Rigidity of geometric structures (Q6183203)

``Geometric structures on a manifold \(M\) arise from a covering of \(M\) by charts with values in a homogeneous space \(G/H\), with chart transitions restrictions of elements of \(G\)'' (where \(G\) is a Lie group and \(H\) a closed subgroup). In this survey, the authors are interested in geometric structures on aspherical manifolds \(M\), and in particular in (irreducible) locally symmetric spaces defined by a homogeneous space \(G/K\) where \(G\) is semisimple (simple) Lie group of non-compact type and \(K\) a maximal compact subgroup. ``The search of characterizations of manifolds which admit locally symmetric metrics or, more generally, geometric structures, by some special geometric or topological properties is a fruitful line of research. Furthermore, whenever the Mostow rigidity theorem is not available, there may be a rich deformation space of such geometric structures. We survey some of the rigidity and flexibility results which can be described in terms of the topology of the manifold and length functions associated to geometric structures.'' In particular the authors prove that if \(\widehat M \to M\) is a finite sheeted cover, for an irreducible locally symmetric manifold \(\widehat M\) of dimension \(n\), then \(M\) is homotopy equivalent to an irreducible locally symmetric space (homeomorphic if \(n \ge 5\), diffeomorphic for \(n = 2, 3\)). Further topics discussed are the marked length spectrum of a manifold \(M\), its relation to cross ratios and the marked length spectrum rigidity, representations of surface groups in the isometry group \(\mathrm{PSL}(2, \mathbb C)\) of hyperbolic 3-space, and real projective structures modeled on \(\mathrm{PSL}(n, \mathbb R)/H\) (and Hilbert metrics and Hitchin components).