Bounded cohomology and isometry groups of hyperbolic spaces

Abstract: Let X be an arbitrary hyperbolic geodesic metric space and let G be a countable non-elementary weakly acylindrical group of isometries of X. We show that the second bounded cohomology group of G with real coefficients or with coefficients in the regular representation is infinite dimensional. The result holds for any subgroup of the mapping class group of a non-exceptional surface of finite type not containing a normal subgroup which virtually split as a direct product.

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The author studies some applications of bounded cohomology to isometry groups of hyperbolic spaces. Let us recall that \textit{bounded cohomology} has been introduced by Gromov as a variation of the ordinary singular cohomology \(H^\bullet(M,{\mathbb R})\) of a manifold \(M\). In fact, the bounded cohomology \(H_b^\bullet(M,{\mathbb R})\) is the homology of the complex of all bounded singular cochains \(\{C^\bullet_b(M;{\mathbb R})\delta\}\). (A \textit{bounded singular cochain} is just a singular cochain where the real-valued functions on the set of singular simplices are bounded.) The inclusion \(C^\bullet_b(M;{\mathbb R})\subset C^\bullet(M;{\mathbb R})\) induces the following representation (\textit{comparison map}): \(H_b^\bullet(M,{\mathbb R})\to H^\bullet(M,{\mathbb R})\). This point of view can be generalized in many ways. In particular, the author considers the following comparison maps: \(H_b^2(\Gamma,{\mathbb R})\to H^2(\Gamma,{\mathbb R})\) and \(H_b^2(\Gamma,\ell^p(\Gamma))\to H^2(\Gamma,\ell^p(\Gamma))\), \(1<p<\infty\), where \(\Gamma\) is a non-elementary weakly acylindrical countable group of isometries of an arbitrary hyperbolic geodesic metric space, and \(\ell^p(\Gamma)\) is the space of \(p\)-summable functions on \(\Gamma\). (\(\Gamma\) naturally acts on \(\ell^p(\Gamma)\) by right translation, i.e., \(gf(h)=f(hg)\), \(h,g\in\Gamma\), \(f\in\ell^p(\Gamma)\).) The main results are that the kernels of the above comparison maps are infinite dimensional and that the quotient space \({\mathcal D}{\mathcal C}(M)/H^1(\Gamma,{\mathbb R})\) naturally embeds into \(\ker(H_b^2(\Gamma,{\mathbb R})\to H^2(\Gamma,{\mathbb R}))\). Here \({\mathcal D}{\mathcal C}(M)\) denotes a suitable vector space related to the geodesic flow of \(M\). (See the paper for details.) The paper, after a careful introduction, splits into four more sections. 2. Dynamical cocycles and bounded cohomology. 3. A dynamical criterion for infinite-dimensional second bounded cohomology. 4. Groups acting isometrically on hyperbolic geodesics metric spaces. 5. Applications.

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