Description of outer derivations of the group algebras

Abstract

A description of the algebra of outer derivations of a group algebra of a finitely presented discrete group is given in terms of the Cayley complex of the groupoid of the adjoint action of the group. This task is a smooth version of Johnson's problem concerning the derivations of a group algebra. It is shown that the algebra of outer derivations is isomorphic to the group of the one-dimensional cohomology with compact supports of the Cayley complex over the field of complex numbers.