Isomorphisms of integral group rings of infinite groups (Q1969122)

The authors study the isomorphism problem for integral groups rings of infinite groups in particular in connection with the normalizer property. Let \(G\) be a group. \(G\) has the normalizer property for a coefficient domain \(R\) if an automorphism of \(G\) is inner in \(RG\) only when it is inner in \(G\) already. The isomorphism problem asks \(\mathbb{Z} G\simeq\mathbb{Z} H\Rightarrow G\simeq H\)? Recently, Martin Hertweck gave an example of two non-isomorphic finite groups \(K\) and \(L\) so that \(\mathbb{Z} K\simeq\mathbb{Z} L\). Earlier, \textit{K. W. Roggenkamp} and the reviewer gave [in J. Pure Appl. Algebra 103, No. 1, 91-99 (1995; Zbl 0835.16020)] an example of a finite group \(K\) which does not have the normalizer property for a finite Galois extension \(R\) of \(\mathbb{Z}\) (actually Hertweck proved that \(R=\mathbb{Z}[\sqrt 2]\) suffices). This allows to construct a counterexample to the isomorphism problem for \(R(K\times C_\infty)\), where \(C_\infty\) is the infinite cyclic group. Motivated by this the authors prove first that if \(G\) is a direct product of a finite group \(N\) with a non-periodic finitely generated Abelian group \(A\) and if the isomorphism problem for \(N\) has a positive answer, then the normalizer condition holds for \(N\) if and only if the normalizer condition holds for \(G\). This implies that the isomorphism problem holds for \(G\) if and only if the isomorphism problem and the normalizer property holds for \(N\). Hertweck's examples \(K\) provide groups \(K\times C_\infty\) where the isomorphism problem does not hold for \(\mathbb{Z}\). On the way the authors give many nice partial results on related questions which are mostly too technical to be stated here.