Two new families of finitely generated simple groups of homeomorphisms of the real line (Q6051006)

The first examples of finitely generated infinite simple groups of homeomorphisms of the real line were constructed by the first two authors of the present paper [Invent. Math. 218, 83--112 (2019; Zbl 1422.43002)], answering a long standing question of Rhemtulla from 1980. Equivalently, these are examples of finitely generated simple left (or right) orderable groups. In the present paper, two new families of such groups are constructed, with interesting dynamical and algebraic properties, quite different form those previously known. Groups in the first family admit a minimal action by homeomorphisms on the torus, whereas groups in the second family admit a minimal action by homeomorphisms on the circle (a group action on a topological space by homeomorphisms is minimal if all orbits are dense). Groups in the second family also satisfy the following properties. \begin{itemize} \item They admit nontrivial homogeneous quasimorphisms, and they have infinite commutator width: for each \(n\in\mathbb{N}\) there is an element that cannot be expressed as a product of fewer than \(n\) commutators. \item They admit a faithful action by \(C^\infty\)-diffeomorphisms of the circle. \item They admit a faithful action by piecewise linear homeomorphisms of the circle. \end{itemize}