Coherent actions by homeomorphisms on the real line or an interval (Q2303685)

Subgroups of the group of (orientation-preserving) homeomorphisms of the real line \(\mathrm{Homeo}_+\mathbb R\) constitute a rich family of examples of groups with remarkable properties. One of the most intriguing such subgroup is represented by the celebrated Thompson's group \(F\), introduced by Richard J. Thompson in 1965. A way to define \(F\) is to consider the group of all piecewise linear (PL) homeomorphisms of \(\mathbb R\), with finitely many breakpoints, all of them at dyadic rationals, with derivatives (whenever defined) that are powers of \(2\), and which coincide with integer translations near \(+\infty\) and \(-\infty\). The group \(F\) is finitely presented, and the derived subgroup \([F,F]\), which consists of elements that are the identity on the complement of a bounded interval, is simple. The problem of determining whether \(F\) is amenable is one of the most challenging problems in group theory. One can define many other groups by taking the definition of \(F\) but changing the conditions on breakpoints, derivatives, and behavior at infinity. A quite general treatment of the variety of groups that one can obtain in this way is the monograph by \textit{R. Bieri} and \textit{R. Strebel} [On groups of PL-homeomorphisms of the real line. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (2016; Zbl 1377.20002)]. A fundamental problem is to investigate whether given any two groups \(G\) and \(H\) constructed as above, one can determine whether \(G\) embeds in \(H\) as a subgroup. This kind of problem is still partially unsolved even for the case where \(H\) is Thompson's group \(F\). The paper under review gives an important contribution to this embeddability problem, by isolating some crucial dynamical properties of the natural action of \(G\le \mathrm{Homeo}_+\mathbb R\) on the line. The author introduces a class \(\mathcal C\) of subgroups \(G\le \mathrm{Homeo}_+\mathbb R\), called \emph{coherent}, defined by the following conditions. \begin{itemize} \item[1.] The natural action of \(G\) on \(\mathbb R\) is minimal (every orbit is dense). \item[2.] The groups of germs of elements of \(G\) at \(+\infty\) and \(-\infty\) are solvable. \item[3.] \(G\) contains elements whose germ at \(-\infty\) is trivial, but do not fix any point near \(+\infty\). The analoguous condition obtained by exchanging the roles of \(+\infty\) and \(-\infty\) is required. \end{itemize} By adding an arbitrary collection of homeomorphisms commuting with integer translations to Thompson's group \(F\), one can construct several examples of coherent groups (actually, uncountably many). The first and last conditions in the definition allow to prove that Thompson's \(F\) embeds in any coherent group, by an application of the so-called \textit{2-chain lemma}, first discovered by \textit{M. G. Brin} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 60, No. 2, 449--460 (1999; Zbl 0957.20025)]. They also allow to conclude, by using a very classical argument by Higman, that the commutator of the subgroup of compactly supported elements of a coherent group is simple. Using then the second condition, one deduces that every proper quotient of a coherent group is solvable of bounded solvability degree. The key result, which is based on \emph{Rubin's reconstruction theorem} [\textit{M. Rubin}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 312, No. 2, 487--538 (1989; Zbl 0677.54029)], states that if \(G\) and \(H\) are isomorphic coherent subgroups of \(\mathrm{Homeo}_+\mathbb R\), then they are conjugate in \(\mathrm{Homeo}\mathbb R\). This reconstruction theorem has several applications, notably it is used to prove that many Bieri-Strebel groups do not embed in Thompson's group \(F\).