Cost vs. integral foliated simplicial volume (Q2032441)

Let \(M\) be a closed, oriented, connected manifold with fundamental group \(\Gamma=\pi_1M\). Let \(X\) be a standard measure space, that is, a measure space isomorphic to a separable, complete, metric space with its Borel \(\sigma\)-algebra. Let \(\mu\) be a probability measure on \(X\). Let \(\alpha\) be a measurable, \(\mu\)-preserving action of \(\Gamma\) on \(X\). The orbit relation is the equivalence relation which identifies \(x\) to \(\gamma x\) for each \(x\in X,\gamma\in\Gamma\). Consider the set of partial automorphisms of the orbit relation, that is, the set of measurable isomorphisms \(f\colon A\to B\) between measurable subsets \(A,B\subset X\) such that \(x\sim y\Rightarrow f(x)\sim f(y)\) for all \(x,y\in A\). A graphing of the orbit relation is a family \(\Phi=(\phi_i)_{i\in I}\) of partial automorphisms such that the orbit relation is the smallest equivalence relation generated by the relations \(x\sim \phi_i(x)\) for \(x\in X\) and \(i\in I\). The cost of the graphing is defined as \(Cost_\mu\Phi=\sum_{i\in I}\mu(dom(\phi))\), and the cost \(Cost_\mu\alpha\) of the action \(\alpha\) is defined as the infimum of the costs of the graphings of the orbit relation. On the other hand, one can consider the \(\mathbf{Z}\Gamma\)-module \(L^\infty(X,\mathbf{Z})\) and form \(C_*(M,\alpha):=L^\infty(X,\mathbf{Z})\otimes_{\mathbf{Z}\Gamma}C_*(\widetilde{M},\mathbf{Z})\), where \(C_*(\widetilde{M},\mathbf{Z})\) denotes the singular chain complex of the universal covering space \(\widetilde{M}\), on which \(\Gamma=\pi_1M\) acts. A cycle \(c\in C_*(M,\alpha)\) is called an \(\alpha\)-parametrised fundamental cycle if it is homologous to the image of a fundamental cycle under the canonical inclusion \(C_*(M,\mathbf{Z})\to C_*(M,\alpha)\). Its \(l^1\)-norm is then defined as \(\vert c\vert_1=\sum_{j=1}^m \int_X\vert f_j\vert d\mu\) for \(c=\sum_{j=1}^m f_j\otimes\sigma_j\). The \(\alpha\)-parametrised simplicial volume \(\vert M\vert^\alpha\) is defined as the infimum of \(\vert c\vert_1\) over all \(\alpha\)-parametrised fundamental cycles \(c\in C_*(M,\alpha)\). The main result of the paper under review is a proof of the inequality \(Cost_\mu\alpha-1\le \vert M\vert^\alpha\) for any essentially free, ergodic action \(\alpha\). In particular one has \(Cost\Gamma -1\le \vert M\vert\), where both invariants are defined as the infima over all measure-preserving actions of \(\Gamma\) on standard measure spaces. (By ergodic decomposition one can reduce to essentially free, ergodic actions.)