Paper detail

Pattern Rigidity in Hyperbolic Spaces: Duality and PD Subgroups

For $i= 1,2$, let $G_i$ be cocompact groups of isometries of hyperbolic space $\Hyp^n$ of real dimension $n$, $n \geq 3$. Let $H_i \subset G_i$ be infinite index quasiconvex subgroups satisfying one of the following conditions: 1) limit set of $H_i$ is a codimension one topological sphere. 2) limit set of $H_i$ is an even dimensional topological sphere. 3) $H_i$ is a codimension one duality group. This generalizes (1). In particular, if $n = 3$, $H_i$ could be any freely indecomposable subgroup of $G_i$. 4) $H_i$ is an odd-dimensional Poincare Duality group $PD(2k+1)$. This generalizes (2). We prove pattern rigidity for such pairs extending work of Schwartz who proved pattern rigidity when $H_i$ is cyclic. All this generalizes to quasiconvex subgroups of uniform lattices in rank one symmetric spaces satisfying one of the conditions (1)-(4), as well as certain special subgroups with disconnected limit sets. In particular, pattern rigidity holds for all quasiconvex subgroups of hyperbolic 3-manifolds that are not virtually free. Combining this with a result of Mosher-Sageev-Whyte, we get quasi-isometric rigidity results for graphs of groups where the vertex groups are uniform lattices in rank one symmetric spaces and edge groups are of any of the above types.