Weak amenability of hyperbolic groups (Q931866)

A countable discrete group \(\Gamma\) is said to be weakly amenable with constant \(C\) if there exists a sequence \(\varphi_n\) of finitely supported functions on \(\Gamma\) with \(\sup_n\| \varphi_n\| \leq C\) that converges pointwisely to \(1.\) (There is also an entirely different notion of weak amenability for Banach algebras; a Banach algebra is said to be weakly amenable if every bounded derivation from it into its dual is inner.) \textit{M. Cowling} and \textit{U. Haagerup} in their seminal work [Invent. Math. 96, No. 3, 507--549 (1989; Zbl 0681.43012)] showed that a lattice in a simple Lie group of real rank one is weakly amenable and also computed explicitly its associated constant. In the present impressive paper the author improves this result and also partially extends some other results of \textit{U. Haagerup} [Invent. Math. 50, 279--293 (1979; Zbl 0408.46046)] and \textit{T. Pytlik} and \textit{R. Szwarc} [Acta Math. 157, 287--309 (1986; Zbl 0681.43011)] by showing that hyperbolic groups are weakly amenable.