Amenability and profinite completions of finitely generated groups (Q6062662)

A residually finite group \(G\) embeds into its profinite completion \(\widehat{G}\) and it is natural to wonder what properties of \(G\) can be detected from \(\widehat{G}\). In particular, \textit{A. Grothendieck} [Manuscr. Math. 2, 375--396 (1970; Zbl 0239.20065)] posed the following question: Is an embedding \(\iota: H \rightarrow G\) of finitely presented, residually finite groups an isomorphism if it induces an isomorphism \(\widehat{\iota}: \widehat{H} \rightarrow \widehat{G}\) of profinite completions? The answer is negative. Finitely generated counterexamples were constructed by \textit{V. P. Platonov} and \textit{O. I. Tavgen'} [Sov. Math., Dokl. 33, 822--825 (1986; Zbl 0614.20016)] and finitely presented counterexamples was settled later by \textit{M. R. Bridson} and \textit{F. J. Grunewald} [Ann. Math. (2) 160, No. 1, 359--373 (2004; Zbl 1083.20023)]. In the paper under review, the authors construct a finitely generated, residually finite, amenable group \(A\) and an uncountable family of finitely generated, residually finite nonamenable groups, all of which are profinitely isomorphic to \(A\). All of these groups are branch groups. Moreover, picking up Grothendieck's problem, the group \(A\) embeds in these groups such that the inclusion induces an isomorphism of profinite completions. In addition, the authors review the concept of uniform amenability (as defined in [\textit{G. Keller}, Ill. J. Math. 16, 257--269 (1972; Zbl 0231.22006)]) and they prove the interesting result that uniform amenability is indeed detectable from the profinite completion.