Bounded generation and lattices that cannot act on the line (Q930805)

Let \(G\) be a connected, semi-simple Lie group with finite center and \(\Gamma\) be an irreducible lattice in \(G\). Assume that the \(\mathbb{R}\)-rank \(G\geq 2\), \(G/\Gamma\) is not compact, and that \(G\) has more than one non-compact simple factor. It is conjectured that \(\Gamma\) has no nontrivial, orientation-preserving action on \(\mathbb{R}\). In this paper, the conjecture is proved in the special case where \(G\) is a direct product of copies of \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb{R})\) and/or \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb{C})\). Under the additional assumption that no simple factor of \(G\) is isogenous to \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb{R})\), applying a theorem of E. Ghys yields the conclusion that any orientation-preserving action of \(\Gamma\) on the circle must factor through a finite, Abelian quotient of \(\Gamma\). The proof is based on the fact proved by D. Carter, G. Keller and E. Paige, that \(\text{SL}(2, {\mathcal O})\) is boundedly generated by unipotents whenever \({\mathcal O}\) is a ring of integers with finitely many units. The assumption that \(G\) has more than one noncompact simple factor can be eliminated if all noncompact lattices in \(\text{SL}(3,\mathbb{R})\) and \(\text{SL}(3, \mathbb{C})\) are virtually boundedly generated by unipotents.