The Novikov conjecture and the Thompson group (Q5917914)

In this work, the strong Novikov conjecture is reproved for Thompson's groups \(T\) and \(F\). In the formulation of the paper this means that the assembly map from the rational cohomology of these groups to the \(K\)-theory of their reduced \(C^*\)-algebra is injective. This is based on the fact that the cohomology of these groups is known and is generated by two classes \(\mathrm{eu}\)(Euler cocycle) and \(\mathrm{gv}\) (Godbillon-Vey cocycle) of degree \(2\). Indeed, the much stronger result that Thompson's groups satisfy the Baum-Connes conjecture has been proved by \textit{D. S. Farley} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2003, No. 45, 2409--2414 (2003; Zbl 1113.22005)]. Moreover, that the assembly map is injective if the cohomology is generated as a ring by \(H^1(\Gamma;\text{rationals})\) and \(H^2(\Gamma;\text{rationals})\) has been established for a general group \(\Gamma\) (but with target \(K_*(C^*_{\max}\Gamma)\) in [\textit{B. Hanke} and \textit{T. Schick}, Geom. Dedicata 135, 119--127 (2008; Zbl 1149.19006)]). The key of the proof of Oikonomides and Sergiescu consists of showing that the Godbillon-Vey cocycle \(\tau_{gv}\), constructed for a certain group \(\mathrm{Lip}_+^\beta(S^1)\) of orientation preserving Lipschitz homeomorphisms of the circle, extends to a holomorphically closed dense subalgebra of the group \(C^*\)-algebra. This involves a detailed analysis using the explicit form of this cocycle. The authors also check the (much easier) corresponding result for the Euler cocycle (and the group of all orientation preserving homeomorphisms of the circle). As a consequence, the Baum-Connes map is injective for the degree \(2\)-component of the cohomology of each subgroup \(\Gamma\) of \(\mathrm{Lip}_+^\beta(S^1)\), provided \(H^2(\Gamma,\text{rationals})\) is generated by (the restrictions) of \(eu\) and \(gv\). This applies in particular to Thompson's groups. Finally, the authors give somewhat ad hoc arguments and estimates which extend for Thompson's groups to the whole subring of cohomology generated by \(eu\) and \(gv\) which is known to be everything.