Asymptotic cones and quasi-isometry invariants for hyperbolic metric spaces (Q5928020)

The author studies quasi-isometric invariants of metric spaces using the notion of asymptotic cones. This notion was introduced by Gromov, and an asymptotic cone is defined as an appropriate limit of a sequence of metric spaces. \textit{M. Gromov} [in Geometric group theory. Vol. 2: Asymptotic invariants of infinite groups, Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 182, Cambridge University Press (1993; Zbl 0841.20039)] proved that a geodesic metric space is hyperbolic if and only if its asymptotic cones are real trees. In the paper under review, the author uses this result to give a new proof of the fact that if a metric space satisfies a sub-quadratic isoperimetric inequality, then the space is hyperbolic. She proves then that hyperbolicity for a geodesic metric space is equivalent to the fact that the filling radius function is logarithmic.