Relative cyclic homology and the Bass conjecture (Q1199240)

Let \(G\) be a group, \(R\) a commutative ring and \(P\) a finitely generated projective \(RG\)-module. The Hattori-Stallings rank of \(P\), \(r_ p\), is an element of \(RG/[RG,RG]\) (\(RG/[RG,RG]\) is a free \(R\)-module with one generator for each conjugacy class of \(G\)). The Bass conjecture [\textit{H. Bass} in: Homological Group Theory, Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 36, 1-26 (1979; Zbl 0425.20006)], says: Let \(G\) be a group, \(R\) any subring of the complex numbers and \(D= \{d\in\mathbb{Z}: \exists a\in\mathbb{Z}\) with \(a/d \in \mathbb{Q} \cap R\}\). If \(1\neq s\in G\) is such that order\((s) \not\in D\), then for any finitely generated projective \(RG\)-module \(P\) the component of \(r_ p\) on the conjugacy class of \(s\) is zero. Here the author uses relative cyclic homology, as defined by \textit{L. Kadison} [in Ph. D. thesis (Univ. Berkeley, 1989)], to obtain results on this conjecture. A direct sum decomposition of \(HC_*(\kappa G)\), where \(\kappa\) is a field of characteristic zero, with terms indexed by the conjugacy classes of \(G\) has been given by \textit{D. Burghelea} [Comment. Math. Helv. 60, 354-365 (1985; Zbl 0595.16022)] using topological (simplicial) constructions. The author generalizes to the case \(HC_*(\kappa G,\kappa H)\), where \(H\) is a normal subgroup of \(G\), Burghelea's result by using \textit{Z. Marciniak's} [in: Banach Cent. Publ. 18, 305-312 (1986; Zbl 0637.16015)] algebraic proof of it. He then obtains Theorem. If \(s\) has infinite order in \(G/G_ n\) where \(G_ n\) is the \(n\)th term of the lower central series for \(G\), then for any finitely generated projective \(\mathbb{Q} G\)-module \(P\) the component of \(r_ p\) on the conjugacy class of \(s\) is zero. \textit{B. Eckmann} [Comment. Math. Helv. 61, 193-202 (1986; Zbl 0613.20034)] has used cyclic homology of groups to obtain results on the Bass conjecture.