Unbounded domains in hierarchically hyperbolic groups (Q6039655)

Hierarchically hyperbolic spaces and groups were introduced by \textit{J. Behrstock} et al. [Geom. Topol. 21, No. 3, 1731--1804 (2017; Zbl 1439.20043)] with the aim of providing a common framework for studying mapping class groups and cubical groups. The definitions of hierarchically hyperbolic spaces and hierarchically hyperbolic groups are rather technical (see Definition 13.1 in [loc. cit]). In this paper, the authors investigate unbounded domains in hierarchically hyperbolic groups and obtain constraints on the possible hierarchical structures. Using these insights, they characterize characterise the structures of virtually abelian hierarchically hyperbolic groups and show that the class of hierarchically hyperbolic groups is not closed under finite extensions. This provides a strong negative answer to the question of whether being an hierarchically hyperbolic groups is invariant under quasi-isometries. The authors also prove that infinite torsion groups are not hierarchically hyperbolic groups.