The obstruction to group extensions and the realization of finite groups by symmetries of aspherical manifolds (Q1066525)

Let M be a closed aspherical manifold, Out \(\pi\) \({}_ 1M\) the outer automorphism group of \(\pi_ 1M\) and \(G\subset Out \pi_ 1M\) a (finite) subgroup. A necessary condition for realizing G by an isomorphic group of homeomorphisms of M, inducing the given action on \(\pi_ 1M\), is the existence of an extension \(1\to \pi_ 1M\to E\to G\to 1\) to the operation of G on \(\pi_ 1M\) (this condition should also be sufficient for closed aspherical manifolds and finite groups G; this is known in various cases, e.g. surfaces, Haken-3-manifolds, flat manifolds). The obstruction against the existence of an extension \(1\to \pi \to E\to G\to 1\) to an abstract kernel \(G\to Out \pi\) is an element in the third cohomology group \(H^ 3(G,center \pi).\) In the present paper it is proved that every element in \(H^ 3(G,{\mathbb{Z}}^ n)\), G finite, \({\mathbb{Z}}^ n\) given as a G-module, occurs as the obstruction of a subgroup \(G\subset Out \pi_ 1M\) for some closed aspherical manifold M with \(center(\pi_ 1M)\cong {\mathbb{Z}}^ n\) (it is conjectured that the center of the fundamental group of a closed aspherical manifold is isomorphic to \({\mathbb{Z}}^ n\) for some n). Also an example for an infinite group G is discussed, but for infinite groups the corresponding question remains open in general.