Groups of units of integral group rings commensurable with direct products of free-by-free groups. (Q884437)

The authors classify the finite groups \(G\) such that the group of units of the integral group ring \(\mathbb{Z} G\) has a subgroup of finite index which is a direct product of free-by-free groups. Recall that a group \(H\) is said to be free-by-free if \(H\) contains a normal subgroup \(N\) so that both \(N\) and \(H/N\) are free groups. Denote by \(R^*\) the group of invertible elements of \(R\), where \(R\) is a ring, and by \(Z(R)\) its centre. In case \(R\) is an order in a simple finite-dimensional rational algebra \(A\) we denote by \(R^1\) the group consisting of the elements of reduced norm \(1\) in \(R\). A finite group \(G\) is said to be of Kleinian type if every non-commutative simple quotient \(A\) of the rational group algebra \(\mathbb{Q} G\) has an embedding \(\psi\colon A\to M_2(\mathbb{C})\) such that \(\psi(R^1)\) is a discrete subgroup of \(\text{SL}_2(\mathbb{C})\) for some (every) order \(R\) in \(A\). The main result is the following Theorem 1. For a finite group \(G\) the following statements are equivalent. (A) \(\mathbb{Z} G^*\) is commensurable with a direct product of free-by-free groups. (B) For every simple quotient \(A\) of \(\mathbb{Q} G\) and some (every) order \(R\) in \(A\), \(R^1\) is commensurable with a free-by-free group. (C) For every simple quotient \(A\) of \(\mathbb{Q} G\) and some (every) order \(R\) in \(A\), \(R^1\) has virtual cohomological dimension at most \(2\). (D) \(G\) is of Kleinian type. (E) Every simple quotient of \(\mathbb{Q} G\) is either a field, a totally definite quaternion algebra or \(M_2(K)\), where \(K\) is either \(\mathbb{Q}\), \(\mathbb{Q}(i)\), \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-2})\) or \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-3})\). (F) \(G\) is either Abelian or an epimorphic image of \(A\times H\), where \(A\) is Abelian and one of the following conditions holds: 1. \(A\) has exponent \(6\) and \(H\) is one of the following groups: \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal W=(\langle t\rangle_2\times\langle x^2\rangle_2\times\langle y^2\rangle_2):(\langle\overline x\rangle_2\times\langle\overline y\rangle_2)\), with \(t=(y,x)\) and \(Z(\mathcal W)=\langle x^2,y^2,t\rangle\). \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal W_{1n}=(\prod_{i=1}^n\langle t_i\rangle_2\times\prod_{i=1}^n\langle y_i\rangle_2)\rtimes\langle x\rangle_4\), with \(t_i=(y_i,x)\) and \(Z(\mathcal W_{1n})=\langle t_1,\dots,t_n,x^2\rangle\). \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal W_{2n}=(\prod_{i=1}^n\langle y_i\rangle_4)\rtimes\langle x\rangle_4\), with \(t_i=(y_i,x)=y_i^2\) and \(Z(\mathcal W_{2n})=\langle t_1,\dots,t_n,x^2\rangle\). 2. \(A\) has exponent \(4\) and \(H\) is one of the following groups: \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal V=(\langle t\rangle_2\times\langle x^2\rangle_4\times\langle y^2\rangle_4):(\langle\overline x\rangle_2\times\langle\overline y\rangle_2)\), with \(t=(y,x)\) and \(Z(\mathcal W)=\langle x^2,y^2,t\rangle\). \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal V_{1n}=(\prod_{i=1}^n\langle t_i\rangle_2\times\prod_{i=1}^n\langle y_i\rangle_4 )\rtimes\langle x\rangle_8\), with \(t_i=(y_i,x)\) and \(Z(\mathcal V_{1n})=\langle t_1,\dots,t_n,y_1^2,\dots,y_n^2,x^2\rangle\). \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal V_{2n}=(\prod_{i=1}^n\langle y_i\rangle_8 )\rtimes\langle x\rangle_8\), with \(t_i=(y_i,x)=y_i^4\) and \(Z(\mathcal V_{2n})=\langle t_i,x^2\rangle\). \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal U_1=(\prod_{1\leq i<j\leq 3}\langle t_{ij}\rangle_2\times\prod_{k=1}^3\langle y_k^2\rangle_2):(\prod_{k=1}^3 \langle\overline{y_k}\rangle_2)\), with \(t_{ij}=(y_j,y_i)\) and \(Z(\mathcal U_1)=\langle t_{12},t_{13},t_{23},y_1^2,y_2^2,y_3^2\rangle\). \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal U_2=(\langle t_{23}\rangle_2\times\langle y_1^2\rangle_2\times\langle y_2^2\rangle_4\times\langle y_3^2\rangle_4):(\prod_{k=1}^3\langle\overline{y_k}\rangle_2)\), with \(t_{ij}=(y_j,y_i)\), \(y_2^4=t^{12}\), \(y_3^4=t_{13}\) and \(Z(\mathcal U_2)=\langle t_{12},t_{13},t_{23},y_1^2,y_2^2,y_3^2\rangle\). 3. \(A\) has exponent \(2\) and \(H\) is one of the following groups: \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal T=(\langle t\rangle_4\times\langle y\rangle_8):\langle\overline x\rangle_2\), with \(t=(y,x)\) and \(x^2=t^2=(x,t)\). \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal T_{1n}=(\prod_{i=1}^n\langle t_i\rangle_4\times\prod_{i=1}^n\langle y_i\rangle_4)\rtimes\langle x\rangle_8\), with \(t_i=(y_i,x)\), \((t_i,x)=t_i^2\) and \(Z(\mathcal T_{1n})=\langle t_1^2,\dots,t_n^2,x^2\rangle\). \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal T_{2n}=(\prod_{i=1}^n\langle y_i\rangle_8)\rtimes\langle x\rangle_4\), with \(t_i=(y_i,x)=y_i^{-2}\) and \(Z(\mathcal T_{2n})=\langle t_1^2,\dots,t_n^2,x^2\rangle\). \(\bullet\) \(\mathcal T_{3n}=(\langle y_1^2t_1\rangle_2\times\langle y_1\rangle_8\times\prod_{i=2}^n\langle y_i\rangle_4):\langle \overline x\rangle_2\), with \(t_i=(y_1,x)\), \((t_i,x)=t_i^2\), \(x^2=t_1^2\), \(Z(\mathcal T_{3n})=\langle t_1^2,y_2^2,\dots,y_n^2,x^2\rangle\) and, if \(i\geq 2\) then \(t_i=y_i^2\). 4. \(H=M\rtimes P=(M\times Q):\langle\overline u\rangle_2\), where \(M\) is an elementary Abelian \(3\)-group, \(P=Q:\langle\overline u\rangle_2\), \(m^u=m^{-1}\) for every \(m\in M\), and one of the following conditions holds: \(\bullet\) \(A\) has exponent \(4\) and \(P=C_8\). \(\bullet\) \(A\) has exponent \(6\), \(P=\mathcal W_{1n}\) and \(Q=\langle y_1,\dots,y_n,t_1,\dots,t_n,x^2\rangle\). \(\bullet\) \(A\) has exponent \(2\), \(P=\mathcal W_{21}\) and \(Q=\langle y_1^2,x\rangle\). The proof of the theorem follows the steps below. 1. Equivalence of (A) and (B). 2. (B) implies (C), (C) implies (D), and (E) implies (B). 3. (F) implies (E). 4. (D) implies (F), for nilpotent groups. 5. (D) implies (F), for non-nilpotent groups. The entire paper under review is focused on the proof of Theorem 1, and in the process significant problems have been overcome.