First \(\ell^2\)-Betti numbers and proper proximality (Q6189380)

\textit{R. Boutonnet} et al. [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 54, No. 2, 445--482 (2021; Zbl 07360850)] introduce a wide class of countable groups, called properly proximal, which contains all non-amenable bi-exact groups, all non-elementary convergence groups, and all lattices in non-compact semi-simple Lie groups, but excludes all inner amenable groups. In the paper under review, the authors establish the connection between first \(\ell^{2}\)-Betti numbers and proper proximality, under a mild technical assumption. They prove Theorem 1.1: Let \(\Gamma \) be a countable exact group. If \(\beta_{1}^{(2)}(\Gamma) > 0\), then \(\Gamma\) is properly proximal. The proof of this theorem is obtained by showing a cocycle superrigidity result for Bernoulli shifts of non-properly proximal groups. One concrete class of groups that satisfy the assumption of Theorem 1.1 is the class of one relator groups with at least \(3\) generators, which was not known to be properly proximal before. This paper contains several other important results, the statements of which are too technical to be report here.