Area preserving group actions on surfaces

Abstract

Suppose G is an almost simple group containing a subgroup isomorphic to the three-dimensional integer Heisenberg group. For example any finite index subgroup of SL(3,Z) is such a group. The main result of this paper is that every action of G on a closed oriented surface by area preserving diffeomorphisms factors through a finite group.

Published by Geometry and Topology at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/gt/GTVol7/paper21.abs.html