A topological equivalence relation for finitely presented groups (Q2301463)

A \textit{proper map} is a map with the property that the inverse image of every compact subset is compact. Thus, two locally finite CW-complexes are said to be \textit{proper homotopy equivalent} if they are homotopy equivalent and all homotopies involved are proper. A proper cellular map \(f : X\to Y\) between finite-dimensional locally finite CW-complexes is a \textit{proper \(n\)-equivalence} if there is another proper cellular map \(g : Y \to X\) such that the restrictions \(g\circ f|_{X_{n-1}}\) and \(f\circ g|_{Y_{ n-1}}\) are proper homotopic to the inclusion maps \(X_{n-1} \subseteq X\) and \(Y_{n-1}\subseteq Y\). Two finitely presented groups \(G\) and \(H\) are \textit{proper 2-equivalent} if there exist (equivalently, for all) finite 2-dimensional CW-complexes \(X\) and \(Y\), with \(\pi_1(X)=G\) and \(\pi_1(Y)=H\), so that their universal covers \(\tilde X\) and \(\tilde Y\) are proper 2-equivalent. It follows that this relation is coarser than the quasi-isometry relation. Finitely presented groups which are 1-ended and semistable at infinity are classified, up to proper 2-equivalence, by their fundamental pro-group. The authors study the behavior of this relation with respect to some of the main constructions in combinatorial group theory. A (finer) similar equivalence relation may also be considered for groups of type \(F_n, n \ge 3\), which captures more of the large-scale topology of the group. Assume a group \(G\) which admits a finite 2-dimensional CW-complex \(X\) with \(\pi_1(X)=G\) such that the universal cover \(\tilde X\) has the proper homotopy type of a 3-manifold. It is shown that if such a \(G\) is 1-ended and semistable at infinity then it is proper 2-equivalent to either \(Z \times Z \times Z, Z \times Z\) or \(F_2\times Z\), where \(F_2\) is the free group on two generators. As it turns out, this applies in particular to any group \(G\) fitting as the middle term of a short exact sequence of infinite finitely presented groups, thus classifying such group extensions up to proper 2-equivalence.