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Groups Geometry and Dynamics 5, 2 (2011) 251-264
Lattices with and lattices without spectral gap
Bachir Bekka 1, Alexander Lubotzky 2
(2011)

Let $G = G(k)$ be the $k$-rational points of a simple algebraic group G over a local field k and let $\Gamma$ be a lattice in G. We show that the regular representation $\rho_{\Gamma\setminus G}$ of $G$ on $L^{2}(\Gamma\setminus G)$ has a spectral gap, that is, the restriction of $\rho_{\Gamma\setminus G}$ to the orthogonal of the constants in $L^{2}(\Gamma\setminus G)$ has no almost invariant vectors. On the other hand, we give examples of locally compact simple groups $G$ and lattices $\Gamma$ for which $L^{2}(\Gamma\setminus G)$ has no spectral gap. This answers in the negative a question asked by Margulis [Marg91, Chapter III, 1.12]. In fact, $G$ can be taken to be the group of orientation preserving automorphisms of a k-regular tree for $k > 2$.
1 :  Institut de Recherche Mathématique de Rennes (IRMAR)
CNRS : UMR6625 – Université de Rennes 1 – École normale supérieure de Cachan - ENS Cachan – Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) : - RENNES – Université de Rennes II - Haute Bretagne
2 :  Institute of Mathematics
Hebrew University
Théorie ergodique
Mathématiques/Systèmes dynamiques
Lattices in algebraic groups – Tree lattices – Expander diagrams – Spectral gap
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