Hyperbolic actions of higher rank lattices come from rank-one factors (Q7016910)

In the article under review, the authors study actions of higher rank lattices \(\Gamma < G\) on hyperbolic spaces and they show that all such actions satisfying mild properties come from the rank-one factors of \(G.\) In particular, all non-elementary isometric actions on unbounded hyperbolic space are of this type.\N\NWe say that a lattice \(\Gamma\) in a product group \(G = G_1 \times\cdots\times G_N\) is irreducible if the closure of the projection of \(\Gamma\) to any proper sub-product has finite index. It follows from results of \textit{G. A. Margulis} [Discrete subgroups of semisimple Lie groups. Berlin etc.: Springer-Verlag (1991; Zbl 0732.22008), Theorem II.6.7.)] that if each \(G_i\) is a simple algebraic group over a local field, then \(\Gamma\) is irreducible if and only if\N\(\Gamma\) has no finite index subgroup that splits as a direct product in a non-trivial way. The main result of the paper under review is the following:\N\NTheorem 1.1. Let \(N\geq n\geq 0\) be integers. Let \(G = \Pi_{i=1}^{N} G_i\) be a product of \(N\) centreless simple Lie groups, where for all \(i\in\{1,...,n\},\) the factor \(G_i\) has real rank-one, and for all \(j\in\{n+1,\dots,N\},\) the factor \(G_j\) has real rank at least two. Let \(\Gamma < G\) be a lattice. Assume that \(n\geq 2\) or that \(N > n.\) If \(N > 1,\) assume in addition that \(\Gamma\) is irreducible. Then any coarsely minimal isometric action of \(\Gamma\) on a geodesic hyperbolic space is equivalent to one of the actions\N\[\N\Gamma\to G\stackrel{pr_i}{\to} G_i\to \mathrm{Isom}(X_i,d_i),\] \[(1\leq i\leq n),\N\]\Nwhere each \(X_i\) is the rank-one symmetric space of the factor \(G_i.\)\N\NThe precise notion of \textit{equivalence} appearing in the theorem is defined as follows:\N\N Two actions \(\Gamma\N\curvearrowright X_1, X_2\) on metric spaces \(X_1, X_2\) are \textit{equivalent} if there exists an equivariant\Nquasi-isometry \(X_1 \to \mathrm{Bdd}_{C}(X_2)\) for some \(C \geq 0.\) (Here, \(\mathrm{Bdd}_{C}(X)\) is the set of all closed subsets of diameter at most \(C,\) endowed with the Hausdorff metric. Notice that \(\mathrm{Bdd}_{C}(X)\) is quasi-isometric to \(X.\))