Anosov representations and proper actions (Q511618)

The Anosov representations of word hyperbolic groups into real Lie groups provide an interesting class of discrete subgroups of semisimple Lie groups with rich structure properties. These representations were introduced in [\textit{F. Labourie}, Invent. Math. 165, No. 1, 51--114 (2006; Zbl 1103.32007)] and involve the flow space of a word hyperbolic group. Here the authors approach these representations from a different point of view not involving the flow space. This allow them to establish a direct link between the properties, for a representation \(\varrho : \Gamma \rightarrow G\) to be Anosov, and for \(\Gamma\) to act properly discontinuously via \(\varrho\) on certain homogeneous spaces of \(G\). Anosov representations of word hyperbolic groups involve, by definition, a pair of continuous equivariant boundary maps. Here the authors, under some growth assumptions, construct a pair \((\xi^{+}, \xi^{-})\) of continuous \(\varrho \)-equivariant boundary maps for a representation \(\varrho : \Gamma \rightarrow G\). Also it is given a sufficient condition for these maps to be dynamics-preserving. Moreover under an additional assumption on the growth of the Cartan projection \(\mu \), restricted to \(\varrho (\Gamma)\), along geodecic rays in \(\Gamma\), they prove that the pair of maps \((\xi^{+}, \xi^{-})\) is also transversal and that \(\varrho \) is Anosov. Here we quote the main results of the paper. Theorem 1.1. Let \(\Gamma \) be a word hyperbolic group and \(|\cdot|_{\Gamma}:\Gamma \rightarrow \mathbb{N}\) its word length function with respect to some fixed finite generating subset of \(\Gamma\). Let \(G\) be a real reductive Lie group and \(\varrho : \Gamma \rightarrow G\) a representation. Fix a nonempty subset \(\theta\subset \Delta\) of the simple restricted roots of \(G\) (see Section 2.2.2), and let \(\sum_{\theta}^{+}\subset \mathfrak{a}^{\ast} \) be the set of positive roots that do not belong to the span of \(\Delta \smallsetminus \theta\). {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[(1)] If there is a constant \(C> 0\) such that, for any \(\alpha \in \theta\), \[ \langle \alpha, \mu (\varrho (\gamma)) \rangle \geq 2 \log | \gamma|_{\Gamma}-C, \] then there exist continuous \(\varrho\)-equivariant boundary maps \(\xi^{+}:\vartheta_{\infty}\Gamma \rightarrow G/P_{\theta}\) and \(\xi^{-}:\vartheta_{\infty}\Gamma \rightarrow G/P^{-}_{\theta}\). \item[(2)] If moreover, for any \(\alpha \in \theta\) and any \(\gamma \in \Gamma\), \[ \langle \alpha, \mu (\varrho (\gamma^{n})) \rangle - 2 \log | n| \to +\infty\text{ as }|n|\to +\infty, \] then \(\xi^{+}\) and \(\xi^{-}\) are dynamics-preserving. \item[(3)] If moreover, for any \(\alpha \in \sum_{\theta}^{+}\) and any geodesic ray \((\gamma_{n})_{n\in \mathbb{N}}\) in the Cayley graph of \(\Gamma\), the sequence \((\langle \alpha, \mu (\varrho(\gamma_{n})) \rangle)_{n\in \mathbb{N}}\) is coarsely linear inarements (CLI), then \(\xi^{+}\) and \(\xi^{-}\) are transverse and \(\varrho \) is \(P_{\theta}\)-Anosov. \end{itemize}} This theorem provides sufficient conditions for a representation \(\varrho : \Gamma \rightarrow G\) to be Anosov in terms of the Cartan projection. It is also proved that the converse is valid. So the following characterization is obtained: Theorem 1.3. Let \(\Gamma\) be a word hyperbolic group, \(G\) a real reductive Lie group and \(\theta\subset \Delta \) a nonempty subset of the simple restricted roots of \(G\). For any representation \(\varrho : \Gamma \rightarrow G\), the following conditions are equivalent: {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[(1)] \(\varrho\) is \(P_{\theta}\)-Anosov. \item[(2)] There exist continuous, \(\varrho\)-equivariant, dynamics-preserving and transverse maps \(\xi^{+}:\vartheta_{\infty}\Gamma \rightarrow G/P_{\theta}\) and \(\xi^{-}:\vartheta_{\infty}\Gamma \rightarrow G/P^{-}_{\theta}\), and for any \(\alpha \in \theta\) we have \(\langle \alpha, \mu (\varrho(\gamma)) \rangle \to +\infty\) as \(\gamma \to \infty\) in \(\Gamma\). \item[(3)] There exist continuous, \(\varrho\)-equivariant, dynamics-preserving and transverse maps \(\xi^{+}:\vartheta_{\infty}\Gamma \rightarrow G/P_{\theta}\) and \(\xi^{-}:\vartheta_{\infty}\Gamma \rightarrow G/P^{-}_{\theta}\), and constants \(c, C > 0\) such that \(\langle \alpha, \mu (\varrho (\gamma)) \rangle \geq c|\gamma|_{\Gamma}-C\) for all \(\alpha \in \theta\) and \(\gamma \in \Gamma\). \item[(4)] There exist \(\kappa, \kappa^{\prime}>0\) such that, for any \(\alpha \in \sum_{\theta}^{+}\) and any geodesic ray \((\gamma_{n})_{n\in \mathbb{N}}\) with \(\gamma_{0} = e\) in the Cayley graph of \(\Gamma\), the sequence \((\langle \alpha, \mu (\varrho (\gamma_{n})) \rangle)_{n\in \mathbb{N}}\) is \((\kappa, \kappa^{\prime})\)-lower CLI. \end{itemize}} (By \(\gamma \to \infty\) we mean that \(\gamma\) leaves every finite subset of \(\Gamma\), or equivalently that the word length \(|\gamma|_{\Gamma}\) of \(\gamma\) goes to \(+\infty\)). This theorem proves that any Anosov representation is a quasi-isometric embedding (see [\textit{F. Labourie}, Invent. Math. 165, No. 1, 51--114 (2006; Zbl 1103.32007); \textit{O. Guichard} and \textit{A. Wienhard}, Invent. Math. 190, No. 2, 357--438 (2012; Zbl 1270.20049)]). Also there is an overlap between this theorem and independent results of \textit{M. Kapovich} et al. developed in [Transform. Groups 21, No. 4, 1105--1121 (2016; Zbl 1375.37131)]. In terms of the Lyapunov projection \(\lambda : g \mapsto \lim_{n}\mu (g^{n})/n\) associated with the Jordan decomposition in \(G\), and the stable length \(\gamma \mapsto |\gamma|_{\infty} = \lim_{n}|\gamma^{n}|_{\Gamma}/n\), a new characterization of Anosov representations is established: Theorem 1.7. Let \(\Gamma\) be a word hyperbolic group, \(G\) a real reductive Lie group and \(\theta\subset \Delta\) a nonempty subset of the simple restricted roots of \(G\). For any representation \(\varrho : \Gamma \rightarrow G\), the following conditions are equivalent: {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[(1)] \(\varrho\) is \(P_{\theta}\)-Anosov. \item[(2)] There exist continuous, \(\varrho\)-equivariant, dynamics-preserving and transverse maps \(\xi^{+}:\vartheta_{\infty}\Gamma \rightarrow G/P_{\theta}\) and \(\xi^{-}:\vartheta_{\infty}\Gamma \rightarrow G/P^{-}_{\theta}\), and for any \(\alpha \in \theta\) we have \(\langle \alpha, \lambda(\varrho(\gamma)) \rangle \to +\infty\) as \(|\gamma|_{\infty} \to +\infty\). \item[(3)] There exist continuous, \(\varrho\)-equivariant, dynamics-preserving and transverse maps \(\xi^{+}:\vartheta_{\infty}\Gamma \rightarrow G/P_{\theta}\) and \(\xi^{-}:\vartheta_{\infty}\Gamma \rightarrow G/P^{-}_{\theta}\), and a constant \(c > 0\) such that \(\langle \alpha, \lambda(\varrho(\gamma)) \rangle \geq c|\gamma|_{\infty}\) for all \(\alpha \in \theta\) and \(\gamma \in \Gamma\). \end{itemize}} Using the properness criterion of [\textit{Y. Benoist}, Ann. Math. (2) 144, No. 2, 315--347 (1996; Zbl 0868.22013); \textit{T. Kobayashi}, J. Lie Theory 6, No. 2, 147--163 (1996; Zbl 0863.22010)], the authors, as an application of Theorem 1.3, provide a direct link between Anosov representations and proper actions on homogeneous spaces, a connection investigated in [\textit{O. Guichard} and \textit{A. Wienhard}, Invent. Math. 190, No. 2, 357--438 (2012; Zbl 1270.20049)].