Global fixed points for nilpotent actions on the torus

Abstract

An isotopic to the identity map of the $2$-torus, that has zero rotation vector with respect to an invariant ergodic probability measure, has a fixed point by a theorem of Franks. We give a version of this result for nilpotent subgroups of isotopic to the identity diffeomorphisms of the $2$-torus. In such a context we guarantee the existence of global fixed points for nilpotent groups of irrotational diffeomorphisms. In particular we show that the derived group of a nilpotent group of isotopic to the identity diffeomorphisms of the $2$-torus has a global fixed point.