The integral Novikov conjectures for S-arithmetic groups I

We prove the integral Novikov conjecture for torsion free S-arithmetic subgroups Γ of linear reductive algebraic groups G of rank 0 over a global field k. They form a natural class of groups and are in general not discrete subgroups of Lie groups with finitely many connected components. Since many natural S-arithmetic subgroups contain torsion elements, we also prove a generalized integral Novikov conjecture for S-arithmetic subgroups of such algebraic groups, which contain torsion elements. These S-arithmetic subgroups also provide a natural class of groups with cofinite universal spaces for proper actions. Partially Supported by NSF grants DMS 0405884 and 0604878.