Proper affine actions: a sufficient criterion (Q2134197)

The paper is concerned with discrete subgroups \(\Gamma\) of the affine group \(\mathrm{GL}_n(\mathbb{R}) \ltimes \mathbb{R}^n\). Suppose \(\Gamma\) acts properly discontinuously on the affine space \(\mathbb{R}^n\) and the quotient space \(\mathbb{R}^n/\Gamma\) is compact. Auslander conjectured that such groups are virtually solvable. The conjecture was proved in dimension \(n \leq 6\) (see details in [\textit{H. Abels}, Geom. Dedicata 87, No. 1--3, 309--333 (2001; Zbl 0999.20042)]). More generally, Milnor asked whether the conjecture is true for any affine group acting properly discontinuously. The answer turned out to be negative: a counter-examples constructed by Margulis. The paper focuses on the following problem. Let \(G\) be a semisimple real Lie group. For every representation \(\rho\) of \(G\) on a finite-dimensional real vector space \(V\) consider the affine group \(G \ltimes V\). Does that affine group contain a nonabelian free subgroup with the linear part Zariski-dense in \(G\) and acting properly discontinuously on \(V\)? There are examples of both positive and negative answer to the question. The aim of the paper is to give a sufficient criterion for the answer to be positive. To state the main result of the paper, we adhere to the following notation. Let \(\mathfrak{g}\) be the Lie algebra of \(G\), \(\theta\) be a Cartan involution, \(\mathfrak{a}\) be a Cartan subspace compatible with \(\theta\), and \(A := \mathrm{exp} \, \mathfrak{a}\). Without loss of generality suppose \(G\) is connected and acts faithfully. We may identify the abstract group \(G\) with the linear group \(\rho(G) \subset \mathrm{GL}(V)\). Let \(V_{\mathrm{Aff}}\) be the affine space corresponding to \(V\). The group of affine transformations of \(V_{\mathrm{Aff}}\) whose linear part lies in \(G\) may then be written \(G \ltimes V\). The main result of the paper is as follows. Suppose \(\rho\) satisfies the following conditions: there exists a vector \(v \in V\) such that (a) \(\forall l \in Z_G(A)\), \(l(v) =v\), and (b) \(\tilde{w}_0(v) \neq v\), where \(\tilde{w}_0\) is any representative in \(G\) of \(\tilde{w}_0 \in N_G(A)/Z_G(A)\). Then there exists a subgroup \(\Gamma\) in the affine group \(G \ltimes V\) whose linear part is Zariski-dense in \(G\) and it is free, nonabelian and acts properly discontinuously on the affine space corresponding to \(V\). The author conjectures that the condition in fact is necessary.