Some closure results for \(\mathcal{C}\)-approximable groups (Q521741)

The authors investigate closure results for \({\mathcal C}\)-approximable groups. An \textit{invariant length function} on a group \(K\) is a map \(l: K \rightarrow [0, 1]\) such that, for all \(x, y \in K\), \(l(x) = 0 \leftrightarrow x = 1\), \(\,l(x^{-1}) = l(x)\), \(\,l(xy) \leq l(x) + l(y)\), \(\,l(xyx^{-1}) = l(y).\) For a group \(G\), a map \(\delta : G \rightarrow \mathbb{R}\) is a \textit{weight function} for \(G\) if \(\delta (1) = 0\) and \(\delta (g) > 0\) for all \(1\not= g \in G.\) Let \(G\) be a group with weight function \(\delta\). Let \(K\) be a group with invariant length function \(l\), \(\varepsilon > 0\), and \(F\) be a finite subset of \(G\). Then, the map \(\theta : G \rightarrow K\) is an \((F, \varepsilon , \delta , l)\)-quasihomomorphism if \[ \theta (1)=1, \quad \forall g, h \in F\, l(\theta (gh)\theta (h)^{-1}\theta (g)^{-1}) \leq \varepsilon , \] and \[ \forall g \in F\setminus \{1\}\, l(\theta (g) ) \geq \delta (g). \] Let \(\mathcal{C}\) be a class of groups with associated invariant length functions. Then, a group \(G\) is called \(\mathcal{C}\)-approximable if it has a weight function \(\delta \) such that for each \(\varepsilon > 0\) and for each finite subset \(F\) of \(G\) there exists an \((F, \varepsilon , \delta , l)\)-quasihomomorphism \(\theta : G \rightarrow K\) for some \(K \in {\mathcal{C}}.\) In particular, sofic groups are precisely those groups that are \({\mathcal{C}}\)-approximable with respect to the class \({\mathcal{C}}\) of finite symmetric groups with length function defined by the Hamming norms, and with weight function of the form \(\delta (g) = c\) for every \(1 \not= g \in G\) and for some fixed constant \(c>0.\) The hyperlinear, weakly sofic, linear sofic and LEF groups can be defined as \({\mathcal{C}}\)-approximable groups for some classes \({\mathcal{C}}\) of finite groups equipped with specific invariant length functions. Some known closure results involving various of these classes of groups were obtained by Arzhantseva, Ciobanu, Elek, Gal, Pǎunescu, Stolz, Szabo et al. In particular, the authors prove, each time for certain (but not necessarily the same) classes \({\mathcal{C}}\) that: (i) the direct product of two \({\mathcal{C}}\)-approximable groups is \({\mathcal{C}}\)-approximable (valid for LEF, weakly sofic and hyperlinear groups); (ii) the restricted standard wreath product \(G \wr H\) is \({\mathcal{C}}\)-approximable when \(G\) is and \(H\) is residually finite (valid for weakly sofic and sofic groups), and (iii) a group \(G\) with normal subgroup \(N\) is \({\mathcal{C}}\)-approximable when \(N\) is and \(G/N\) is amenable (valid for weakly sofic groups).