Boundaries of right-angled Coxeter groups with manifold nerves (Q1863515)

The author studies boundaries of right-angled Coxeter groups with manifold nerves. Let \((\Gamma,V)\) be a right-angled Coxeter system and let \(N=N(\Gamma,V)\) be the abstract simplicial complex \(\{S \subset V : \langle S \rangle \text{ is finite and } S\neq \emptyset\}\) which is called the \textit{nerve} of \((\Gamma,V)\), where \(\langle S \rangle\) is the subgroup of \(\Gamma\) generated by \(S\). The \textit{Davis-Vinberg complex} \(\mathcal{A}=\mathcal{A}(\Gamma,V)\) is defined as follows (see [\textit{M. W. Davis}, Ann. Math. 117, 293-324 (1983; Zbl 0531.57041)]: its fundamental chamber is the cone \(Q=x_0*|N'|\) with panels \(\{Q_v=|star(v,N')|:v\in V\}\), where \(N'\) denotes the barycentric subdivision on \(N\). We define \(\mathcal{A}=\Gamma\times Q/\sim\) where \((g,x)\sim (h,y)\) if and only if \(x=y\) and \(g^{-1}h\in \langle v:x\in Q_v \rangle\). Then it is known that \(\mathcal{A}\) has a cubical complex structure and \(\mathcal{A}\) becomes a CAT(0) geodesic space. The \textit{boundary} of the right-angled Coxeter group \(\Gamma\) is defined as the visual boundary of \(\mathcal{A}\), and denoted by \({ bdy} \Gamma\). The author first proves that if the nerve \(N\) is connected closed orientable PL \(n\)-manifold, then the boundary \({ bdy} \Gamma\) is \(p\)-homogeneous for every positive integer \(p\) (\(p\leq 3\) if \(n=1\)). Moreover the author shows that (a)~if \(N\) is not simply connected then \({ bdy} \Gamma\) is not locally simply connected; (b)~if \(N\) is a homology sphere then \({ bdy} \Gamma\) is a cohomology \(n\)-manifold; (c)~if \(N\) is a sphere then so is \({ bdy} \Gamma\). Let \(N\) be a flag complex which is a PL \(n\)-manifold with the integral homology of an \(n\)-sphere (then \(N\) is called a \textit{homology sphere}). For \(n\neq 2\), \(N\) is the boundary of a unique compact contractible \((n+1)\)-manifold \(P\) (see [\textit{M. A. Kervaire}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 144, 67-72 (1969; Zbl 0187.20401)] for \(n\geq 4\), [\textit{M. H. Freedman}, J. Differ. Geom. 17, 357-453 (1982; Zbl 0528.57011)] for \(n=3\) and [\textit{F. D. Ancel} and \textit{C. R. Guilbault}, Pac. J. Math. 168, 1-10 (1995; Zbl 0820.47014)] for an alternative proof if \(n\geq 5\)). Let \((\Gamma,V)\) be the right-angled Coxeter system with nerve \(N\). Divide \(\partial P=|N|\) into panels \(\{P_v=|star(v,N')|:v\in V\}\). As in the definition of the Davis-Vinberg complex \(\mathcal{A}(\Gamma,V)\), we call \(P\) a chamber, and define \(\mathcal{M}=\mathcal{M}(\Gamma,V)\) analogously (with \(Q\) replaced by \(P\)). It is shown in [\textit{M. W. Davis}, loc. cit.] that \(\mathcal{M}\) is an open contractible manifold on which \(\Gamma\) acts properly discontinuously. In fact, if \(n\geq 4\) then \(\mathcal{M}\) is the unique open contractible manifold on which \(\Gamma\) acts properly discontinuously with compact quotient. Also it is shown in [\textit{M. W. Davis}, loc. cit.] that if \(N\) is not simply connected (and there are such examples in all dimensions \(3\) and higher), then \(\mathcal{M}\) is not homeomorphic to Euclidean space. In fact, such Davis manifolds \(\mathcal M\), by construction, cannot be the interior of any compact manifold with boundary. Here the author shows that there is a compactification of \(\mathcal{M}\) which enjoys many of the fundamental properties of manifolds and their boundaries, that is, if \(n\geq 4\) then there is a compactification \(\overline{\mathcal{M}}=\mathcal{M}\cup Z\) of \(\mathcal{M}\) by \(Z={ bdy}\Gamma\) such that (a)~\(\overline{\mathcal{M}}\) is an AR and \(Z\) is a Z-set in \(\overline{\mathcal{M}}\); (b)~\(Z\) is a cohomology \(n\)-manifold and cohomology \(n\)-sphere; (c)~\(Z\) is \(p\)-homogeneous for every positive integer \(p\); (d)~\(\overline{\mathcal{M}}\cup_{Z}\overline{\mathcal{M}}\) is homeomorphic to the \((n+1)\)-sphere; (e)~the action of \(\Gamma\) on \(\mathcal{M}\) extends continuously to \(\overline{\mathcal{M}}\cup_{Z}\overline{\mathcal{M}}\). Finally the author analyses the action of \(\Gamma\) on the \((n+1)\)-sphere \(\overline{\mathcal{M}}\cup_{Z}\overline{\mathcal{M}}\) and shows that the fixed point set of each extended original reflection is a tame codimension-one sphere.