Colloquium: January 20, 2026 (14:00, room 614). Speaker: Arie Levit (Tel Aviv). Title: “Normal subgroups, stabilizers and characters”.
Abstract: I will tell a story of three closely related mathematical problems: the Margulis normal subgroup theorem, the Stuck–Zimmer stabilizer rigidity problem, and Thoma’s character rigidity. I will explain those problems and their history, how each generalizes and extends the previous one, and what is known in each case. We will focus on the class of arithmetic groups arising as irreducible higher-rank lattices in semisimple groups. Some recent results will be presented.
Refreshments will be served at 13:50.
