On discreteness of commensurators

Abstract

We begin by showing that commensurators of Zariski dense subgroups of isometry groups of symmetric spaces of non-compact type are discrete provided that the limit set on the Furstenberg boundary is not invariant under the action of a (virtual) simple factor. In particular for rank one or simple Lie groups, Zariski dense subgroups with non-empty domain of discontinuity have discrete commensurators. This generalizes a Theorem of Greenberg for Kleinian groups. We then prove that for all finitely generated, Zariski dense, infinite covolume discrete subgroups of Isom(H³), commensurators are discrete. Together these prove discreteness of commensurators for all known examples of finitely presented, Zariski dense, infinite covolume discrete subgroups of Isom(X) for X an irreducible symmetric space of non-compact type.