The rank conjecture for number fields (Q1897740)

The rank conjecture states that two natural filtrations (the \(\gamma\)-filtration and the rank filtration) of the \(K\)-group \(K_n (k)\) for an infinite field are complementary to each other. See \textit{J.-L. Cathelineau} [Homologie du groupe linéaire et polylogarithmes, Sémin. Bourbaki, Vol. 1992/93, Astérisque 216, Exp. 772 (1993)] for a lucid survey. In a previous paper [\textit{J. Yang}, Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér., IV. Sér. 25, No. 3, 287-306 (1992; Zbl 0770.11028)] the second author tried to give a proof of the rank conjecture for number fields. However, the argument was incomplete and did not cover the case \(k = \mathbb{Q} \). In the present paper the authors prove that for a number field \(k\) and any simply connected, almost simple and isotropic \(k\)-group \(G\) the cohomology groups \(H^\bullet (G(k), \mathbb{R})\) are naturally isomorphic to the continuous cohomology groups \(H^\bullet_{ct} (G (k \otimes_\mathbb{Q} \mathbb{R}), \mathbb{R})\). By known results this implies the rank conjecture for number fields. The proof is an easy consequence of the Borel conjecture for \(S\)-arithmetic groups as proven by \textit{D. Blasius}, \textit{J. Franke} and \textit{F. Grunewald} [Invent. Math. 116, No. 1-3, 75-93 (1994; Zbl 0798.11020)].