Hyperbolic rigidity of higher rank lattices

Abstract

We prove that any action of a higher rank lattice on a Gromov-hyperbolic space is elementary. More precisely, it is either elliptic or parabolic. This is a large generalization of the fact that any action of a higher rank lattice on a tree has a fixed point. A consequence is that any quasi-action of a higher rank lattice on a tree is elliptic, i.e. it has Manning's property (QFA). Moreover, we obtain a new proof of the theorem of Farb-Kaimanovich-Masur that any morphism from a higher rank lattice to a mapping class group has finite image, without relying on the Margulis normal subgroup theorem nor on bounded cohomology. More generally, we prove that any morphism from a higher rank lattice to a hierarchically hyperbolic group has finite image. In the Appendix, Vincent Guirardel and Camille Horbez deduce rigidity results for morphisms from a higher rank lattice to various outer automorphism groups.