The Lower Algebraic K-Theory of Split Three-Dimensional Crystallographic Groups

We explicitly compute the lower algebraic K-theory of the split three-dimensional crystallographic groups; i.e., the groups G that act properly and cocompactly on three-dimensional Euclidean space by isometries, such that the natural map from G to O(3) is a split injection onto its image. There are 73 split three-dimensional crystallographic groups in all, out of a total of 219 isomorphism types of three-dimensional crystallographic groups. We also provide a general splitting formula for the lower algebraic K-theory that is valid for all three-dimensional crystallographic groups. This result generalizes earlier work of Alves and Ontaneda. Along the way, we give explicit descriptions of all 73 split three-dimensional crystallographic groups, and completely work out their classification. The split crystallographic groups are sometimes called "splitting groups". A theorem of crystallographic groups says that any crystallographic group is a finite-index subgroup of its splitting group, so each three-dimensional crystallographic group is a finite-index subgroup of one from our list.