Soluble groups with no \(\mathbb{Z}\wr \mathbb{Z}\) sections (Q2211508)

The \textit{torsion-free rank} of a group \(G\) is the sum \(\sum_{i \ge 0} \dim_{\mathbb{Q}}\left ((G^{(i)} / G^{(i + 1)}) \otimes_{\mathbb{Z}} \mathbb{Q}\right)\) where \(G^{(i)}\) denotes the \(i\)-th term of the derived series of \(G\). A \textit{section} of \(G\) is the quotient of a subgroup of \(G\). This paper examines the structure of finitely generated soluble groups of infinite torsion-free rank that have no sections isomorphic to \(\mathbb{Z} \wr \mathbb{Z}\). Explicit constructions are provided in the final section, extending the ideas of [\textit{P. H. Kropholler}, Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 98, 437--445 (1985; Zbl 0577.20022)] which produced the first known examples of such groups. Let \(G\) be a finitely generated soluble group of infinite torsion-free rank. It is not always possible to find a quotient \(Q\) of \(G\) which is \text{just of infinite torsion-free rank}, i.e., such that every homomorphic image of \(Q\) but \(Q\) itself is of finite torsion-free rank. Nevertheless, the authors exhibit quotients enjoying key properties: Theorem A. Every finitely generated soluble group of infinite torsion-free rank has a quotient \(G\) with the following properties: \begin{itemize} \item[(i)] the Fitting subgroup \(F\) of \(G\) is torsion-free abelian of infinite rank; \item[(ii)] the factor group \(G/F\) has finite torsion-free rank; \item[(iii)] the largest normal torsion subgroup of \(G\) is trivial; \item[(iv)] if \(K\) is a normal subgroup of \(G\) then either \(K\) is abelian-by-torsion or \(G/K\) has finite torsion-free rank. \end{itemize} Furthermore, if the original group has no \(\mathbb{Z} \wr \mathbb{Z}\) sections then every such \(G\) is residually finite. This last fact relies on the main structure theorem of the paper. The following definition is required to state this theorem. Let \(Q\) be a group acting linearily on a \(\mathbb{Q}\)-vector space \(V\). Define \(\operatorname{toprk}_{Q}(V) = \min \{\dim_{\mathbb{Q}}(V /W) \mid W \text{ is a maximal proper }\mathbb{Z}Q\text{-submodule of } V \} \). Theorem B. Let \(G\) be a finitely generated soluble group of infinite torsion-free rank with no \(\mathbb{Z} \wr \mathbb{Z}\) sections. If \(G\) is moreover the extension of a free abelian normal subgroup by a group of finite torsion-free rank, then \(G\) has subgroups \(A \subset K\) and \((A_j)_{j \in \mathbb{N}}\) such that the following hold: \begin{itemize} \item[(i)] all the subgroups \(A_j\), \(A\) and \(K\) are normal; \item[(ii)] \(A\) is torsion-free abelian of infinite rank; \item[(iii)] each \(A_j \) is a subgroup of \(A\) with finite rank and \(A\) is the restricted direct product of the \(A_j\); \item[(iv)] \(K/A\) is locally finite; \item[(v)] \(G/K\) contains a normal minimax subgroup of finite index; \item[(vi)] each quotient group \(K/C_K(A_j)\) is finite; \item[(vii)] for each subgroup \(H\) of finite index in \(K\) that is normal in \(G\), the subgroup \(C_A(H)\) has finite rank; \item[(viii)] \(\lim_{j \to +\infty} \operatorname{toprk}_{G/A}(A_j \otimes_{\mathbb{Z}} \mathbb{Q}) = +\infty\). \end{itemize} Theorem B has several corollaries. Let us outline two of them. Corollary B1 asserts that a finitely generated soluble group with Krull dimension and no \(\mathbb{Z} \wr \mathbb{Z}\) sections has finite torsion-free rank. This implies Corollary B3 about random walks: a finitely generated soluble linear group with no \(\mathbb{Z} \wr \mathbb{Z}\) sections has large return probability. The exposition is clear and agreeable overall. However, the proofs of Corollary~B2 and Claim~4 (Theorem~B(viii)) would have deserved to be more detailed. Note that Example~2.13(i) should be corrected in the following way: the group \(\mathbb{Z}[X] \rtimes_{\ast} \mathbb{Z}\) has no Krull dimension, which can be shown with Lemma~6.2.16 of [\textit{J.~C. McConnell} and \textit{J.~C. Robson}, Noncommutative Noetherian rings. Chichester etc.: John Wiley \& Sons (1987; Zbl 0644.16008)].