In mathematics, a CAT(0) group is a finitely generated group with a group action on a CAT(0) space that is geometrically proper, cocompact, and isometric. They form a possible notion of non-positively curved group in geometric group theory.
Let be a group. Then is said to be a CAT(0) group if there exists a metric space and an action of on such that:
An group action on a metric space satisfying conditions 2 - 4 is sometimes called geometric.
This definition is analogous to one of the many possible definitions of a Gromov-hyperbolic group, where the condition that is CAT(0) is replaced with Gromov-hyperbolicity of . However, contrarily to hyperbolicity, CAT(0)-ness of a space is not a quasi-isometry invariant, which makes the theory of CAT(0) groups a lot harder.
The suitable notion of properness for actions by isometries on metric spaces differs slightly from that of a properly discontinuous action in topology. [1] An isometric action of a group on a metric space is said to be geometrically proper if, for every , there exists such that is finite.
Since a compact subset of can be covered by finitely many balls such that has the above property, metric properness implies proper discontinuity. However, metric properness is a stronger condition in general. The two notions coincide for proper metric spaces.
If a group acts (geometrically) properly and cocompactly by isometries on a length space , then is actually a proper geodesic space (see metric Hopf-Rinow theorem), and is finitely generated (see Švarc-Milnor lemma). In particular, CAT(0) groups are finitely generated, and the space involved in the definition is actually proper.
Let be a CAT(0) group. Then:
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Let be a group acting properly cocompactly by isometries on a CAT(0) space .