Introduction to \(\ell_2\)-methods in topology: Reduced \(\ell_2\)-homology, harmonic chains, \(\ell_2\)-Betti numbers (Q1567343)

The paper contains the notes by Guido Mislin, based on a course of Beno Eckmann at the ETH Zürich. Its purpose is to consider the Hilbert space methods in algebraic topology which were initiated by Atiyah in 1976. First, the basic concepts about CW-complexes and Hilbert spaces are given: group of harmonic chains (isomorphic to both homology and cohomology groups), reduced (co)homology, Hilbert \(G\)-module, von Neumann dimension, \(\ell_2\)-Betti numbers for finite CW-complexes. The \(\ell_2\)-methods give the same decomposition, as in the case of harmonic chains, of the Hilbert space of \(\ell_2\)-chains with the only difference that one has to replace the \(i\)-(co)boundary spaces by their closures. The ``Atiyah conjecture'' is formulated and one presents a new approach of this subject; the Cheeger-Gromov lemma on amenable groups is stated too. Using this lemma and the above machinery, the author gives some applications concerning (partial) Euler characteristic, finitely presented groups and 4-manifolds.