The Farrell-Jones conjecture for some nearly crystallographic groups (Q2351934)

Let \(A\in M(n, \mathbb{Z})\) with determinant \(d\), \(|d| > 1\), and characteristic polynomial \(m(x)\) that is irreducible over \(\mathbb{Q}\). Let \(K = \mathbb{Q}(x)/m(x)\mathbb{Q}(x)\) be a number field with \(\mathcal{O}_K\) the ring of integers. Let \({\Gamma} = \mathcal{O}_K\left[\frac{1}{x}\right]\rtimes_x \mathbb{Z}\) where \(\mathbb{Z}\) acts by multiplication by \(x\). The main result of the paper is that the group \(\Gamma\) satisfies that Farrell--Jones Conjecture with coefficients in an additive category. As a corollary, the authors prove that the same is true for the group \({\mathbb{Q}}^n\rtimes_A\mathbb{Z}\) where \(\mathbb{Z}\) acts on \(\mathbb{Q}^n\) by multiplication by a matrix \(A\) as above. For the proof, that authors show that the group \(\Gamma\) is a Farrell--Jones group with respect to the family of virtually abelian subgroups. The main technical construction of the paper is the construction of a good model for the classifying space \(E(\Gamma)\). The space constructed has the form \(T_d{\times}\mathbb{R}^n\), where \(T_d\) is a \((d + 1)\)-regular tree with \(d = |\mathcal{O}_K/x\mathcal{O}_K|\). The construction of the tree uses the methods that were introduced by Serre. The space \(E(\Gamma)\) is equipped with a metric so that \(\Gamma\) acts by isometries. That is the main difference with an earlier paper by the authors [Math. Ann. 359, No. 3--4, 839--862 (2014; Zbl 1354.19002)]. The new technical difficulty is the construction of the correct metric on \(E(\Gamma)\). Once this is achieved the authors, the authors complete the proof as in their earlier paper. They consider the metric properties of the flow space of \(E(\Gamma)\). The proofs now become more involved because of the metric on \(E(\Gamma)\).