On modules over infinite group rings

Abstract

Let [Formula: see text] be a commutative ring and [Formula: see text] be an infinite discrete group. The algebraic [Formula: see text]-theory of the group ring [Formula: see text] is an important object of computation in geometric topology and number theory. When the group ring is Noetherian, there is a companion [Formula: see text]-theory of [Formula: see text] which is often easier to compute. However, it is exceptionally rare that the group ring is Noetherian for an infinite group. In this paper, we define a version of [Formula: see text]-theory for any finitely generated discrete group. This construction is based on the coarse geometry of the group. It has some expected properties such as independence from the choice of a word metric. We prove that, whenever [Formula: see text] is a regular Noetherian ring of finite global homological dimension and [Formula: see text] has finite asymptotic dimension and a finite model for the classifying space [Formula: see text], the natural Cartan map from the [Formula: see text]-theory of [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]-theory is an equivalence. On the other hand, our [Formula: see text]-theory is indeed better suited for computation as we show in a separate paper. Some results and constructions in this paper might be of independent interest as we learn to construct projective resolutions of finite type for certain modules over group rings.