We prove that for geometrically finite groups cohomological dimension of the direct product of a group with itself equals 2 times the cohomological dimension dimension of the group.
We find new bounds on the conformal dimension of small cancellation groups. These are used to show that a random few relator group has conformal dimension 2+o(1) asymptotically almost surely (a.a.s.). In fact, if the number of relators grows like l^K
in the length l of the relators, then a.a.s. such a random group has conformal dimension 2+K+o(1). In Gromovs density model, a random group at density d<1/8 a.a.s. has conformal dimension $asymp dl / |log d|$. The upper bound for C(1/8) groups has two main ingredients: $ell_p$-cohomology (following Bourdon-Kleiner), and walls in the Cayley complex (building on Wise and Ollivier-Wise). To find lower bounds we refine the methods of [Mackay, 2012] to create larger `round trees in the Cayley complex of such groups. As a corollary, in the density model at d<1/8, the density d is determined, up to a power, by the conformal dimension of the boundary and the Euler characteristic of the group.
Let $Gamma$ be the fundamental group of a surface of finite type and Comm$(Gamma)$ be its abstract commensurator. Then Comm$(Gamma)$ contains the solvable Baumslag--Solitar groups $langle a ,b : a b a^{-1} = b^n rangle$ for any $n > 1$. Moreover, the
Baumslag--Solitar group $langle a ,b : a b^2 a^{-1} = b^3 rangle$ has an image in Comm$(Gamma)$ that is not residually finite. Our proofs are computer-assisted. Our results also illustrate that finitely-generated subgroups of Comm$(Gamma)$ are concrete objects amenable to computational methods. For example, we give a proof that $langle a ,b : a b^2 a^{-1} = b^3 rangle$ is not residually finite without the use of normal forms of HNN extensions.
We provide new examples of acylindrically hyperbolic groups arising from actions on simplicial trees. In particular, we consider amalgamated products and HNN-extensions, 1-relator groups, automorphism groups of polynomial algebras, 3-manifold groups
and graph products. Acylindrical hyperbolicity is then used to obtain some results about the algebraic structure, analytic properties and measure equivalence rigidity of groups from these classes.
We show that Out(G) is residually finite if G is a one-ended group that is hyperbolic relative to virtually polycyclic subgroups. More generally, if G is one-ended and hyperbolic relative to proper residually finite subgroups, the group of outer auto
morphisms preserving the peripheral structure is residually finite. We also show that Out(G) is virtually p-residually finite for every prime p if G is one-ended and toral relatively hyperbolic, or infinitely-ended and virtually p-residually finite.
We prove the vanishing of the cup product of the bounded cohomology classes associated to any two Brooks quasimorphisms on the free group. This is a consequence of the vanishing of the square of a universal class for tree automorphism groups.