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A rank rigidity result for CAT(0) spaces with one-dimensional Tits boundaries

  • Russell Ricks ORCID logo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: June 14, 2019

Abstract

We prove the following rank rigidity result for proper CAT(0) spaces with one-dimensional Tits boundaries: Let Γ be a group acting properly discontinuously, cocompactly, and by isometries on such a space X. If the Tits diameter of X equals π and Γ does not act minimally on X, then X is a spherical building or a spherical join. If X is also geodesically complete, then X is a Euclidean building, higher rank symmetric space, or a nontrivial product. Much of the proof, which involves finding a Tits-closed convex building-like subset of X, does not require the Tits diameter to be π, and we give an alternate condition that guarantees rigidity when this hypothesis is removed, which is that a certain invariant of the group action be even.

MSC 2010: 53C20; 53C24; 20F65

Communicated by Anna Wienhard


Award Identifier / Grant number: NSF 1045119

Funding statement: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number NSF 1045119.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Ralf Spatzier for his support and many helpful discussions.

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Received: 2018-05-31
Revised: 2019-04-06
Published Online: 2019-06-14
Published in Print: 2019-09-01

© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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