Groups that do not act by automorphisms of codimension-one foliations. (Q701244)

Let \(M\) be a compact, connected, boundaryless, smooth manifold, \(\mathcal{F}\) a transversely oriented, codimension-one \(C^r\)-foliation of \(M\) by smooth leaves, \(r\geq 2\), and \(\mathcal{D}^s(M,\mathcal{F})\) the group of \(C^s\)-automorphisms of \(\mathcal{F}\), \(s\geq 0\), that is, the group of \(C^r\)-diffeomorphisms of \(M\) that map leaves to leaves. Assume that \(\Gamma\) is a finitely generated discrete group such that every homomorphism from a finite-index subgroup of \(\Gamma\) into the group of homeomorphisms of the circle has a finite orbit on the circle [for examples of such groups, see \textit{É. Ghys}, Invent. Math. 137, 199--231 (1999; Zbl 0995.57006); \textit{M. Burger} and \textit{N. Monod}, J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 1, No. 2, 199--235 (1999); erratum ibid. 1, No. 3, 338 (1999; Zbl 0932.22008) and ``Continuous bounded cohomology and applications'', preprint]. Supposing that \(\Gamma\) acts by \(C^0\)-automorphisms of \(\mathcal{F}\), the authors prove that if \(\mathcal{F}\) has a closed leaf, then some closed leaf of \(\mathcal{F}\) is fixed by some subgroup of finite index in \(\Gamma\) and give sufficient conditions for some finite-index subgroup of \(\Gamma\) to fix each leaf of \(\mathcal{F}\). If the germinal holonomy groups of all the non-compact leaves of \(\mathcal{F}\) are trivial (this is the case, for example, if the non-compact leaves of \(\mathcal{F}\) are simply connected), they show that every homomorphism of \(\Gamma\) into \(\mathcal{D}^1(M,\mathcal{F})\) yields a transversely finite action, that is \(\Gamma\) projects to a finite subgroup of the quotient \(\mathcal{D}^1(M,\mathcal{F})/\mathcal{D}^1(M,\mathcal{F})_0\), where \(\mathcal{D}^1(M,\mathcal{F})_0:=\{\varphi\in \mathcal{D}^1(M,\mathcal{F})\;| \;\varphi\;\text{sends each leaf of}\;\mathcal{F}\;\text{to itself}\}\).