TITLE: Does a crossed  product R⋊_α F_n of the hyperfinite factor of type II_1 and a free group have the QWEP?
QUESTION [7 upvotes]: Let $\mathcal{R}$ be the hyperfinite factor of type $\rm{II}_1$ and let $\mathbb{F}_n$ be a free group with $n$ generators. Let $\alpha$ be an action of $\mathbb{F}_n$ on $\mathcal{R}$.
Does the von Neumann crossed product $\mathcal{R}\rtimes_{\alpha}\mathbb{F}_n$ have the QWEP?
Remarks: Since $\mathbb{F}_n$ is a residually finite group, the group von Neumann algebra $\rm{VN}(\mathbb{F}_n)$ has the QWEP.  Moreover $\mathcal{R}$ has the QWEP.

REPLY [9 votes]: Yes.  If $a$ and $b$ are generators of $\mathbb F_2$ then $\mathcal R \rtimes_\alpha \mathbb F_2$ decomposes as an amalgamated free product of $(\mathcal R \rtimes_\alpha \langle a \rangle)$ and  $(\mathcal R \rtimes_\alpha \langle b \rangle)$ over $\mathcal R$, where each of these are hyperfinite.  Brown, Dykema, and Jung showed in http://arxiv.org/abs/math/0609080 that for separable finite von Neumann algebras being embeddable into $\mathcal R^\omega$ is stable under amalgamated free products over a hyperfinite von Neumann algebra.  Thus $\mathcal R \rtimes_\alpha \mathbb F_2$ is embeddable into $\mathcal R^\omega$, which is equivalent to QWEP.  Induction then gives the case when $2 \leq n < \infty$, and the case $n = \infty$ then follows since QWEP is preserved under (the weak-closure of) increasing unions.
Related to this, Collins and Dykema in http://arxiv.org/abs/1003.1675 have recently shown that the class of Sophic groups is stable under taking amalgamated free products over amenable groups.
I believe this is an open problem however if we consider arbitrary residually finite groups instead of only $\mathbb F_n$.