Amalgamated Free Product Rigidity for Group von Neumann Algebras

Abstract

We provide a fairly large family of amalgamated free product groups $Γ=Γ_1\ast_ΣΓ_2$ whose amalgam structure can be completely recognized from their von Neumann algebras. Specifically, assume that $Γ_i$ is a product of two icc non-amenable bi-exact (e.g., hyperbolic) groups, and $Σ$ is icc amenable and has trivial one-sided commensurator in $Γ_i$, for every $i\in\{1,2\}$. Then $Γ$ satisfies the following rigidity property: any group $\La$ such that $L(\La)$ is isomorphic to $L(\G)$ admits an amalgamated free product decomposition $\La=\La_1\ast_Δ\La_2$ such that the inclusions $L(Δ)\subseteq L(\La_i)$ and $L(Σ)\subseteq L(\G_i)$ are isomorphic, for every $i\in\{1,2\}$. This result significantly strengthens some of the previous Bass-Serre rigidity results for von Neumann algebras. As a corollary, we obtain the first examples of amalgamated free product groups which are W$^*$-superrigid.