Let $X$ be a set and let $S$ be an inverse semigroup of partial bijections of $X$. Thus, an element of $S$ is a bijection between two subsets of $X$, and the set $S$ is required to be closed under the operations of taking inverses and compositions of functions. We define $Γ_{S}$ to be the set of self-bijections of $X$ in which each $γ\in Γ_{S}$ is expressible as a union of finitely many members of $S$. This set is a group with respect to composition.
The groups $Γ_{S}$ form a class containing numerous widely studied groups, such as Thompson's group $V$, the Nekrashevych-Röver groups, Houghton's groups, and the Brin-Thompson groups $nV$, among many others.
We offer a unified construction of geometric models for $Γ_{S}$ and a general framework for studying the finiteness properties of these groups.
In this paper we investigate finiteness properties of totally disconnected locally compact groups for general commutative rings $R$, in particular for $R = \mathbb{Z}$ and $R= \mathbb{Q}$. We show these properties satisfy many analogous results to the case of discrete groups, and we provide analogues of the famous Bieri's and Brown's criteria for finiteness properties and deduce that both $FP_n$-properties and $F_n$-properties are quasi-isometric invariant. Moreover, we introduce graph-wreath products in the category of totally disconnected locally compact groups and discuss their finiteness p…
We give a detailed description of infinite locally nilpotent groups G such that the index |C_G (x) : <x>| is finite, for every non-normal cyclic subgroup <x> of G. We are also able to extend our analysis to all non-periodic groups satisfying a variation of our condition, where the requirement of finiteness is replaced with a bound.
We consider a finiteness condition on centralizers in a group G, namely that |C_G (x) : <x>| is finite for every non-normal cyclic subgroup <x> of G. For periodic groups, this is the same as |C_G (x)| is finite for every non-normal cyclic subgroup <x> of G. We give a full description of locally finite groups satisfying this condition. As it turns out, they are a special type of cyclic extensions of Dedekind groups. We also study a variation of our condition, where the requirement of finiteness is replaced with a bound: |C_G (x) : <x>| < n for every non-normal cyclic subgroup <x> of G, for some…
It is known that any locally graded group with finitely many derived subgroups of non-normal subgroups is finite-by-abelian. This result is generalized here, by proving that in a locally graded group $G$ the subgroup $γ_{k}(G)$ is finite if the set $\{γ_{k}(H)\;|\;H\ntriangleleft G\}$ is finite. Moreover, locally graded groups with finitely many $k$th terms of lower central series of infinite non-normal subgroups are also completely described.
A semigroup variety V is said to be locally K-finite, where K stands for any of Green's relations H, R, L, D, or J, if every finitely generated semigroup from V has only finitely many K-classes. We characterize locally K-finite varieties of finite axiomatic rank in the language of "forbidden objects".
The operator, $χ$, of weak commutativity between isomorphic groups $G$ and $G^{φ}$ was introduced by Sidki as \begin{equation*} χ(G)=\left\langle G \cup G^{φ}\mid \lbrack g,g^{φ}]=1\,\forall \,g\in G\right\rangle \text{.} \end{equation*} It is known that the operator $χ$ preserves group properties such as finiteness, solubility and also nilpotency for finitely generated groups. We prove that if $G$ is a locally finite group with $exp(G)=n$, then $χ(G)$ is locally finite and has finite $n$-bounded exponent. Further, we examine some finiteness criteria for the subgroup $D(G) = \langle [g_1,g_2^φ…
We consider the following two finiteness conditions on normalizers and centralizers in a group G: (i) |N_G(H):H| is finite for every non-normal subgroup H of G, and (ii) |C_G(x):<x>| is finite for every non-normal cyclic subgroup <x> of G. We show that (i) and (ii) are equivalent in the classes of locally finite groups and locally nilpotent groups. In both cases, the groups satisfying these conditions are a special kind of cyclic extensions of Dedekind groups. We also study a variation of (i) and (ii), where the requirement of finiteness is replaced with a bound. In this setting, we extend our…
We show that the homological finiteness length of a non-uniform lattice on a locally finite CAT(0) n-dimensional polyhedral complex is less than n. As a corollary, we obtain an upper bound for the homological finiteness length of arithmetic groups over function fields. This gives an easier proof of a result of Bux and Wortman that solved a long-standing conjecture.
We establish three independent results on groups acting on trees. The first implies that a compactly generated locally compact group which acts continuously on a locally finite tree with nilpotent local action and no global fixed point is virtually indicable; that is to say, it has a finite index subgroup which surjects onto $\mathbf{Z}$. The second ensures that irreducible cocompact lattices in a product of non-discrete locally compact groups such that one of the factors acts vertex-transitively on a tree with a nilpotent local action cannot be residually finite. This is derived from a genera…
Let $G$ be a group. We denote by $ν(G)$ a certain extension of the non-abelian tensor square $G \otimes G$ by $G \times G$. We prove that if $G$ is a finitely generated group in which the set of all simple tensors $T_{\otimes}(G)$ is finite, then the non-abelian tensor square $G \otimes G$ and the group $ν(G)$ are finite. Moreover, we show that if $G$ is a locally residually finite group in which the set of simple tensors $T_{\otimes}(H)$ is finite for every proper finitely generated subgroup $H$ of $G$, then the group $ν(G)$ is locally finite.
We give a criterion for bounding the homological finiteness length of certain HF-groups. This is used in two distinct contexts. Firstly, the homological finiteness length of a non-uniform lattice on a locally finite n-dimensional contractible CW-complex is less than n. In dimension two it solves a conjecture of Farb, Hruska and Thomas. As another corollary, we obtain an upper bound for the homological finiteness length of arithmetic groups over function fields. This gives an easier proof of a result of Bux and Wortman that solved a long-standing conjecture. Secondly, the criterion is applied t…
We study the locally compact abelian groups in the class $\mathfrak E_{<\infty}$, that is, having only continuous endomorphisms of finite topological entropy, and in its subclass $\mathfrak E_0$, that is, having all continuous endomorphisms with vanishing topological entropy. We discuss the reduction of the problem to the case of periodic locally compact abelian groups, and then to locally compact abelian $p$-groups. We show that locally compact abelian $p$-groups of finite rank belong to $\mathfrak E_{<\infty}$, and that those of them that belong to $\mathfrak E_0$ are precisely the ones with…
We prove the finiteness of formal analogues of the spherical function (Spherical Finiteness), the ${\mathbf c}$-function (Gindikin-Karpelevich Finiteness), and obtain a formal analogue of Harish-Chandra's limit (Approximation Theorem) relating spherical and ${\mathbf c}$-function in the setting of $p$-adic Kac-Moody groups. The finiteness theorems imply that the formal analogue of the Gindikin-Karpelevich integral is well defined in local Kac-Moody settings. These results extend the Braverman-Garland-Kazhdan-Patnaik's affine Gindikin-Karpelevich finiteness theorems and provide an algebraic ana…
The Lodha-Moore group $G$ first arose as a finitely presented counterexample to von Neumann's conjecture. The group $G$ acts on the unit interval via piecewise projective homemorphisms. A result of Lodha shows that $G$ in fact has type $F_{\infty}$. Here we will describe $G$ as a group that is "locally determined" by an inverse semigroup $S_{2}$, in the sense of the author's joint work with Hughes. The semigroup $S_{2}$ is generated by three linear fractional transformations $A$, $B$, and $C_{2}$, where $A$ and $B$ are elliptical transformations of the hyperbolic plane and $C_{2}$ is a hyperbo…
We first obtain finiteness properties for the collection of closed normal subgroups of a compactly generated locally compact group. Via these properties, every compactly generated locally compact group admits an essentially chief series - i.e. a finite normal series in which each factor is compact, discrete, or a topological chief factor. Additionally, a Jordan-Hölder theorem holds for the `large' factors in an essentially chief series.
We introduce various probablistic finiteness conditions for profinite groups related to positive finite generation (PFG). We investigate completed group rings which are PFG as modules, and use this to answer a question of Kionke and the second author on positively finitely related groups. Using the theory of projective covers, we define and characterise a probabilistic version of the $\mathrm{FP}_n$ property for profinite groups, called $\mathrm{PFP}_n$. Finally, we prove how these conditions are related to previously defined finiteness conditions and each other.
We present a new algorithm to decide finiteness of matrix groups defined over a field of positive characteristic. Together with previous work for groups in zero characteristic, this provides the first complete solution of the finiteness problem for finitely generated matrix groups over an arbitrary field. We also give an algorithm to compute the order of a finite matrix group over a function field of positive characteristic. Our MAGMA implementations of these algorithms are publicly available.
Let $k$ be a perfect field such that for every $n$ there are only finitely many field extensions, up to isomorphism, of $k$ of degree $n$. If $G$ is a reductive algebraic group defined over $k$, whose characteristic is very good for $G$, then we prove that $G(k)$ has only finitely many $z$-classes. For each perfect field $k$ which does not have the above finiteness property we show that there exist groups $G$ over $k$ such that $G(k)$ has infinitely many $z$-classes.
When one studies geometric properties of graphs, local finiteness is a common implicit assumption, and that of transitivity a frequent explicit one. By compactness arguments, local finiteness guarantees several regularity properties. It is generally easy to find counterexamples to such regularity results when the assumption of local finiteness is dropped. The present work focuses on the following problem: determining whether these regularity properties still hold when local finiteness is replaced by an assumption of transitivity. After recalling the locally finite situation, we show that there…
Let X be a proper CAT(0) space. A halfspace system (or cubulation) of X is a set H of open halfspaces closed under closure-complementation and such that every point in X has a neighbourhood intersecting only finitely many walls of H. Given a cubulation H, one uses the Sageev-Roller construction to form a cubing C(H). One setting in which cubulations were studied is that of a Coxeter group (W,R) acting on its Davis-Moussong complex, with elements of H being the halfspaces defined by reflections. For this setting, Niblo and Reeves had shown that C(H) is a finite-dimensional, locally-finite cubin…
Let $Γ$ be an arithmetic subgroup of $SU(d,1)$ with cusps, and let $X_Γ$ be the associated locally symmetric space. We prove that if the first inner cohomology group $H^1_!(X_Γ,\mathbb{C})$ is non-zero then the pre-image of $Γ$ in each connected cover of $SU(d,1)$ is residually finite. We also give an example of a such a group $Γ$ for which $H^1_!(X_Γ,\mathbb{C})$ is non-zero.
A relative one-relator presentation has the form P = < X,H ; R > where X is a set, H is a group, and R is a group word on X and H. We show that if the group word on X obtained from R by deleting all the terms from H has what we call the unique max-min property, then the group defined by P is residually finite if and only if H is residually finite (Theorem 1). We apply this to obtain new results concerning the residual finiteness of (ordinary) one-relator groups (Theorem 4). We also obtain results concerning the conjugacy problem for one-relator groups (Theorem 5), and results concerning the re…
We determine when an arithmetic subgroup of a reductive group defined over a global function field is of type FP_\infty by comparing its large-scale geometry to the large-scale geometry of lattices in real semisimple Lie groups.
We define a family of groups that generalises Thompson's groups $T$ and $G$ and also those of Higman, Stein and Brin. For groups in this family we descrine centralisers of finite subgroups and show, that for a given finite subgroup $Q$, there are finitely many conjugacy classes of finite subgroups isomorphic to $Q$. We use this to show that whenever defined, the T versions of these groups have a slightly weaker property, quasi-$\underline{\operatorname F}_\infty$, to that of a group possessing a finite type model for the classifying space for proper actions ${\underline{E}}G$ if and only if th…
It is known from work by H. Abels and P. Abramenko that for a classical Fq-group G of rank n the arithemetic lattice G(Fq[t]) of Fq[t]-rational points is of type Fn-1 provided that q is large enough. We show that the statement is true without any assumption on q and for any isotropic, absolutely almost simple group G defined over Fq.
We examine the question of which finitely generated groups act properly on a finite product of simplicial trees, considering both arbitrary trees and where all trees are locally finite. In the second case we present evidence in favour of hyperbolic surface groups having such an action. However we also present evidence that many RAAGs do not admit such an action and we give an example of a virtually special group which does not act properly preserving factors on any finite product of locally finite trees, even though it does so on a product of three trees without the local finiteness condition.
We give a quantification of residual finiteness for the fundamental groups of hyperbolic manifolds that admit a totally geodesic immersion to a compact, right-angled Coxeter orbifold of dimension 3 or 4. Specifically, we give explicit upper bounds on residual finiteness that are linear in terms of geodesic length. We then extend the linear upper bounds to hyperbolic manifolds with a finite cover that admits such an immersion. Since the quantifications are given in terms of geodesic length, we define the geodesic residual finiteness growth and show that this growth is equivalent to the usual re…
Hughes has defined a class of groups, which we call FSS (finite similarity structure) groups. Each FSS group acts on a compact ultrametric space by local similarities. The best-known example is Thompson's group V. Guided by previous work on Thompson's group V, we establish a number of new results about FSS groups. Our main result is that a class of FSS groups are of type F-infinity. This generalizes work of Ken Brown from the 1980s. Next, we develop methods for distinguishing between isomorphism types of some of the Nekrashevych-Röver groups V_{d}(H), where H is a finite group, and show that a…
Let G be a Chevalley group scheme and B<=G a Borel subgroup scheme, both defined over Z. Let K be a global function field, S be a finite non-empty set of places over K, and O_S be the corresponding S-arithmetic ring. Then, the S-arithmetic group B(O_S) is of type F_{|S|-1} but not of type FP_{|S|}. Moreover one can derive lower and upper bounds for the geometric invariants Σ^m(B(O_S)). These are sharp if G has rank 1. For higher ranks, the estimates imply that normal subgroups of B(O_S) with abelian quotients, generically, satisfy strong finiteness conditions.
Given a pair of number fields with isomorphic rings of adeles, we construct bijections between objects associated to the pair. For instance we construct an isomorphism of Brauer groups that commutes with restriction. We additionally construct bijections between central simple algebras, maximal orders, various Galois cohomology sets, and commensurability classes of arithmetic lattices in simple, inner algebraic groups. We show that under certain conditions, lattices corresponding to one another under our bijections have the same covolume and pro-congruence completion. We also make effective a f…
Let $(K,\mathcal O, k)$ be a $p$-modular system with $k$ algebraically closed and $\mathcal O$ unramified, and let $Λ$ be an $\mathcal O$-order in a separable $K$-algebra. We call a $Λ$-lattice $L$ rigid if ${\rm Ext}^1_Λ(L,L)=0$, in analogy with the definition of rigid modules over a finite-dimensional algebra. By partitioning the $Λ$-lattices of a given dimension into "varieties of lattices", we show that there are only finitely many rigid $Λ$-lattices $L$ of any given dimension. As a consequence we show that if the first Hochschild cohomology of $Λ$ vanishes, then the Picard group and the o…
We initiate the study of higher dimensional topological finiteness properties of monoids. This is done by developing the theory of monoids acting on CW complexes. For this we establish the foundations of $M$-equivariant homotopy theory where $M$ is a discrete monoid. For projective $M$-CW complexes we prove several fundamental results such as the homotopy extension and lifting property, which we use to prove the $M$-equivariant Whitehead theorems. We define a left equivariant classifying space as a contractible projective $M$-CW complex. We prove that such a space is unique up to $M$-homotopy …
