There is only one gap in the isoperimetric spectrum (Q1596301)

The complexity of the word problem for a finitely generated group can be measured by seeking isoperimetric inequalities, that give upper bounds on the number of relators which one must apply in order to show that a word \(w\) in the given generators represents the trivial element of the group. The bounds are given in terms of the length of \(w\), and the Dehn function of the presentation is the function \(\mathbb{N}\to\mathbb{N}\) describing the optimal bounds. There is an equivalence relation \(\simeq\) between Dehn functions associated to different presentations of a group, which is generated by composing functions with affine distorsions of their range and their domain and adding linear factors. The isoperimetric function of a closed Riemannian manifold \(M\), which is a measure of the optimal bounds for the area of filling disks for loops in the universal cover of \(M\), is \(\simeq\) equivalent to the Dehn function of \(\pi_1(M)\). One fundamental question in this theory is to determine which \(\simeq\) classes of functions arise as Dehn functions of finitely presented groups, and in particular to determine the structure of the countable set of numbers \[ IP=\{\rho\in[1,\infty)\mid f(n)=n^\rho\text{ is }\simeq\text{ a Dehn function}\}, \] which is called the isoperimetric spectrum. If \(\rho\in IP\), then \(\rho\) is called an isoperimetric exponent. A theorem of Gromov states that \(IP\cap(1,2)\) is empty. In this paper, the authors show that \((1,2)\) is the only gap in \(IP\). In fact, the main result is the following: Theorem. For all pairs of positive integers \(p\geq q\) there exists a finitely presented group whose Dehn function \(f(n)\) is \(\simeq n^{2\alpha}\) where \(\alpha=\log_2(2p/q)\). Corollary. The closure of \(IP\) is \(\{1\}\cup[2,\infty)\).