Straightening and bounded cohomology of hyperbolic groups (Q5955172)

\textit{M. Gromov} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Etud. Sci. 56, 5-99 (1982; Zbl 0516.53046)] proved that, for a closed manifold \(M\) of negative curvature, the inclusion induced homomorphism from bounded cohomology to ordinary cohomology, \(H_b^n(M,\mathbb{R})\to H^n(M,\mathbb{R})\), is surjective whenever \(n\geq 2\). In [Essays in group theory, Publ., Math. Sci. Res. Inst. 8, 75-263 (1987; Zbl 0634.20015)] he claimed that a modification of his argument showed that \(H_b^n(G,\mathbb{R})\to H^n(G,\mathbb{R})\) is surjective whenever \(G\) is a hyperbolic group and \(n\geq 2\). The claim was used by \textit{A. Connes} and \textit{H. Moscovici} [Topology 29, No. 3, 345-388 (1990; Zbl 0759.58047)] in their proof of the Novikov conjecture for hyperbolic groups. The paper under review contains a complete proof of a far-reaching generalization of Gromov's claim; namely, if \(G\) is hyperbolic and \(V\) is a bounded \(\mathbb{Q} G\)-module, then \(H_b^n(G,V)\to H^n(G,V)\) is surjective for all \(n\geq 2\). This result is also an improvement of a related result of \textit{W. D. Neumann} and \textit{L. Reeves} [Ann. Math. (2) 145, No. 1, 183-192 (1997; Zbl 0871.20032)]. The technique of proof is an explicit geometric construction of rational bicombings with special properties allowing the straightening of singular \(n\)-simplices.