Residual finiteness growths of virtually special groups. (Q2512967)

The paper contributes to the quantitative study of residual finiteness initiated by Bou-Rabee and McReynolds. The main results are: Theorem 1.1. Let \(\Gamma\) be a simplicial graph and let \(A_\Gamma\) be the corresponding right-angled Artin group (raAg) with standard generating set \(X\). Then the residual finiteness growth of \(A_\Gamma\) with respect to \(X\) is bounded above by \(n+1\). The proof is an extension of \textit{J. R. Stallings}' well known topological proof of the residual finiteness of free groups [Invent. Math. 71, 551-565 (1983; Zbl 0521.20013)] that is achieved using some results of Haglund and Wise. Since bounds on residual finiteness growth are inherited by passing to subgroups and finite index extensions, Theorem~1.1 gives bounds on residual finiteness growth for the groups that virtually embed into raAgs. This important class of groups is now known as the \textit{virtually special groups}. Any finitely generated non-free raAg embeds in \(\mathrm{SL}_k(\mathbb Z)\) for some \(k>2\). The second main result of the paper shows, in particular, that this embedding cannot be used to prove the bound from Theorem~1.1: Theorem 1.2. The residual finiteness growth of \(\mathrm{SL}_k(\mathbb Z)\), \(k>2\), is bounded above by \(Cn^{k-1}\) and below by \(1/Cn^{k-1}\) for some fixed \(C>0\).