Embeddability and quasi-isometric classification of partially commutative groups

Abstract

The main goal of this note is to suggest an algebraic approach to the quasi-isometric classification of partially commutative groups (alias right-angled Artin groups). More precisely, we conjecture that if the partially commutative groups $\mathbb{G}\left(\Delta \right)$ and $\mathbb{G}\left(\Gamma \right)$ are quasi-isometric, then $\mathbb{G}\left(\Delta \right)$ is a (nice) subgroup of $\mathbb{G}\left(\Gamma \right)$ and vice-versa. We show that the conjecture holds for all known cases of quasi-isometric classification of partially commutative groups, namely for the classes of $n$–trees and atomic graphs. As in the classical Mostow rigidity theory for irreducible lattices, we relate the quasi-isometric rigidity of the class of atomic partially commutative groups with the algebraic rigidity, that is, with the co-Hopfian property of their $\mathbb{Q}$–completions.