Vanishing and non-vanishing for the first \(L^p\)-cohomology of groups. (Q2483785)

Summary: We prove two results on the first \(L^p\)-cohomology \(\overline H^1_{(p)}(\Gamma)\) of a finitely generated group \(\Gamma\): 1) If \(N\subset H\subset\Gamma\) is a chain of subgroups, with \(N\) non-amenable and normal in \(\Gamma\), then \(\overline H^1_{(p)}(\Gamma)=0\) as soon as \(\overline H^1_{(p)}(H)=0\). This allows for a short proof of a result of \textit{W. Lück} [Math. Ann. 309, No. 2, 247-285 (1997; Zbl 0886.57028)]: if \(N\triangleleft\Gamma\), \(N\) is infinite, finitely generated as a group, and \(\Gamma/N\) contains an element of infinite order, then \(\overline H^1_{(2)}(\Gamma)=0\). 2) If \(\Gamma\) acts isometrically, properly discontinuously on a proper \(\text{CAT}(-1)\) space \(X\), with at least 3 limit points in \(\partial X\), then for \(p\) larger than the critical exponent \(e(\Gamma)\) of \(\Gamma\) in \(X\), one has \(\overline H^1_{(p)}(\Gamma)\neq 0\). As a consequence we extend a result of \textit{Y. Shalom} [Ann. Math. (2) 152, No. 1, 113-182 (2000; Zbl 0970.22011)]: let \(G\) be a cocompact lattice in a rank 1 simple Lie group; if \(G\) is isomorphic to \(\Gamma\), then \(e(G)\leq e(\Gamma)\).