Relative quasimorphisms and stably unbounded norms on the group of symplectomorphisms of the Euclidean spaces (Q308012)

A conjugation-invariant norm on a group \(G\) is a function \(\nu:G\to \mathbb{R}\) such that \(\nu(1)=0\), \(\nu(f)>0\), if \(f\neq 0\), \(\nu(f)=\nu(f^{-1})\), \(\nu(fg)\leq \nu(f)+\nu(g)\) and \(\nu(f)=\nu(gfg^{-1})\). The function \(\nu\) is called stably unbounded if there exists \(f\in G\) such that \(\lim_{n\to\infty}\dfrac{\nu(f^n)}{n}>0\). The most important conjugation-invariant norm is the commutator length cl, defined by \[ \mathrm{cl}(h)=\mathrm{min}\{k|\exists f_1,\ldots,f_k, g_1,\ldots,g_k\in G;h=[f_1,g_1]\cdots[f_k.g_k]\}, \] on a perfect group \(G\). In [\textit{D. Burago} et al., Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 52, 221--250 (2008; Zbl 1222.20031)], it is asked whether there exists a perfect group \(G\) whose commutator length is stably bounded, but admits a stably unbounded conjugate-invariant norm (Problem 1.2). In Theorem 1.3 of this paper, the kernel of the Calabi homomorphism [\textit{A. Banyaga}, Comment. Math. Helv. 53, 174--227 (1978; Zbl 0393.58007)] \(\mathrm{Cal}:\mathrm{Symp}^c_0(\mathbb{R}^{2n},\omega_0)\to\mathbb{R}\) is shown to give an affirmative answer to Problem 1.2. Ker(Cal) is known to be simple [Banyaga, loc. cit.] and the commutator length is stably bounded [Burago et al., loc. cit.]. So to give an affirmative answer to Problem 1.2, it is sufficient to construct a stably unbounded conjugation-invariant norm on Ker(Cal). For this purpose, first the \((\nu,p,q)\)-commutator length \(\mathrm{cl}_{\nu,p,q}:[G,G]_{\nu,p,q}\to \mathbb{R}\) is defined similarly to the conjugate-invariant norm, but restricting to \(\nu(f_i)\leq p,\nu(g_j)\leq q\) in the expression \(h=[f_1,g_1]\cdots[f_k,g_k]\). Here \(\nu\) is a conjugate-invariant norm of \(G\) and \([G,G]_{\nu,p,q}\) is the \((\nu,p,q)\)-commutator subgroup, i.e., the subgroup generated by \([f,g]\), where \(\nu(f)\leq p, \nu(g)\leq q\) (\(p\) and \(q\) allowed to be \(\infty\). See Definition 2.1. Then it is shown (Proposition 2.4) that \(\mathrm{cl}_{\nu,p,q}\) is stably unbounded if there is a quasimorphism \(\mu\) relative to \(\nu\) and \(h_0\in[G,G]_{\nu,p,q}\) such that \(\lim_{k\to \infty}\dfrac{\mu(h_0^k)}{k}>0\). Here, a quasimorphism \(\mu\) relative to the norm \(\nu\) is a function on \(G\) such that \(|\mu(fg)-\mu(f)-\mu(g)|<C\mathrm{min}\{\nu(f),\nu(g)\}\). See Definition 2.3. Let \(\mathrm{Symp}^c_{0,U}(\mathbb{R}^n,\omega_0)\) be the set of elements of \(\mathrm{Symp}^c_0(\mathbb{R}^{2n},\omega_0)\) with support in \(U\). By the fragmentation lemma [2], any element of \(\mathrm{Symp}^c_0(\mathbb{R}^{2n},\omega_0)\) can be written in the form \(\psi\theta\psi^{-1}\), with \(\theta\in\mathrm{Symp}^c_{0,U}(\mathbb{R}^{2n},\omega_0)\). The fragmentation norm \(\nu_U\) relative to \(U\) is the minimal number of factors of such a product. It is a conjugation-invariant norm [Burago et al., loc. cit.]. Then using results from [\textit{J. Barge} and \textit{E. Ghys}, Math. Ann. 294, No. 2, 235--265 (1992; Zbl 0894.55006)], a quasimoprphism \(B\) relative to \(U\) such that \(\lim_{n\to\infty}\dfrac{B(g_0^k)}{k}>0\) for some \(g_0\in\mathrm{Ker(Cal)}\) is constructed (Proposition 3.3). Since Ker(Cal) is simple, it coincides with \(\mathrm{Ker(Cal)}_{\nu,p,q}\). Hence by Proposition 2.4, \(\mathrm{cl}_{\nu,p,q}\) is a stable unbounded conjugate-invariant norm on Ker(Cal). The author remarks that some examples of affirmative answer to Problem 1.2 are also given in [\textit{M. Brandenbursky} and \textit{J. Kędra}, Algebr. Geom. Topol. 15, No. 5, 2861--2886 (2015; Zbl 1364.20021)].