Assouad-Nagata dimension of locally finite groups and asymptotic cones (Q602033)

Assouad-Nagata dimension was introduced by \textit{P. Assouad} in [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I Math. 294, 31--34 (1982; Zbl 0481.54015)] influenced by the papers of Nagata. This notion and its asymptotic version has been studied in recent years as a geometric invariant. In the present paper, the following two questions about the Assouad-Nagata dimension are addressed: (1) Is there a metric space of positive asyptotic Assouad-Nagata dimension such that all its asymptotic cones are of Assouad-Nagata dimension zero? (Question 4.5 in [\textit{J. Dydak} and \textit{J. Higes}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 136, No. 6, 2225--2233 (2008; Zbl 1147.54018)]); (2) Suppose that \(G\) is a locally finite group with a proper left invariant metric \(d_G\). If \(\dim_{AN}(G,d_G)>0\), is \(\dim_{AN}(G,d_G)\) infinite? [\textit{N. Brodskiy, J. Dydak} and \textit{U. Lang}, ``Assouad-Nagata dimension of wreath products of groups'', \url{arXiv:math/0611331}]. The author answers positively the first question with examples of metric spaces of positive (even infinite) Assouad-Nagata dimension such that all their asymptotic cones are ultrametric. The second question is answered negatively, showing that for each \(n\) there exists a locally finite group of Assouad-Nagata dimension \(n\). As a consequence this solves for non-finitely generated countable groups the question about the existence of metric spaces of finite asymptotic dimension whose asymptotic Assouad-Nagata dimension is larger but infinite.