Growth of quotients of groups acting by isometries on Gromov-hyperbolic spaces. (Q371059)

Let \(G\) be a discrete group endowed with a left-invariant metric \(d\). The exponential growth rate of \((G,d)\) is defined as \[ \omega(G,d)=\limsup_{R\to+\infty}{\log\text{card\,}B_G\over R}, \] where \(B_G(R)\) is the ball of radius \(R\) formed by the elements of \(G\) at distance at most \(R\) from the neutral element \(e\). The quotient group \(\overline G=G/N\) of \(G\) by a normal subgroup \(N\) inherits the quotient distance \(\overline d\) given by the least distance between representatives. The distance \(\overline d\) is also left-invariant. Cleary we have \(\omega(\overline G)\leq\omega(G,d)\). The metric group \((G,d)\) is said to be growth-tight if \(\omega(\overline G,\overline d)<\omega(G,d)\) for any quotient \(\overline G\) of \(G\) by an infinite normal subgroup \(N\triangleleft G\). The main result of the paper is the following theorem: Let \(G\) be a nonelementary group acting properly and cocompactly by isometries on a proper geodesic \(\delta\)-hyperbolic metric space \(X\). Then \(G\) is growth-tight for the (pseudo)-metric induced by the distance on \(X\). (Here the left-invariant (pseudo)-metric is defined by the formula: \(\forall\alpha,\beta\in G\), \(d(\alpha,\beta)=[\alpha(O),\beta(O)]\), where \([x,y]\) represents the distance between a pair of elements \(x,y\in X\) and \(O\in X\) is an origin.) The strategy used to prove the above theorem follows and extends the approach initiated by \textit{A. Sambusetti} [see his article in Recent advances in geometry and topology, Cluj-Napoca: Cluj Univ. Press. 341-352 (2004; Zbl 1086.53055)].