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We study ${\mathbb{R}}^k\times <\#comment/>{\mathbb{Z}}^{\mathrm{\ell <\#comment/>}}$actions on arbitrary compact manifolds with a projectively dense set of Anosov elements and 1-dimensional coarse Lyapunov foliations. Such actions are called totally Cartan actions. We completely classify such actions as built from low-dimensional Anosov flows and diffeomorphisms and affine actions, verifying the Katok-Spatzier conjecture for this class. This is achieved by introducing a new tool, the action of a dynamically defined topological group describing paths in coarse Lyapunov foliations, and understanding its generators and relations. We obtain applications to the Zimmer program. 

Abstract This paper develops new techniques for studying smooth dynamical systems in the presence of a Carnot–Carathéodory metric. Principally, we employ the theory of Margulis and Mostow, Métivier, Mitchell, and Pansu on tangent cones to establish resonances between Lyapunov exponents. We apply these results in three different settings. First, we explore rigidity properties of smooth dominated splittings for Anosov diffeomorphisms and flows via associated smooth Carnot–Carathéodory metrics. Second, we obtain local rigidity properties of higher hyperbolic rank metrics in a neighborhood of a locally symmetric one. For the latter application we also prove structural stability of the Brin–Pesin asymptotic holonomy group for frame flows. Finally, we obtain local rigidity properties for uniform lattice actions on the ideal boundary of quaternionic and octonionic symmetric spaces. 

Abstract Let M be a complete Riemannian manifold and suppose {p\in M} . For each unit vector {v\in T_{p}M} , the Jacobi operator , {\mathcal{J}_{v}:v^{\perp}\rightarrow v^{\perp}} is the symmetric endomorphism, {\mathcal{J}_{v}(w)=R(w,v)v} . Then p is an isotropic point if there exists a constant {\kappa_{p}\in{\mathbb{R}}} such that {\mathcal{J}_{v}=\kappa_{p}\operatorname{Id}_{v^{\perp}}} for each unit vector {v\in T_{p}M} . If all points are isotropic, then M is said to be isotropic; it is a classical result of Schur that isotropic manifolds of dimension at least 3 have constant sectional curvatures. In this paper we consider almost isotropic manifolds , i.e. manifolds having the property that for each {p\in M} , there exists a constant {\kappa_{p}\in\mathbb{R}} such that the Jacobi operators {\mathcal{J}_{v}} satisfy {\operatorname{rank}({\mathcal{J}_{v}-\kappa_{p}\operatorname{Id}_{v^{\perp}}}% )\leq 1} for each unit vector {v\in T_{p}M} . Our main theorem classifies the almost isotropic simply connected Kähler manifolds, proving that those of dimension {d=2n\geqslant 4} are either isometric to complex projective space or complex hyperbolic space or are totally geodesically foliated by leaves isometric to {{\mathbb{C}}^{n-1}} . 

A Riemannian manifold $$M$$ has higher hyperbolic rank if every geodesic has a perpendicular Jacobi field making sectional curvature $-1$ with the geodesic. If, in addition, the sectional curvatures of $$M$$ lie in the interval $$[-1,-\frac{1}{4}]$$ and $$M$$ is closed, we show that $$M$$ is a locally symmetric space of rank one. This partially extends work by Constantine using completely different methods. It is also a partial counterpart to Hamenstädt’s hyperbolic rank rigidity result for sectional curvatures $$\leq -1$$ , and complements well-known results on Euclidean and spherical rank rigidity. 

We prove that for the frame flow on a negatively curved, closed manifold of odd dimension other than 7, and a Hölder continuous potential that is constant on fibers, there is a unique equilibrium measure. Brin and Gromov’s theorem on the ergodicity of frame flows follows as a corollary. Our methods also give a corresponding result for automorphisms of the Heisenberg manifold fibering over the torus.