Finitely generated infinite simple groups of homeomorphisms of the real line

Abstract

We construct examples of finitely generated infinite simple groups of homeomorphisms of the real line. Equivalently, these are examples of finitely generated simple left (or right) orderable groups. This answers a well known open question of Rhemtulla from 1980 concerning the existence of such groups. In fact, our construction provides a family of continuum many isomorphism types of groups with these properties.