Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Emmanuel Breuillard

Publications and source records attributed to Emmanuel Breuillard.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
arXiv2011

Contractions and expansion

Let A be a finite set of reals and let K >= 1 be a real number. Suppose that for each a in A we are given an injective map f_a : A -> R which fixes a and contracts other points towards it in the sense that |a - f_a(x)| <= |a - x|/K for all x in A, and such that f_a(x) always lies between a and x. Then the union of the f_a(A) has cardinality >= K|A|/10 - O_K(1). An immediate consequence of this is the estimate |A + K.A| >= K|A|/10 - O_K(1), which is a slightly weakened version of a result of Bukh.

math.CO↗
arXiv2011

A Height Gap Theorem For Finite Subsets Of GL_d(\bar{Q}) and Non Amenable Subgroups

We show a global adelic analog of the classical Margulis Lemma from hyperbolic geometry. We introduce a conjugation invariant normalized height $\hat{h}(F)$ of a finite set of matrices $F$ in $GL_{n}(\bar{\Bbb{Q}})$ which is the adelic analog of the minimal displacement on a symmetric space. We then show, making use of theorems of Bilu and Zhang on the equidistribution of Galois orbits of small points, that $\hat{h}(F)>ε$ as soon as $F$ generates a non-virtually solvable subgroup of $SL_{n}(\bar{\Bbb{Q}}),$ where $ε=ε(n)>0$ is an absolute constant.

math.GR↗
arXiv2011

The structure of approximate groups

Let K >= 1 be a parameter. A K-approximate group is a finite set A in a (local) group which contains the identity, is symmetric, and such that A^2 is covered by K left translates of A. The main result of this paper is a qualitative description of approximate groups as being essentially finite-by-nilpotent, answering a conjecture of H. Helfgott and E. Lindenstrauss. This may be viewed as a generalisation of the Freiman-Ruzsa theorem on sets of small doubling in the integers to arbitrary groups. We begin by establishing a correspondence principle between approximate groups and locally compact (local) groups that allows us to recover many results recently established in a fundamental paper of Hrushovski. In particular we establish that approximate groups can be approximately modeled by Lie groups. To prove our main theorem we apply some additional arguments essentially due to Gleason. These arose in the solution of Hilbert's fifth problem in the 1950s. Applications of our main theorem include a finitary refinement of Gromov's theorem, as well as a generalized Margulis lemma conjectured by Gromov and a result on the virtual nilpotence of the fundamental group of Ricci almost nonnegatively curved manifolds.

math.GR↗
arXiv2011

On conjugacy growth of linear groups

We investigate the conjugacy growth of finitely generated linear groups. We show that finitely generated non-virtually-solvable subgroups of GL_d have uniform exponential conjugacy growth and in fact that the number of distinct polynomials arising as characteristic polynomials of the elements of the ball of radius n for the word metric has exponential growth rate bounded away from 0 in terms of the dimension d only.

math.GR↗
arXiv2011

Strongly dense free subgroups of semisimple algebraic groups

We show that (with one possible exception) there exist strongly dense free subgroups in any semisimple algebraic group over a large enough field. These are nonabelian free subgroups all of whose subgroups are either cyclic or Zariski dense. As a consequence, we get new generating results for finite simple groups of Lie type and a strengthening of a theorem of Borel related to the Hausdorff-Banach-Tarski paradox. In a sequel to this paper, we use this result to also establish uniform expansion properties for random Cayley graphs over finite simple groups of Lie type.

math.GR↗
arXiv2011

Approximate groups, III: the unitary case

By adapting the classical proof of Jordan's theorem on finite subgroups of linear groups, we show that every approximate subgroup of the unitary group U_n(C) is almost abelian.

math.GR↗
arXiv2010

Approximate subgroups of linear groups

We establish various results on the structure of approximate subgroups in linear groups such as SL_n(k) that were previously announced by the authors. For example, generalising a result of Helfgott (who handled the cases n = 2 and 3), we show that any approximate subgroup of SL_n(F_q) which generates the group must be either very small or else nearly all of SL_n(F_q). The argument generalises to other absolutely almost simple connected (and non-commutative) algebraic groups G over a finite field k. In a subsequent paper, we will give applications of this result to the expansion properties of Cayley graphs.

math.GR↗
arXiv2010

Suzuki groups as expanders

We show that pairs of generators for the family Sz(q) of Suzuki groups may be selected so that the corresponding Cayley graphs are expanders. By combining this with several deep works of Kassabov, Lubotzky and Nikolov, this establishes that the family of all non-abelian finite simple groups can be made into expanders in a uniform fashion.

math.GR↗
arXiv2010

Linear Approximate Groups

This is an informal announcement of results to be described and proved in detail in a paper to appear. We give various results on the structure of approximate subgroups in linear groups such as $\SL_n(k)$. For example, generalising a result of Helfgott (who handled the cases $n = 2$ and 3), we show that any approximate subgroup of $\SL_n(\F_q)$ which generates the group must be either very small or else nearly all of $\SL_n(\F_q)$. The argument is valid for all Chevalley groups $G(\F_q)$.

math.GR↗
arXiv2009

Strong uniform expansion in $\mathrm{SL}(2,p)$

We show that there is an infinite set of primes $\mathcal{P}$ of density one, such that the family of \textit{all} Cayley graphs of $\mathrm{SL}(2,p)$%, $p\in \mathcal{P}$, is a family of expanders.

math.GR↗
arXiv2009

Approximate groups, II: the solvable linear case

We describe the structure of "K-approximate subgroups'' of solvable subgroups of GL_n(C), showing that they have a large nilpotent piece. By combining this with the main result of our recent paper on approximate subgroups of torsion-free nilpotent groups, we show that such approximate subgroups are efficiently controlled by nilpotent progressions.

math.GR↗
arXiv2009

Approximate groups, I: the torsion-free nilpotent case

We describe the structure of ``K-approximate subgroups'' of torsion-free nilpotent groups, paying particular attention to Lie groups. Three other works, by Fisher-Katz-Peng, Sanders and Tao, have appeared which independently address related issues. We comment briefly on some of the connections between these papers.

math.CO↗
arXiv2009

Dense embeddings of surface groups

We discuss dense embeddings of surface groups and fully residually free groups in topological groups. We show that a compact topological group contains a nonabelian dense free group of finite rank if and only if it contains a dense surface group. Also, we obtain a characterization of those Lie groups which admit a dense faithfully embedded surface group. Similarly, we show that any connected semisimple Lie group contains a dense copy of any fully residually free group.

math.GR↗
arXiv2008

From random walks to rough paths

Donsker's invariance principle is shown to hold for random walks in rough path topology. As application, we obtain Donsker-type weak limit theorems for stochastic integrals and differential equations.

math.PR↗
arXiv2008

A Strong Tits Alternative

We show that for every integer $d$, there is a constant $N(d)$ such that if $K$ is any field and $F$ is a finite subset of $GL_d(K)$, which generates a non amenable subgroup, then $F^{N(d)}$ contains two elements, which freely generate a non abelian free subgroup. This improves the original statement of the Tits alternative. It also implies a growth gap and a co-growth gap for non-amenable linear groups, and has consequences about the girth and uniform expansion of small sets in finite subgroups of $GL_d(\Bbb{F}_q)$ as well as other diophantine properties of non-discrete subgroups of Lie groups.

math.GR↗
arXiv2007

Equidistribution of Dense Subgroups on Nilpotent Lie Groups

Let $Γ$ be a dense subgroup of a simply connected nilpotent Lie group $G$ generated by a finite symmetric set $S$. We consider the $n$-ball $S_n$ for the word metric induced by $S$ on $Γ$. We show that $S_n$ (with uniform measure) becomes equidistributed on $G$ with respect to the Haar measure as n tends to infinity. We give rates and also prove the analogous result for random walk averages (i.e. the local limit theorem).

math.GR↗