Smooth rigidity and \(C^ 1\)-conjugacy at \(\infty\) (Q1904290)

Suppose \(\alpha: \pi_1 M\to \pi_1 N\) is an isomorphism of the fundamental groups of two closed nonpositively curved Riemannian manifolds of dimension \(\geq 5\). If \(M\) and \(N\) are locally symmetric spaces of a certain type, then by Mostow's strong rigidity theorem \(\alpha\) is induced by an isometry up to rescaling. The authors prove that \(\alpha\) is induced by a diffeomorphism \(f: M\to N\) under the weaker set of conditions that the infinite boundaries of the universal covers \(\widetilde M\) and \(\widetilde N\) of \(M\) and \(N\) carry natural \(C^1\)-structures, there is an \(\alpha\)-equivariant \(C^0\)-semiconjugacy of the actions of \(\pi_1 M\) and \(\pi_1 N\) of the closures of \(\widetilde M\) and \(\widetilde N\) that is a \(C^1\)-conjugacy on the infinite boundaries, and the Euler characteristic \(\chi(M)\) is zero. If \(\chi(M)\) is nonzero, one gets a diffeomorphism \(f: M\# \chi(M) \Sigma\to N\), where \(\Sigma\) is a homotopy sphere. As an application it is shown that the diffeomorphism \(f\) exists, if \(M\) and \(N\) have strictly \({1\over 4}\)-pinched negative curvature and \(\alpha\) is an isomorphism of marked length spectra.