Lamplighter groups, median spaces and Hilbertian geometry

Coarse Median Spaces and Groups

We introduce the notion of a coarse median on a metric space. This satisfies the axioms of a median algebra up to bounded distance. The existence of such a median on a geodesic space is quasi-isometry invariant, and so applies to finitely generated groups via their Cayley graphs. We show that asymptotic cones of such spaces are topological median algebras. We define a notion of rank for a coars...

Cross-wired lamplighter groups

We give a necessary and sufficient condition for a locally compact group to be isomorphic to a closed cocompact subgroup in the isometry group of a Diestel–Leader graph. As a consequence of this condition, we see that every cocompact lattice in the isometry group of a Diestel–Leader graph admits a transitive, proper action on some other Diestel–Leader graph. We also give some examples of lattic...

HILBERTIAN FIELDS AND FREE PROFINITE GROUPS* by

Furstenberg Entropy Realizations for Virtually Free Groups and Lamplighter Groups

Let (G, μ) be a discrete group with a generating probability measure. Nevo shows that if G has property (T) then there exists an ε > 0 such that the Furstenberg entropy of any (G, μ)-stationary space is either zero or larger than ε. Virtually free groups, such as SL2(Z), do not have property (T). For these groups, we construct stationary actions with arbitrarily small, positive entropy. This co...

Cross-wired lamplighter groups and linearity of automata groups

We consider the two generalizations of lamplighter groups: automata groups generated by Cayley machines and cross-wired lamplighter groups. For a finite step two nilpotent group with central squares, we study its associated Cayley machine and give a presentation of the corresponding automata group. We show the automata group is a crosswired lamplighter group and does not embed in the wreath pro...