Geometric cycles and bounded cohomology for a cocompact lattice in \(\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{R})\) (Q2672702)

Let \(M\) be a connected, closed, oriented topological manifold. For each singular homology class \(\alpha\in H_{k}(M,\mathbb R)\), one can associate to it a semi-norm which measures how efficiently \(\alpha\) can be represented by a linear combination of simplices. More precisely, we define the \textit{Gromov norm} \(\Vert\alpha\Vert_{1}:=\mathrm{inf}\{\Sigma_{i=1}^{l}|a_i| : \Sigma_{i=1}^{l} a_{i}\sigma_{i}\) is a cycle representing \(\alpha\) in \(H_{k}(M,\mathbb R)\}\). In the paper under review the author gives an explicit construction of a non-trivial homology class in degree \(k =\dim(M)-\mathrm{rank}(M)\), which is represented by a submanifold with a circle factor. The main theorem is as follows. \textbf{Theorem 1} For every integer \(n\geq 3\), there exists a torsion-free cocompact lattice \(\Gamma < SL_{n}(\mathbb R)\), constructed as a congruence subgroup of the explicit example on page 3113, and two non-trivial homology classes \(\alpha\in H_{k}(M,\mathbb Q)\) and \(\beta\in H_{n-1}(M,\mathbb Q)\) in the associated locally symmetric manifold \(M = \Gamma\backslash SL_n(\mathbb R)/SO(n)\) where \(k =\dim(M\))-rank (\(M)= n(n-1)/2\), such that (1) \(\alpha\) is represented by a totally geodesic submanifold \(H\) covered by \(SL_{n-1}(\mathbb R)/SO(n-1)\times\mathbb R\), (2) \(\beta\) is represented by a flat (\(n-1\))-torus \(T\), and (3) the intersection number \(i(H,T)\neq 0\). This immediately implies that the Gromov norm of the homology class \(\alpha\) is zero. Hence the author obtains. \textbf{Corollary} For every integer \(n\geq 3\), there exists a torsion-free cocompact lattice \(\Gamma < SL_n(\mathbb R)\), and a nontrivial homology class \(\alpha\in H_k(M,\mathbb R)\) in the associated locally symmetric manifold \(M = \Gamma\backslash SL_n(\mathbb R)/SO(n)\) where \(k = \dim(M\))-rank (\(M) = n(n-1)/2\), such that the Gromov norm \(\Vert\alpha\Vert_{1} = 0\). Equivalently, the comparison map \(H^{k}_{b}(\Gamma,\mathbb R)\to H^{k}(\Gamma,\mathbb R)\) is not surjective in degree \(k = n(n-1)/2\). The author mentions that his construction and proof are very similar to the general approach of the \(SL(n,\mathbb Z)\) case in the paper of \textit{G. Avramidi} and \textit{Nguyen-Phan T. Tam} [Comment. Math. Helv. 90, No. 3, 645--666 (2015; Zbl 1344.57013)].