Cohomological invariants and the classifying space for proper actions. (Q1932131)

In this nice paper the author shows that a finitely generated infinite group \(G\) which is commensurable to some proper direct power of itself has infinite cohomological dimension over the rationals. Moreover if in addition every finitely generated subgroup of \(G\) is commensurable to some direct power of \(G\) then every subgroup \(K\) of \(G\) with \(\text{cd}_{\mathbb Q}K<\infty\) has \(\text{cd}_{\mathbb Q}K\leq 1\). -- The proof of this theorem uses a theorem of \textit{R. Sauer} [Geom. Funct. Anal. 16, No. 2, 476-515 (2006; Zbl 1173.20032)] which says that if \(G\) and \(H\) are countable groups and \(R\) a commutative ring, then if the cohomological dimension of \(H\) over \(R\) is finite and \(H\) uniformly embeds in \(G\), then \(\text{cd}_RH\leq\text{cd}_RG\). Using a result of \textit{N. Petrosyan} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 210, No. 3, 695-703 (2007; Zbl 1124.20038)], the author obtains as a corollary, that the first Grigorchuk group [\textit{R. I. Grigorchuk}, Funct. Anal. Appl. 14, 41-43 (1980); translation from Funkts. Anal. Prilozh. 14, No. 1, 53-54 (1980; Zbl 0595.20029)] is not in the class of hierarchically decomposable groups \(\mathcal{HF}\), defined by \textit{P. H. Kropholler} [in J. Pure Appl. Algebra 90, No. 1, 55-67 (1993; Zbl 0816.20042)]. He also shows that the \(\mathcal F\)-cohomological dimension, which is related to the Bredon cohomological dimension [cf. \textit{B. E. A. Nucinkis}, Manuscr. Math. 102, No. 3, 335-345 (2000; Zbl 0961.18007)] is subadditive if and only if the \(\mathcal F\)-cohomological dimension is preserved under taking extensions by groups of prime order.