Noncommutative real algebraic geometry of Kazhdan's property (T)

Abstract

It is well-known that a finitely generated group $Γ$ has Kazhdan's property (T) if and only if the Laplacian element $Δ$ in ${\mathbb R}[Γ]$ has a spectral gap. In this paper, we prove that this phenomenon is witnessed in ${\mathbb R}[Γ]$. Namely, $Γ$ has property (T) if and only if there are a constant $κ>0$ and a finite sequence $ξ_1,...,ξ_n$ in ${\mathbb R}[Γ]$ such that $Δ^2-κΔ= \sum_i ξ_i^*ξ_i$. This result suggests the possibility of finding new examples of property (T) groups by solving equations in ${\mathbb R}[Γ]$, possibly with an assist of computers.