Pro-finite presentations (Q5945130)

With this paper the author starts to present a systematic presentation theory for profinite groups. He begins by considering three questions due to \textit{K. W. Gruenberg} [Relation modules of finite groups, CBMS Reg. Conf. Ser. Math. 25, AMS, Providence, RI (1976; Zbl 0327.20019)]. In the profinite group setting the first question is as follows. Given two presentations of a finitely-generated profinite group \(G\), denoted by \(1\mapsto R_i\mapsto F\mapsto G\mapsto 1\) for \(i=1,2\) where \(F\) is a finitely-generated free profinite group, is \(d_F(R_1)=d_F(R_2)\)? (\(d_F(R)\) denotes the minimal number of generators of \(R\) as a normal subgroup of \(F\).) The answer is positive. The second question considers \(r(G)\), the minimum number of relations needed to define \(G\). Is \(r(G)\) realised by a minimal presentation (i.e. one in which \(d(F)=d(G)\))? Again the answer is positive. To prove these results the author makes use of a lemma of Gaschütz. The author proves that there is only one way up to an automorphism of \(F\), to present \(G\) as a quotient of \(F\). The answer to the first question follows immediately, the second needs an additional argument. The third question of Gruenberg asks whether \(d_F(R)-d(F)\) is independent of the presentation \(G=F/R\) and is therefore an invariant of \(G\)? The author proves that this is true for \(G=\widehat F_d/R\) unless \(R=R'\). He then proves that the condition \(R=R'\) is equivalent to \(G\) being a \(d\)-Abelian-indexed group, where a profinite group \(G\) is called \(d\)-Abelian-indexed if \(d(G)=d\) and for any open subgroup \(H\) of \(G\), \(H/H'\cong\widehat\mathbb{Z}^r\) where \(r=1+(d-1)[G:H]\). An example of a \(d\)-Abelian-indexed group is the free pro-solvable group \(\widehat F_d(S)\). Furthermore, a \(d\)-Abelian-indexed group \(G\) can be mapped onto \(\widehat F_d(S)\), therefore the collection of such groups is quite limited. The author goes on to give a cohomological characterisation of finitely-presented profinite groups. The result extends the well-known result that a pro-\(p\) group is finitely-presented if and only if \(\dim H^2(G,\mathbb{F}_p)\) is finite.