On acylindrical hyperbolicity of groups with positive first $\ell^2$-Betti number

Abstract

We prove that every finitely presented group with positive first $\ell^2$-Betti number that virtually surjects onto $\mathbb Z$ is acylindrically hyperbolic. In particular, this implies acylindrical hyperbolicity of finitely presented residually finite groups with positive first $\ell^2$-Betti number as well as groups of deficiency at least $2$.