A formula for the Whitehead group of a three-dimensional crystallographic group (Q2570060)

The authors give a simple formula for the Whitehead group of a three-dimensional crystallographic group \(\Gamma\) in terms of the virtually infinite cyclic subgroups of \(\Gamma\). Namely, \[ \mathit{Wh}(\Gamma)=\bigoplus_{G\in VC_\infty(\Gamma)}\text\textit{Wh}(G), \] where the direct sum is over the set of conjugacy classes of infinite maximal virtually cyclic subgroups. This leads to an example of a \(3\)-crystallographic group whose Whitehead group is not finitely generated. Their method is based on a very geometrical model for the assembly map in the Farrell-Jones isomorphism conjecture/theorem for \(n\)-crystallographic groups. The ingredients in the geometrical model are the actions of \(\Gamma\) on \(n\)-space, on directions of translations in \(\Gamma\), etc. The virtually infinite cyclic subgroups of a three-dimensional crystallographic group \(\Gamma\) are computed up to isomorphism. Then one has to combine knowledge of various \(K\)-groups with a detailed investigation of the geometrical model to get the terms in the relevant spectral sequence. Unfortunately the authors believe that what we know as `finite index' is called `finite order'.