Stable actions and central extensions (Q2405955)

\textit{H. A. Dye} [Am. J. Math. 81, 119--159 (1959; Zbl 0087.11501)] built the foundations of the theory of measurable orbit equivalence relations for group actions on probability spaces, which established the uniqueness of the ergodic hyperfinite equivalence relation of type \(II_1\), denoted by \(\mathcal{R}_0\). \textit{V. F. R. Jones} and \textit{K. Schmidt} [Am. J. Math. 109, 91--114 (1987; Zbl 0638.28014)] characterized the property of stability (a discrete measured equivalence relation \(\mathcal{R}\) is called stable if \(\mathcal{R}\times\mathcal{R}_0\) is isomorphic to \(\mathcal{R}\)) using asymptotically central sequences in the full group \([\mathcal{R}]\) of the equivalence relation \(\mathcal{R}\). They also considered stable groups -- countable groups which have an ergodic, free, probability-preserving actions whose orbit equivalence relation is stable -- and showed that a stable group is inner amenable. Here it is shown that if \(G\) is a countable group with central subgroup \(C\) and \(G/C\) has a stable action, then \(G\) has a stable action. By combining this with earlier work of the author [Isr. J. Math. 207, Part 2, 925--959 (2015; Zbl 1373.37007)], this is used to give a characterization of a central extension having a stable action.