On a family of representations of residually finite groups (Q2199659)

Let \(G\) be a residually finite group, and fix a chain of finite-index normal subgroups \(G\supset G_1\supset G_2\supset \cdots\) satisfying \(\bigcap G_n=\{1\}\). In this paper the author considers a family of \(G\)-invariant subspaces \(H_\gamma\) of the ultraproduct (for some free ultrafilter on \(\mathbb{N}\)) of the quasi-regular representations \(\ell^2(G/G_n)\). The subspaces are defined by imposing restrictions on the rate of growth of the supports of functions on the sequence of finite sets \(G/G_n\). When no such restrictions are imposed, the resulting representation of \(G\) is weakly equivalent to the direct sum \(\bigoplus_n \ell^2(G/G_n)\). At the other extreme, the author proves that for all sufficiently slow rates of growth \(\gamma\), the resulting \(G\)-representation \(H_\gamma\) is weakly equivalent to the regular representation of \(G\). The author also analyses two contrasting cases of intermediate growth rates. On the one hand it is shown that if \(G\) has property \((\tau)\) [\textit{A. Lubotzky}, Discrete groups, expanding graphs and invariant measures. Appendix by Jonathan D. Rogawski. Basel: Birkhäuser (1994; Zbl 0826.22012)], then for all growth rates \(\gamma\) slower than the maximal one the representation \(H_\gamma\) does not weakly contain the trivial representation. On the other hand the author proves that for a certain sequence of finite-index normal subgroups of the free group \(\mathbb{F}_2\) (studied previously in [\textit{G. Arzhantseva} and \textit{E. Guentner}, Math. Ann. 354, No. 3, 863--870 (2012; Zbl 1270.20041)]), and for a certain intermediate growth rate \(\gamma\), the representation \(H_\gamma\) does weakly contain the trivial representation of \(\mathbb{F}_2\). The author states in the introduction that his original motivation was to study the \(C^*\)-algebra norms on \(\mathbb{C}[G]\) induced by the family of representations \(H_\gamma\), in the hope of finding norms intermediate between the reduced \(C^*\)-algebra norm, and the norm induced by the sum of the quasi-regular representations. This hope has not, as yet, been realised; but, as the author notes, even if every norm in the family turned out to be equal to one of those two extreme norms, one would still be left with the interesting question of determining the critical rate of growth separating the two cases.