\'el\'ements de distorsion du groupe des diff\'eomorphismes isotopes \`a l'identit\'e d'une vari\'et\'e compacte

Abstract

We consider, on a compact manifold, the group of diffeomorphisms that are isotopic to the identity. We show that every recurrent element is a distorsion element. This generalizes Avila's theorem on circle diffeomorphisms. The method also provides a new proof of a result by Calegari and Freedman: on a sphere, in the group of homeomorphisms that are isotopic to the identity, every element is distorted.