Generalized Baumslag-Solitar groups (GBS groups) are groups that act on trees with infinite cyclic edge and vertex stabilizers. Such an action is described by a labeled graph (essentially, the quotient graph of groups). This paper addresses the problem of determining whether two given labeled graphs define isomorphic groups; this is the isomorphism problem for GBS groups. There are two main results and some applications. First, we find necessary and sufficient conditions for a GBS group to be represented by only finitely many reduced labeled graphs. These conditions can be checked effectively from any labeled graph. Then we show that the isomorphism problem is solvable for GBS groups whose labeled graphs have first Betti number at most one.
We find the lower central series for residually nilpotent Baumslag-Solitar groups, and find the intersection of all terms of the lower central series. Also, we find non-abelian Bauslag-Solitar groups for which the lower central series has length 2. For some Baumslag-Solitar groups a connection is found between the intersection of all subgroups of finite index and the intersection of all terms of the lower central series.
Similarly to the action of $Out(F_N)$ on Outer Space, the outer automorphism group of a Generalized Baumslag Solitar group acts on a deformation space endowed with the Lipschitz metric and the action of any fully irreducible automorphism with a train track representative is hyperbolic. Inspired by previous work by Algom-Kfir, we prove that the axis of such an automorphism is strongly contracting.
We investigate the solution sets to equations in the solvable Baumslag-Solitar groups $BS(1,k)$, $k\geq2$, and show that these sets are represented by EDT0L languages in some cases. In particular, we prove that the multiplication table of such a group forms an EDT0L language with respect to a specific natural normal form for group elements.
For a Baumslag-Solitar group $G$ we calculate the intersection $γ_w(G)$ of all terms of the lower central sequence of $G$.Using this we are able to show that $[γ_w(G),G]=γ_w(G)$ thus answering a question of Bardakov and Neschadim. Finally we show that the quotient groups $γ_c(G)/γ_{c+1}(G)$ of the lower central series of $G$ are finite.
We compute the Bieri-Neumann-Strebel invariants $Σ^1$ for the generalized solvable Baumslag-Solitar groups $Γ_n$ and their finite index subgroups. Using $Σ^1$, we show that certain finite index subgroups of $Γ_n$ cannot be isomorphic to $Γ_{k}$ for any $k$. In addition, we use the BNS-invariants to give a new proof of property $R_\infty$ for the groups $Γ_n$ and their finite index subgroups.
We define fully irreducible automorphisms of generalized Baumslag-Solitar groups in analogy with fully irreducible automorphisms of free groups. We first obtain a characterization of fully irreducible automorphisms analogous to a condition given by Kapovich. Next we discuss the existence of pseudo-periodic conjugacy classes based on the study of Nielsen paths in a train track representative. Finally we give an algorithm which finds out whether an automorphism with a train track representative is pseudo-atoroidal and fully irreducible.
In analogy with the free factors of a free group we define special factors of Generalized Baumslag-Solitar (GBS) groups as non-cyclic subgroups which appear in splittings over infinite cyclic groups. We give an algorithm which, given a GBS group $G$ and an element $g \in G$, decides whether there exists a special factor $H < G$ such that $g \in H$. This algorithm is analogous to an algorithm by Whitehead for free groups. Furthermore we prove that given $g \in G$ there exists a unique minimal special factor containing $g$ and give an algorithm which finds it.
We say a group $G$ has property $R_\infty$ if the number $R(φ)$ of twisted conjugacy classes is infinite for every automorphism $φ$ of $G$. For such groups, the $R_\infty$-nilpotency degree is the least integer $c$ such that $G/γ_{c+1}(G)$ has property $R_\infty$. In this work, we compute the $R_\infty$-nilpotency degree of all Generalized Solvable Baumslag-Solitar groups $Γ_n$. Moreover, we compute the lower central series of $Γ_n$, write the nilpotent quotients $Γ_{n,c}=Γ_n/γ_{c+1}(Γ_n)$ as semidirect products of finitely generated abelian groups and classify which integer invertible matrice…
Let $G$ be a generalized Baumslag-Solitar group and $\mathcal{C}$ be a class of groups containing at least one non-unit group and closed under taking subgroups, extensions, and Cartesian products of the form $\prod_{y \in Y}X_{y}$, where $X, Y \in \mathcal{C}$ and $X_{y}$ is an isomorphic copy of $X$ for every $y \in Y$. We give a criterion for $G$ to be residually a $\mathcal{C}$-group provided $\mathcal{C}$ consists only of periodic groups. We also prove that $G$ is residually a torsion-free $\mathcal{C}$-group if $\mathcal{C}$ contains at least one non-periodic group and is closed under tak…
We calculate the exact values of the Følner function $\mathrm{Føl}$ of the lamplighter group $\mathbb{Z}\wr\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}$ for the standard generating set. More generally, for any finite group $D$ and $n\geq|D|$, we obtain the exact value of $\mathrm{Føl}(n)$ on the wreath product $\mathbb{Z}\wr D$, for a generating set induced by a generator on $\mathbb{Z}$ and the entire group being taken as generators for $D$. We also describe the Følner sets that give rise to it. Følner functions encode the isoperimetric properties of amenable groups and have previously been studied up to asymptoti…
Suzuki recently gave constructions of non-discrete examples of locally compact C*-simple groups and Raum showed C*-simplicity of the relative profinite completions of the Baumslag-Solitar groups by using Suzuki's results. We extend this result to some fundamental groups of graphs of groups called generalized Baumslag-Solitar groups. In this article, we focus on some sufficient condition to show that these locally compact groups are C*-simple and that KMS-weights of these reduced group C*-algebras are unique. This condition is an analogue of the Powers averaging property of discrete groups and …
