Brauer induction for \(G_ 0\) of certain infinite groups (Q584357)

Let R be a (not necessarily commutative) Noetherian ring, and let \(\Gamma\) be a polycyclic-by-finite group. The main result of this paper gives a description of the Grothendieck group, \(G_ 0(R\Gamma)\), of the group ring \(R\Gamma\), in terms of the groups \(G_ 0(RH)\), where H ranges through the set \({\mathcal F}\) of finite subgroups of \(\Gamma\). (Here, \(G_ 0(S)\) is the abelian group generated by the isomorphism classes of finitely generated modules over the Noetherian ring S, with relations given by short exact sequences of such modules.) To be specific, it is shown that the map \(\oplus_{H\in {\mathcal F}}G_ 0(RH)\to G_ 0(R\Gamma)\) afforded by induction is surjective. The proof uses crossed product techniques, and in fact works for any crossed product R*\(\Gamma\). The special case where \(\Gamma\) is torsion free and R is a suitable field was already known [\textit{F. T. Farrell} and \textit{W. C. Hsiang}, J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 24, 308-324 (1981; Zbl 0514.57002)]; with these hypotheses it yields the fact that \(K_ 0(R\Gamma)={\mathbb{Z}}\). Moreover, for group rings \({\mathbb{Q}}\Gamma\), Moody's result had been obtained by completely different methods in [\textit{F. Quinn}, Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 12, 221-226 (1985; Zbl 0574.18006)]. Consequences of this beautiful and important result of Moody include the confirmation of the Goldie rank conjecture, (as explained in the paper under review), and the solution of the zero divisor conjecture for soluble groups, as shown in [\textit{P. Kropholler}, \textit{P. Linnell} and \textit{J. Moody}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 104, 675-684 (1988; Zbl 0691.16013)]. Such is the interest in Moody's theorem that three other expositions of it have appeared; these are [\textit{G. Cliff} and \textit{A. Weiss}, Ill. J. Math. 32, 489-500 (1988; Zbl 0648.16009)], [\textit{D. R. Farkas} and \textit{P. Linnell}, Contemp. Math. 93, 155-166 (1989; see the preceding review Zbl 0693.16011)], and (based primarily on the above two accounts), [\textit{D. S. Passman}, Infinite crossed products (1989; Zbl 0662.16001)].