-harmonic functions on discrete groups and the first ^-cohomology

Throughout this review \(G\) will always denote a finitely generated discrete group and \(X\) will represent a countable set with counting measure. For some results \(X\) will be the vertex set of the Cayley graph of \(G\), and when this happens \(G\) is written in place of \(X\). Let \(\Phi : \mathbb{R} \rightarrow \mathbb{R}\) be an \(N\)-function. For a real-valued function \(f\) on \(X\) define \[ \rho_{\Phi}(f) = \sum_{x \in X} \Phi (f(x)). \] The linear space \[ \ell^{\Phi}(X) = \{ f : X \rightarrow \mathbb{R} : \rho_{\Phi}(af) < \infty \text{ for some } a >0 \} \] is called an \textit{Orlicz space} on \(X\). Now suppose \(G\) acts freely on \(X\). The first nonreduced \(\ell^{\Phi}\)-cohomology of \(G\) with coefficients in \(\ell^{\Phi}(X), H^1(G, \ell^{\Phi}(X))\) and the first reduced \(\ell^{\Phi}\)-cohomology space \(\overline{H}^1(G, \ell^{\Phi}(X))\) are defined. If \(\Phi(x) = | x |^p, p>1\), the familiar first \(\ell^p\)-cohomology spaces for discrete groups are obtained. In the paper under review the first (non)reduced \(\ell^{\Phi}\)-cohomology theory is developed and several results from the \(\ell^p\) case are extended to the more general \(\ell^{\Phi}\) case. In order to achieve this the \(N\)-function \(\Phi\) must satisfy various extra conditions, which we now describe. We shall say that \(\Phi \in \Delta_2 (0)\) if there are constants \(x_0 >0\) and \(K > 2\) such that \(\Phi(2x) \leq K\Phi (x)\) for \(0 \leq x \leq x_0\); and we write \(\Phi \in \nabla_2(0)\) if there are constants \(x_0 > 0\) and \(c > 1\) such that \(\Phi(x) \leq \frac{1}{2c} \Phi(x)\) for \(0 \leq x \leq x_0\). One of the results from the \(\ell^p\) case that is extended to the \(\ell^{\Phi}\) case is the following: Let \(\Phi \in \Delta_2(0)\). Then \(H^1(G, \ell^{\Phi}(G)) = \overline{H}^1 (G, \ell^{\Phi}(G))\) if and only if \(G\) is nonamenable. The authors define the space \(D^{\Phi}(X)\) of \(\Phi\)-Dirichlet finite functions, and they also define \(\Phi\)-harmonic functions. These definitions are direct generalizations of the corresponding concepts from the \(\ell^p\) case. A Royden type decomposition theorem for functions in \(D^{\Phi}(X)\) is given in the case of when \(\Phi\) is a continuously differentiable strictly convex function in \(\Delta_2 (0) \cap \nabla_2(0).\) More specifically, it is shown that if \(f \in D^{\Phi}(X)\), then there exists an \(u\) in the \(D^{\Phi}\)-norm closure of \(\ell^{\Phi}(X)\) and a \(\Phi\)-harmonic function \(h\) that satisfy \(f = u+h\). This decomposition is then used to prove that each nonzero class in \(\overline{H}^1(G, \ell^{\Phi}(X))\) can be represented by a \(\Phi\)-harmonic function. Some vanishing results for the first \(\ell^p\)-cohomology of discrete groups given by \textit{F. Martin} and \textit{A. Valette} [Groups Geom. Dyn. 1, No. 1, 81--100 (2007; Zbl 1175.20045)] are generalized to the first \(\ell^{\Phi}\)-cohomology setting. One such result is that if \(\Phi\) is a continuously differentiable \(N\)-function in \(\Delta_2(0) \cap \nabla_2(0)\) and if \(G\) has infinite center, then \(\overline{H}^1(G, \ell^{\Phi} (G)) = 0.\)

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