Cantor dynamics of renormalizable groups

is the kernel of the action map. We introduce the notion of a (virtually) renormalizable Cantor action, and show that the action associated to a renormalizable group is virtually renormalizable. We study the properties of virtually renormalizable Cantor actions, and show that virtual renormalizability is an invariant of continuous orbit equivalence. Moreover, the discriminant invariant of a renormalizable Cantor action is an invariant of continuous orbit equivalence. Finally, the notion of a renormalizable Cantor action is related to the notion of a self-replicating group of automorphisms of a rooted tree.

Review text

A \emph{renormalizable} group is a group \(\Gamma\) admitting a proper self-embedding \(\phi\colon\Gamma\hookrightarrow\Gamma\) whose image has finite index. If \(K\coloneqq\bigcap_{n\ge0}\phi^n(\Gamma)\) is a finite subgroup, what can one deduce about \(\Gamma\)? Among finitely generated groups, the main known examples are nilpotent groups with dilatations, so it might be believed that they are the only ones; this appears as a question in [\textit{V. Nekrashevych} and \textit{G. Pete}, Groups Geom. Dyn. 5, No. 1, 139--167 (2011; Zbl 1236.20031)]. The present article answers partially this question, as follows. From the renormalization \(\phi\), there is a natural action of \(\Gamma\) on a locally finite rooted tree with vertex set the cosets \(\bigsqcup_{n\ge0}\Gamma/\phi^n(\Gamma)\) and edges given by inclusion. Let \(\widehat\Gamma\) denote the closure of \(\Gamma\) in the automorphism group of this tree (with the usual topology on functions). There is naturally an induced renormalization \(\widehat\phi\colon\widehat\Gamma\to\widehat\Gamma\), and (Theorem 1.3) if \(\Gamma\) is finitely generated then the image of \(\widehat\phi\) is open. In analogy with \(K\), introduce the limit \(\mathscr D=\bigcap_{n\ge0}\widehat\phi^n(\widehat\Gamma)\). The partial answer may then be stated (Theorems 1.1 and 1.5): assume \(\Gamma\) is finitely generated. If \(\mathscr D\) is finite, then \(\Gamma/\text{Core}(K)\) is virtually nilpotent; and is actually nilpotent if \(\mathscr D\) is trivial. In particular, if \(K\) and \(\mathscr D\) are both finite then \(\Gamma\) is virtually nilpotent. The paper contains, in its last section, an extensive list of open problems on renormalizations.

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