Mostow-Margulis rigidity with locally compact targets (Q5937266)

Let \(\Gamma\) be a lattice in a connected semisimple Lie group with finite center and no nontrivial compact factors. Inspired by the well-known rigidity theorems the author considers the question of classifying all locally compact second countable groups \(H\) which admit an embedding of \(\Gamma\) as a lattice. It is shown that if \(G\) is simple and has rank at least 2 then \(H\) as above has a subgroup \(H_0\) of finite index which is (topologically isomorphic to) either a group of the form \((G' \times K')/C\), where \(G'\) is a locally compact group, \(K\) is a compact group, and \(C\) is a diagonally embedded subgroup of the center of \(G'\times K'\), such that \(G'/C\) is Ad\((G)\), or a quotient of a group which is a semidirect product of \(\Gamma\) with a compact group \(K\) (on which it acts by automorphisms), by a finite normal subgroup (satisfying some further conditions that we will not go into). The author points out that the assumption that \(G\) is simple (rather than semisimple, say with \(\Gamma\) irreducible) is warranted by a difficulty at a particular step in the approach. Classification of \(H\) admitting an embedding of \(\Gamma\) as a uniform (cocompact) lattice is also considered, and in this case a conclusion as above is upheld for all irreducible lattices, in more general semisimple Lie groups as above, not locally isomorphic to \(SL(2, {^R})\). A similar result is also proved for uniform lattices in \(SL(2, {^R})\).