Group actions on order trees (Q5943947)

Given a measured lamination of a \(3\)-manifold \(M\), the space of leaves is an \(\mathbf R\)-tree on which the fundamental group of \(M\) acts isometrically. Conversely, Morgan and Shalen showed that each nontrivial isometric action of a \(3\)-manifold group \(\pi_1(M)\) on an \(\mathbf R\)-tree is induced by a measured lamination of \(M\). Non-Haken \(3\)-manifolds cannot contain measured laminations, yet they often contain essential laminations. \textit{D. Gabai} and \textit{U. Oertel} [Ann. Math. (2) 130, No. 1, 41-73 (1989; Zbl 0685.57007)] showed that the space of leaves of an essential lamination is an order tree, on which \(\pi_1(M)\) acts preserving the order tree structure (but not necessarily isometrically). In the paper under review, the authors develop a basic theory of group actions on order trees. One of the main results is that if \(M\) is Seifert fibered over the \(2\)-sphere with three exceptional fibers, then \({\mathbf R}\) is the only order tree that can have a nontrivial minimal \(\pi_1(M)\)-action.