Finiteness obstructions for homologically nilpotent spaces (Q1090984)

For a finitely dominated space X with fundamental group \(\pi\), Wall defined an obstruction w(X)\(\in \tilde K_ 0({\mathbb{Z}}\pi)\) \((= the\) reduced projective class group) whose vanishing guarantees that X is homotopy equivalent to a finite complex. One way to identify cases where \(w(X)=0\) is to prove general results which further restrict w(X) within \(\tilde K_ 0({\mathbb{Z}}\pi)\). With this in mind, let M denote any maximal order in \({\mathbb{Q}}\pi\) which contains \({\mathbb{Z}}\pi\) (e.g., M \(=\) the integral closure of \({\mathbb{Z}}\pi\) in \({\mathbb{Q}}\pi)\) and define \[ D({\mathbb{Z}}\pi)=Ker(\tilde K_ 0({\mathbb{Z}}\pi)\to \tilde K_ 0(M))\quad. \] A survey of structure results concerning D(\({\mathbb{Z}}\pi)\) is given by the author [Lect. Notes Math. 1142, 211-232 (1985; Zbl 0569.16019)]. In particular, if \(\pi\) is a p-group, then so is D(\({\mathbb{Z}}\pi)\). Moreover, if \(| \pi | =p\), then \(D({\mathbb{Z}}\pi)=0.\) \textit{G. Mislin} and \textit{K. Varadarajan} [Invent. Math. 53, 185-191 (1979; Zbl 0399.55016)] showed that w(X)\(\in D({\mathbb{Z}}\pi)\) if X is a nilpotent space with finite fundamental group \(\pi\). Recall that one formulation of nilpotency for spaces asserts that X is nilpotent if its fundamental group \(\pi\) is nilpotent and the action of \(\pi\) via covering transformations on the homology of the universal cover \(\tilde X\) is a nilpotent action [see, for example, \textit{G. Mislin}, Topology 14, 311-317 (1975; Zbl 0315.55013)]. A space X is said to be homologically nilpotent if the action of \(\pi\) on \(H_ i(\tilde X)\) is nilpotent (but it is not required that \(\pi\) itself be nilpotent). The present paper extends the result of Mislin and Varadarajan to the homologically nilpotent situation. More specifically, it is shown that, if X is a finitely dominated homologically nilpotent space with finite fundamental group \(\pi\), then w(X)\(\in D({\mathbb{Z}}\pi)\).