Integrable measure equivalence and rigidity of hyperbolic lattices (Q376712)

Measure equivalence is an equivalence relation on groups introduced by \textit{M. Gromov} in [Geometric group theory. Volume 2: Asymptotic invariants of infinite groups. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1993; Zbl 0841.20039)]. The authors study rigidity of lattices in \(\mathrm{Isom}(\mathbb{H}^n)\), \(n\geq 2\), in the context of integrable measure equivalence, which is a finer version of measure equivalence that is introduced in this paper. Recall that the strong rigidity means that any isomorphism between lattices in a Lie group \(G\) is realized by a conjugation in \(G\). Fundamental results about rigidity of lattices in semisimple Lie groups were obtained by \textit{G. D. Mostow} [Strong rigidity of locally symmetric spaces. Princeton, N. J.: Princeton University Press and University of Tokyo Press (1973; Zbl 0265.53039)], \textit{G. Prasad} [Invent. Math. 21, 255--286 (1973; Zbl 0264.22009)], and \textit{G. A. Margulis} [Proc. Int. Congr. Math., Vancouver 1974, Vol. 2, 21--34 (1975; Zbl 0336.57037)]. Later on, \textit{R. J. Zimmer} initiated the study of rigidity in orbit equivalence context which is intimately related to measure equivalence [Ann. Math. (2) 112, 511--529 (1980; Zbl 0468.22011)]. The results of the present paper can be seen as a generalization and extension of these results for hyperbolic lattices. The main theorem is stated as follows: Theorem A. Let \(\Gamma\) be a lattice in \(G = \mathrm{Isom}(\mathbb{H}^n)\), \(n\geq 2\); in the case \(n = 2\) assume that \(\Gamma\) is cocompact. Then the class of all finitely generated groups that are integrably measure equivalent to \(\Gamma\) consists of those \(\Lambda\), which admit a short exact sequence \(\{1\}\to F \to \Lambda \to \bar{\Lambda} \to \{1\}\) where \(F\) is finite and \(\bar{\Lambda}\) is a lattice in \(G\); in the case \(n = 2\), \(\bar{\Lambda}\) is also cocompact in \(G = \mathrm{Isom}(\mathbb{H}^2)\).