7 pages, 2 figures; v2: the original paper has been split in two, with the other half (containing construction of train track maps on graphs of groups) to appear; v3: minor revisions according to referee comments
We show the existence of several new infinite families of polynomially-growing automorphisms of free groups whose mapping tori are CAT(0) free-by-cyclic groups. Such mapping tori are thick, and thus not relatively hyperbolic. These are the first families comprising infinitely many examples for each rank of the nonabelian free group; they contrast strongly with Gersten's example of a thick free-by-cyclic group which cannot be a subgroup of a CAT(0) group.
We show that the class of amalgamated free products of two free groups over a cyclic subgroup admits amenable, faithful and transitive actions on infinite countable sets. This work generalizes the results on such actions for doubles of free group on 2 generators.
We study the conjugacy problem in cyclic extensions of free groups. It is shown that the conjugacy problem is solvable in split extensions of finitely generated free groups by virtually inner automorphisms. An algorithm for construction of the unique representative (the conjugacy normal form) for each conjugacy class is given.
In this article we study the extent to which an $n$-dimensional compact flat manifold with the cyclic holonomy group of square-free order may be distinguished by the finite quotients of its fundamental group. In particular, we display a formula for the cardinality of profinite genus of the fundamental group of an $n$-dimensional compact flat manifold with the cyclic holonomy group of square-free order.
We introduce a condition on the monodromy of a free-by-cyclic group, $G_ϕ$, called the chain flare condition, that implies that the $L^2$-torsion, $ρ^{(2)}(G_ϕ)$, is non-zero. We conjecture that this condition holds whenever the monodromy is exponentially growing.
We exhibit free-by-cyclic groups containing non-free locally-free subgroups, including some word hyperbolic examples. We also show that these groups are not subgroup separable. We use Bestvina-Brady Morse theory in our arguments.
Let $X$ be a CAT(0) space, and $G$ a discrete cyclic group of isometries of $X$. We investigate the domain of discontinuity for the action of $G$ on the boundary $\partial X$.
We give a geometric proof of a well known theorem that describes splittings of a free group as an amalgamated product or HNN extension over the integers. The argument generalizes to give a similar description of splittings of a virtually free group over a virtually cyclic group.
Let G be the free product of groups A and B with commuting subgroups H \leqslant A and K \leqslant B, and let C be the class of all finite groups or the class of all finite p-groups. We derive the description of all C-separable cyclic subgroups of G provided this group is residually a C-group. We prove, in particular, that if A, B are finitely generated nilpotent groups and H, K are p'-isolated in the free factors, then all p'-isolated cyclic subgroups of G are separable in the class of all finite p-groups. The same statement is true provided A, B are free and H, K are p'-isolated and cyclic.
Let $Φ:F\rightarrow F$ be an automorphism of the finite-rank free group $F$. Suppose that $G=F\rtimes_Φ\mathbb Z$ is word-hyperbolic. Then $G$ acts freely and cocompactly on a CAT(0) cube complex.
We show that the conjugacy problem is solvable in [finitely generated free]-by-cyclic groups, by using a result of O. Maslakova that one can algorithmically find generating sets for the fixed subgroups of free group automorphisms, and one of P. Brinkmann that one can determine whether two cyclic words in a free group are mapped to each other by some power of a given automorphism. The algorithm effectively computes a conjugating element, if it exists. We also solve the power conjugacy problem and give an algorithm to recognize if two given elements of a finitely generated free group are Reideme…
Free products of two residually finite groups with amalgamated retracts are considered. It is proved that a cyclic subgroup of such a group is not finitely separable if, and only if, it is conjugated with a subgroup of a free factor which is not finitely separable in this factor. A similar result is obtained for the case of separability in the class of finite p-groups.
Let $G$ be a free product of two groups with amalgamated subgroup, $π$ be either the set of all prime numbers or the one-element set \{$p$\} for some prime number $p$. Denote by $Σ$ the family of all cyclic subgroups of group $G$, which are separable in the class of all finite $π$-groups. Obviously, cyclic subgroups of the free factors, which aren't separable in these factors by the family of all normal subgroups of finite $π$-index of group $G$, the subgroups conjugated with them and all subgroups, which aren't $π^{\prime}$-isolated, don't belong to $Σ$. Some sufficient conditions are obtaine…
We call the family of free-by-cyclic groups defined by $G = \left< a, t, b_1, b_2, \ldots b_k \mid at = ta, b_1^{-1}tb_1 = a^{n_1}t, \ldots b_k^{-1}tb_k = a^{n_k}t \right>$ for $n_1, n_2, \ldots n_k \in \mathbb Z$ linearly mismatched since the automorphisms used to define the HNN extensions grow linearly at different rates. Using techniques from Elder's thesis, namely words with a parallel stable letter structure, we prove that linearly mismatched free-by-cyclic groups are asynchronously automatic, and thus they have a solvable word problem.
If F is a free group of finite rank at least two then any group of the form F by Z is large. In this short note we show how this statement follows by combining a very recent theorem of Hagen and Wise (using work of Agol and of Wise) with earlier results of the author.
Let $V$ be a finite graph and let $ϕ:V\rightarrow V$ be an irreducible train track map whose mapping torus has word-hyperbolic fundamental group $G$. Then $G$ acts freely and cocompactly on a CAT(0) cube complex.
Let $ϕ$ be an automorphism of a free group $F_n$ of rank $n$, and let $M_ϕ=F_n \rtimes_ϕ \mathbb{Z}$ be the corresponding mapping torus of $ϕ$. We study the group $Out(M_ϕ)$ under certain technical conditions on $ϕ$. Moreover, in the case of rank 2, we classify the cases when this group is finite or virtually cyclic, depending on the conjugacy class of the image of $ϕ$ in $GL_2(\mathbb{Z})$.
Garside groupoids, as recently introduced by Krammer, generalise Garside groups. A weak Garside group is a group that is equivalent as a category to a Garside groupoid. We show that any periodic loop in a Garside groupoid $\CG$ may be viewed as a Garside element for a certain Garside structure on another Garside groupoid $\CG_m$, which is equivalent as a category to $\CG$. As a consequence, the centraliser of a periodic element in a weak Garside group is a weak Garside group. Our main tool is the notion of divided Garside categories, an analog for Garside categories of Bökstedt-Hsiang-Madsen's…
In 1930, Wilhelm Magnus introduced the so-called Freiheitssatz: Let $F$ be a free group with basis $\mathcal{X}$ and let $r$ be a cyclically reduced element of $F$ which contains a basis element $x \in \mathcal{X}$, then every non-trivial element of the normal closure of $r$ in $F$ contains the basis element $x$. Equivalently, the subgroup freely generated by $\mathcal{X} \backslash \{x\}$ embeds canonically into the quotient group $F / \langle \! \langle r \rangle \! \rangle_{F}$. In this article, we want to introduce a Freiheitssatz for amalgamated products $G=A \ast_{U} B$ of free groups $A…
We show that the free-by-cyclic groups of the form F(2)-by-Z act properly cocompactly on CAT(0) square complexes. We also show using generalised Baumslag-Solitar groups that all known groups defined by a 2-generator 1-relator presentation are either SQ-universal or are cyclic or isomorphic to BS(1,j). Finally we consider free-by-cyclic groups which are not relatively hyperbolic with respect to any collection of subgroups.
We prove that any isometry of the graph of cyclic splittings of a finitely generated free group $F_N$ of rank $N\ge 3$ is induced by an outer automorphism of $F_N$. The same statement also applies to the graphs of maximally-cyclic splittings, and of very small splittings.
We give an algorithm to compute stable commutator length in free products of cyclic groups which is polynomial time in the length of the input, the number of factors, and the orders of the finite factors. We also describe some experimental and theoretical applications of this algorithm.
We show, using Wise's equitable sets criterion, that every tubular free by cyclic group acts freely on a CAT(0) cube complex. We also show that these groups have a finite index subgroup satisfying the strongest Tits alternative, which means that every subgroup either surjects a non abelian free group or is torsion free abelian. In particular the Gersten group is the first known group virtually having this property but which is not virtually special nor virtually residually free.
We study blocks with an abelian defect group and a cyclic inertial quotient acting freely but not transitively. We prove that when p=2, such blocks are inertial, i.e. basic Morita equivalent to their Brauer correspondent. Together with a result of the second author on Singer cycle actions on homocyclic defect groups, this completes the classification of 2-blocks with a cyclic inertial quotient acting freely on an abelian defect group.
We give an new, elementary proof of the result that the smallest non-cyclic quotients of automorphism group of free group is the linear group over the field of two elements, and moreover all minimal quotients are obtained by the standard projection composed with an automorphism of the image. This result, originally due to Baumeister-Kielak-Pierro, proves a conjecture of Mecchia-Zimmermann.
In this paper we introduce a polynomial time algorithm that solves both the conjugacy decision and search problems in free abelian-by-infinite cyclic groups where the input is elements in normal form. We do this by adapting the work of Bogopolski, Martino, Maslakova, and Ventura in \cite{bogopolski2006conjugacy} and Bogopolski, Martino, and Ventura in \cite{bogopolski2010orbit}, to free abelian-by-infinite cyclic groups, and in certain cases apply a polynomial time algorithm for the orbit problem over $\Z^n$ by Kannan and Lipton.
We relate the McMullen polynomial of a free-by-cyclic group to its Alexander polynomial. To do so, we introduce the notion of an orientable fully irreducible outer automorphism $φ$ and use it to characterize when the homological stretch factor of $φ$ is equal to its geometric stretch factor.
We define analogues of the graphs of free splittings, of cyclic splittings, and of maximally-cyclic splittings of $F_N$ for free products of groups, and show their hyperbolicity. Given a countable group $G$ which splits as $G=G_1\ast\dots\ast G_k\ast F$, where $F$ denotes a finitely generated free group, we identify the Gromov boundary of the graph of relative cyclic splittings with the space of equivalence classes of $\mathcal{Z}$-averse trees in the boundary of the corresponding outer space. A tree is \emph{$\mathcal{Z}$-averse} if it is not compatible with any tree $T'$, that is itself comp…
Consider a one-ended word-hyperbolic group. If it is the fundamental group of a graph of free groups with cyclic edge groups then either it is the fundamental group of a surface or it contains a finitely generated one-ended subgroup of infinite index. As a corollary, the same holds for limit groups. We also obtain a characterisation of surfaces with boundary among free groups equipped with peripheral structures.
Let G be a group acting isometrically with discrete orbits on a separable complete CAT(0)-space of bounded topological dimension. Under certain conditions, we give upper bounds for the Bredon cohomological dimension of G for the families of finite and virtually cyclic subgroups. As an application, we prove that the mapping class group of any closed, connected, and orientable surface of genus g greater than 1 admits a (9g-8)-dimensional classifying space with virtually cyclic stabilizers. In addition, our results apply to fundamental groups of graphs of groups and groups acting on Euclidean bui…
Let $G$ be a finite group and $\Z G$ its integral group ring. We show that if $α$ is a non-trivial bicyclic unit of $\Z G$, then there are bicyclic units $β$ and $γ$ of different types, such that $\GEN{α,β}$ and $\GEN{α,γ}$ are non-abelian free groups. In case that $G$ is non-abelian of order coprime with 6, then we prove the existence of a bicyclic unit $u$ and a Bass cyclic unit $v$ in $\Z G$, such that for every positive integer $m$ big enough, $\GEN{u^m,v}$ is a free non-abelian group.
We present constructions of symmetric complete sum-free sets in general finite cyclic groups. It is shown that the relative sizes of the sets are dense in $[0,\frac{1}{3}]$, answering a question of Cameron, and that the number of those contained in the cyclic group of order $n$ is exponential in $n$. For primes $p$, we provide a full characterization of the symmetric complete sum-free subsets of $\mathbb{Z}_p$ of size at least $(\frac{1}{3}-c) \cdot p$, where $c>0$ is a universal constant.
We show that for $n \geq 3$, there are torsion-free CAT(0) groups with visual boundaries that embed into $S^n$ but which are not virtually the fundamental group of a compact aspherical $n+1$-manifold. The groups are the CAT(0) and not bi-automatic groups constructed previously by Leary and Minasyan. The obstruction comes from analyzing certain cyclic orders on the boundary of the Bass-Serre tree, in the same manner as Kapovich-Kleiner ruled out actions of Baumslag-Solitar groups on coarse $\mathrm{PD}(3)$ spaces.
