An Invitation to Coarse Groups

Abstract

In this monograph we lay the foundation for a theory of coarse groups and coarse actions. Coarse groups are group objects in the category of coarse spaces, and can be thought of as sets with operations that satisfy the group axioms "up to uniformly bounded error". In the first part of this work, we develop the theory of coarse homomorphisms, quotients, and subgroups, and prove that coarse versions of the Isomorphism Theorems hold true. We also initiate the study of coarse actions and show how they relate to the fundamental observation of Geometric Group Theory. In the second part we explore a selection of specialized topics, such as the study of coarse group structures on set-groups, groups of coarse automorphisms and spaces of controlled maps. Here the main aim is to show how the theory of coarse groups connects with classical subjects. These include: number theory; the study of bi-invariant metrics on groups; quasimorphisms and stable commutator length; ${\rm Out}(F_n)$; topological group actions.