Localization, Whitehead groups and the Atiyah conjecture (Q2404190)

For a discrete group \(G\), the authors define a certain \(K_1\)-group \(K_1^w(\mathbb ZG)\), whose elements are classes of non-necessarily invertible square matrices \(A\in M_n (\mathbb Z G)\), but with the property that the map \(l^2(G)^n\rightarrow l^2(G)^n\) given by right multiplication by \(A\) is a weak isomorphism, that is, it is injective and has dense range. Let \(\mathcal C\) be the Linnell class of groups, consisting of the smallest class of groups which contains all the free groups, and is closed under directed unions and extensions with elementary amenable quotient. For a torsion-free group \(G\) in the Linnell class \(\mathcal C\), the authors show that there is an isomorphism between the groups \(K_1^w(\mathbb Z G)\) and \(K_1(\mathcal D (G,\mathbb Q)),\) where \(\mathcal D (G, \mathbb Q)\) denotes the division closure of \(\mathbb Q G\) in the algebra \(\mathcal U (G)\) of unbounded operators affiliated to the group von Neumann algebra \(\mathcal N (G)\). In addition, the authors show that \(\mathcal D (G, \mathbb Q)\) is a skew field, and consequently, the above group is isomorphic to the abelianization of the group of units of \(\mathcal D (G,\mathbb Q)\). Somewhat more general results are indeed obtained, for coefficient rings more general than \(\mathbb Z\) and for the class of groups satisfying property (ULA), which contains the Linnell class.