Central extensions and bounded cohomology (Q6093066)

Let \(1\rightarrow Z \xrightarrow{\iota} E \xrightarrow{\pi} G \rightarrow 1\) be a central extension of a group \(G\) over \(Z\). This extension is called quasi-isometrically trivial if there exists a quasi-isometry \(f: E \rightarrow Z \times G\) such that \(\pi=\pi_{2} \circ f\) where \(\pi_{2}: Z \times G \rightarrow G\) is the projection on the second factor. It was shown by \textit{S. M. Gersten} [Int. J. Algebra Comput. 2, No. 3, 307--326 (1992; Zbl 0762.57001)] that a central extension is quasi-isometrically trivial provided that its Euler class is bounded. A finitely generated group \(G\) satisfies Property \(\mathsf{QITB}\) (quasi-isometrically trivial implies bounded) if the Euler class of any quasi-isometrically trivial central extension of \(G\) is bounded. The authors exhibit a finitely generated group \(G\) which does not satisfy Property \(\mathsf{QITB}\). This answers a question by \textit{W. D. Neumann} and \textit{L. Reeves} [Int. J. Algebra Comput. 6, No. 3, 313--324 (1996; Zbl 0928.20028)] and provides partial answers to related questions proposed in [\textit{A. Wienhard}, Pure Appl. Math. Q. 8, No. 2, 479--496 (2012; Zbl 1253.58002); \textit{M. Blank}, Geom. Dedicata 184, 27--66 (2016; Zbl 1361.55009)]. The authors also prove that Property \(\mathsf{QITB}\) holds for a large class of groups, including amenable groups, right-angled Artin groups, relatively hyperbolic groups with amenable peripheral subgroups and 3-manifold groups.