Discrete homotopies and the fundamental group (Q1929197)

Gromov has shown that if \(M\) is a compact Riemannian manifold of diameter \(D\) then \(\pi_1(M)\) has a set of generators \(g_1,\ldots ,g_k\) represented by loops of length at most \(2D\) and relations of the form \(g_ig_m=g_j\). The authors generalize this result by giving an explicit bound for the number \(k\) of generators in terms of the number of ``short loops'' and the number of balls required to cover a space at a given scale. A consequence of this result is a finiteness theorem for fundamental groups of compact geodesic spaces generalizing results of Anderson and Shen-Wei. The curvature and volume conditions of Anderson and the 1-systole bound of Shen-Wei are replaced by more general hypothesis implied by these conditions. A more general theorem applies to certain deck groups \(\pi_\epsilon (X)\) of covering maps that measure the fundamental group at a given scale refining a finiteness theorem of Sormani-Wei.