these groups is isomorphic to the direct product of \(\text{Aff}({\mathbb R})\) and a subgroup of the dihedral group. In fact, this is proved for a wider class of groups, precisely, for groups of \(C^\infty\)-diffeomorphisms that contain no infinitely flat elements. This refines a result of \textit{E. Ghys} [Bol. Soc. Bras. Mat., Nova Sér. 24, No. 2, 137--178 (1993; Zbl 0809.58004)] who proved that any solvable subgroup of \(\text{Diff}^\omega(S^1)\) is metabelian and constructed non-metabelian solvable subgroups of \(\text{Diff}^\infty(S^1)\) using infinitely flat diffeomorphisms. A diffeomorphism \(g:\,S^1\to S^1\) is called {infinitely flat} if it is nontrivial and has a fixed point \(p\) such that \(g'(p)=1\) and \(g^{(k)}(p)=0\) for all \(k\geq2\); then \(g\) cannot be real analytic. Also, \textit{J. F. Plante} and \textit{W. P. Thurston} [Comment. Math. Helv. 51, 567--584 (1976; Zbl 0348.57009)] proved that any nilpotent subgroup of \(\text{Diff}^2(S^1)\) must be abelian; on the other hand, \textit{B. Farb} and \textit{J. Franks} proved that every finitely generated torsion free nilpotent group can be realized as a subgroup of \(\text{Diff}^1(S^1)\) [Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 23, No. 5, 1467--1484 (2003; Zbl 1037.37020)]. The \(C^k\)-topology in the set \({\mathcal R}^r(G)\) of representations of a finitely generated group \(G\) by \(C^r\)-diffeomorphisms is defined by \(C^k\)-neighbourhoods for generators. A representation \(\rho_0\in{\mathcal R}^r(G)\) is called (\(C^r\)) {locally rigid} if there exists a \(C^1\)-neighbourhood \({\mathcal U}\ni\rho_0\) such that each \(\rho\in\mathcal U\) is conjugate to \(\rho_0\) in the group \(\text{Diff}^r(S^1)\) of \(C^r\)-diffeomorphisms, where \(r=1,\dots,\infty,\omega\). A group \(G\) is called {globally rigid} if \({\mathcal R}^r(G)\) contains a countable subset \(\mathcal X\) of locally rigid representations such that each faithful \(\rho\in{\mathcal R}^r(G)\) is conjugate to some \(\tilde\rho\in\mathcal X\) (we shall say that \(\rho_0\) is locally \(r\)-rigid and \(G\) is globally \(r\)-rigid). The authors consider the important case \(G=B(1,n)\), where \(B(1,n)\) is the Baumslag-Solitar group defined by the relation \(aba^{-1}=b^n\) for generators \(a,b\). There is a standard representation \(\rho_n\) of \(B(1,n)\) by affine motions in \(\mathbb R\):{\ } \(a:\,x\to nx\), \(b:\,x\to x+1\). It is proved that \(B(1,n)\) is globally \(\omega\)-rigid with \(\mathcal X\) consisting of ramified lifts of \(\rho_n\). Furthermore, if \(\rho\) is not faithful then \(\rho(b)^k\) is identical for some \(k\). The explicit description of the conjugacy classes is also given. For other \(r\) the situation is more complicated. The following observation is essential: if \(\rho\in{\mathcal R}^2(B(1,n))\) and the rotation number of \(\rho(a)\) is irrational then \(\rho(b)^k=\,\)id for some \(k\leq n+1\). Hence composition powers \(f^k\) of \(f=\rho(a)\) must have fixed points if \(\rho\) is faithful. The authors define the inner spectral radius \(\sigma(\rho)\) as the least upper bound of \(\left| (f^k)'(p)\right| ^{1\over k}(p)\) over all \(k\) and all fixed points \(p\) of \(f^k\) such that \(\left| (f^k)'(p)\right| \leq1\). If \(\rho\) is a ramified lift of \(\rho_n\) then \(\sigma(\rho)=\root s\of{1/n}\) for some integer \(s\geq1\). It is proved that \(\rho\in{\mathcal R}^r(B(1,n))\) is conjugated by some \(r\)-diffeomorphism into a class in \({\mathcal R}^\omega(B(1,n))\) if either \(2\leq r<\infty\) and \(\sigma(\rho)\leq\root r-1\of{1/n}\) or \(r=\infty\) and \(\sigma(\rho)<1\). Furthermore, any \(\rho\in{\mathcal R}^\omega(B(1,n))\) is locally \(r\)-rigid for some \(r<\infty\), precisely, if \(\sigma(\rho)<\root r-1\of{1/n}\). However, if \(\sigma(\rho)=\root r-1\of{1/n}\) then \(\rho\) can be included to some \(C^{r-1}\)-continuous curve in \({\mathcal R}^r(B(1,n))\) that consists of representations that are pairwise non-conjugate in Diff\({}^1(S^1)\). Combining this with a result of \textit{A. Navas} [Comment. Math. Helv. 80, No. 2, 355--375 (2005; Zbl 1080.57002)] that any \(\rho\in{\mathcal R}^2(B(1,n))\) is virtually topologically semiconjugate to \(\rho_n\), the authors show that there are only three possibilities for \(\rho\in{\mathcal R}^r(B(1,n))\), where \(r\geq2\): 1) \(\rho\) is not faithful, and \(\rho(b)^k=\,\)id for some \(k\); 2) \(\rho\) admits \(C^{r-1}\)-deformations as above; 3) \(\rho\) is \(C^r\)-conjugated into a unique conjugacy class in \({\mathcal R}^\omega(B(1,n))\). Another consequence is a kind of the rigidity for the trivial representation \(\rho_0\): there exists a \(C^2\) neighbourhood \(\mathcal U\) of \(\rho_0\) in \({\mathcal R}^2(B(1,n))\) such that \(\rho(b)=\text{ id}\) for all \(\rho\in\mathcal U\).