Tits Alternative in groups with proper product actions on proper Gromov-hyperbolic spaces

Abstract

In this paper, we study groups with property (PPH), i.e., there exist finitely many proper Gromov-hyperbolic spaces $X_1,\ldots, X_l$ on which $G$ acts cocompactly such that the diagonal action of $G$ on the $\ell^1$-product $\prod_{i=1}^lX_i$ is proper. We show that any finitely generated subgroup of a finitely generated group with property (PPH) either is amenable or contains $F_2$. Furthermore, we study groups with property (PPT), i.e., groups with property (PPH) so that $X_1,\cdots,X_l$ are all proper quasi-trees. We show that any finitely generated subgroup of a finitely generated group with property (PPT) either is virtually (locally-finite)-by-$\mathbb{Z}^n$ or contains $F_2$. Additionally, we establish that for a non-elementary hyperbolic group \(G\), \(G\) admits a proper diagonal action on a finite product of regular trees if and only if \(G\) has property (PPT). This result transforms a question posed by Button \cite{But19} into the problem of whether every non-elementary hyperbolic group has property (PPT).