(Non)-completeness of \(\mathbb R\)-buildings and fixed point theorems (Q646382)

The well-known fixed point theorem by \textit{F. Bruhat} and \textit{J. Tits} [Hautes Études Sci. Publ. Math. 41, 5--251 (1972; Zbl 0254.14017)] asserts that a bounded group of isometries of a complete CAT(0) space has a fixed point. In the paper under review the author considers \(\mathbb{R}\)-buildings. These are CAT(0) spaces which generally are not complete -- a stark contrast to the situation of affine buildings. He shows that completeness of the \(\mathbb{R}\)-building \(\Lambda\) can be dropped in the Bruhat-Tits fixed point theorem if one assumes that the bounded group of isometries of \(\Lambda\) is finitely generated. In his proof of this result the author makes use of the center conjecture, which holds for all spherical buildings without factors of type \(H_4\), see \textit{B. Leeb} and \textit{C. Ramos-Cuevas} [Geom. Funct. Anal. 21, No. 3, 525--559 (2011; Zbl 1232.51008)] for most types, but this exceptional case can be dealt with in the situation at hand. The second main result of the paper characterizes metrical completeness of \(\mathbb{R}\)-buildings in terms of their wall trees (which are \(\mathbb{R}\)-trees). It thus reduces the question of completeness to the easier one-dimensional case. F. Bruhat and J. Tits [loc. cit.] proved the same result algebraically under the assumption that the \(\mathbb{R}\)-building arises from a root group datum with valuation. The author gives a geometric proof which allows to remove the additional assumption so that an \(\mathbb{R}\)-building is metrically complete if and only if all its wall trees are metrically complete.