The distortion dimension of \(\mathbb Q\)-rank 1 lattices (Q522072)

Let \(G\) be a semi-simple group, i.e., a group of the form \(G=\prod_{i=1}^mG_i(k_i)\), where \(k_i\) is a locally compact, non-discrete field, e.g. \({\mathbb R}, {\mathbb C}\) or \({\mathbb Q}_p\), and \(G_i\) is a connected, absolutely almost simple algebraic group defined over \(k_i\). Each \(G_i(k_i)\) has a natural action on either a symmetric space \(X_i\) or a Euclidean building \(X_i\). Consider the action of \(G\) on the product \(X=\prod_{i=1}^mX_i\). Its geometric rank \(\mathrm{geo-rank}(X)\) is by definition the dimension of a maximal flat in \(X\). Let \(\Gamma\subset G\) be a lattice. If \(\Gamma\) is cocompact, then it will be Lipschitz equivalent to \(X\). \textit{A. Lubotzky} et al. [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 91, 5--53 (2000; Zbl 0988.22007)] proved that this also holds true for non-cocompact irreducible lattices whenever \(\sum_{i=1}^m \mathrm{rk}_{k_i}G_i\geq 2\). However, in general \(\Gamma\) will be distorted and to study its distorsion one considers the \(r\)-neighborhood \(X(r)\) of a \(\Gamma\)-orbit in \(X\). This neighborhood is obviously Lipschitz equivalent to \(\Gamma\). The distortion dimension \(\mathrm{dis-dim}(\Gamma)\) is defined as the maximal \(m\) such that for any \(r\geq 0\) there exist \(r^\prime\geq r, \lambda\geq 1,C\geq 0\) such that for any \(k<m\) and any Lipschitz \(k\)-sphere \(S\subset X(r)\) there is a Lipschitz \((k+1)\)-ball \(B_\Gamma\subset X(r^\prime)\) with \(\partial B_\Gamma=S\) and \(\mathrm{vol}(B_\Gamma)\leq \lambda \mathrm{vol}(B_X)+C\) for all Lipschitz \((k+1)\)-balls \(B_X\subset X\) with \(\partial B_X=S\). For a cocompact lattice one has \(\mathrm{dis-dim}(\Gamma)=\infty\). \textit{K.-U. Bux} and \textit{K. Wortman} [Invent. Math. 167, No. 2, 355--378 (2007; Zbl 1126.20030)] conjectured that for a non-cocompact irreducible lattice the equality \(\mathrm{dis-dim}(\Gamma)=\mathrm{geo-rank}(X)-1\) holds. The paper under review proves this conjecture for irreducible \({\mathbb Q}\)-rank 1 lattices in a linear, semisimple group. The useful property of \({\mathbb Q}\)-rank 1 lattices is that their horoballs can be chosen to be disjoint. So the complement of a union of horoballs is Lipschitz equivalent to \(\Gamma\) and can be used to replace \(X(r)\) in the above definition. In particular, studying the distortion of \(\Gamma\) reduces to studying the distortion of horospheres. The result that the authors actually prove is that any horosphere \(H\) whose center is not contained in a proper join factor of \(\partial_\infty X\) is Lipschitz \((k-2)\)-connected for \(k=\mathrm{geo-rank}(X)\). This means that for any \(d\leq k-2\) and any Lipschitz map \(\alpha: S^d\to H\) there is an extension \(\beta: D^{d+1}\to H\) with \(\mathrm{Lip}(\beta)\prec \mathrm{Lip}(\alpha)\). By a result of the second author [Geom. Topol. 18, No. 4, 2375--2417 (2014; Zbl 1347.20046)] it is known that Lipschitz \((k-2)\)-connectivity implies \((k-1)\)-undistortedness.