In this paper we define a way to get a bounded invertible automaton starting from a finite graph. It turns out that the corresponding automaton group is regular weakly branch over its commutator subgroup, contains a free semigroup on two elements and is amenable of exponential growth. We also highlight a connection between our construction and the right-angled Artin groups. We then study the Schreier graphs associated with the self-similar action of these automaton groups on the regular rooted tree. We explicitly determine their diameter and their automorphism group in the case where the initial graph is a path. Moreover, we show that the case of cycles gives rise to Schreier graphs whose automorphism group is isomorphic to the dihedral group. It is remarkable that our construction recovers some classical examples of automaton groups like the Adding machine and the Tangled odometer.
Every automaton group naturally acts on the space $X^ω$ of infinite sequences over some alphabet $X$. For every $w\in X^ω$ we consider the Schreier graph $Γ_w$ of the action of the group on the orbit of $w$. We prove that for a large class of automaton groups all Schreier graphs $Γ_w$ have subexponential growth bounded above by $n^{(\log n)^m}$ with some constant $m$. In particular, this holds for all groups generated by automata with polynomial activity growth (in terms of S.Sidki), confirming a conjecture of V.Nekrashevych. We present applications to omega-periodic graphs and Hanoi graphs.
In this paper, we give an introduction to basic concepts of automaton semigroups. While we must note that this paper does not contain new results, it is focused on extended introduction in the subject and detailed examples.
Accessible groups for which the language of all words defining the identity is accepted by a certain class of nested stack automata are virtually free.
We show that every bounded automaton group can be embedded in a finitely generated, simple amenable group. The proof is based on the study of the topological full groups associated to the Schreier dynamical system of the mother groups. We also show that if $\mathcal{G}$ is a minimal étale groupoid with unit space the Cantor set, the group $[[\mathcal{G}]]_t$ generated by all torsion elements in the topological full group has simple commutator subgroup.
In this paper, we study the word problem for automaton semigroups and automaton groups from a complexity point of view. As an intermediate concept between automaton semigroups and automaton groups, we introduce automaton-inverse semigroups, which are generated by partial, yet invertible automata. We show that there is an automaton-inverse semigroup and, thus, an automaton semigroup with a PSPACE-complete word problem. We also show that there is an automaton group for which the word problem with a single rational constraint is PSPACE-complete. Additionally, we provide simpler constructions for …
We construct a 4-state 2-letter bireversible automaton generating the lamplighter group $(\mathbb Z_2^2)\wr\mathbb Z$ of rank two. The action of the generators on the boundary of the tree can be induced by the affine transformations on the ring $\mathbb Z_2[[t]]$ of formal power series over $\mathbb Z_2$.
We introduce a new tool, called the orbit automaton, that describes the action of an automaton group $G$ on the subtrees corresponding to the orbits of $G$ on levels of the tree. The connection between $G$ and the groups generated by the orbit automata is used to find elements of infinite order in certain automaton groups for which other methods failed to work.
We construct a bireversible self-dual automaton with $3$ states over an alphabet with $3$ letters which generates the lamplighter group $\mathbb{Z}_3\wr\mathbb{Z}$.
For every Turing machine, we construct an automaton group that simulates it. Precisely, starting from an initial configuration of the Turing machine, we explicitly construct an element of the group such that the Turing machine stops if, and only if, this element is of finite order.If the Turing machine is universal, the corresponding automaton group has an undecidable order problem. This solves a problem raised by Grigorchuk.The above group also has an undecidable Engel problem: there is no algorithm that, given g, h in the group, decides whether there exists an integer n such that the n-itera…
We suggest several automaton groups as key-agreement platforms for Anshl-Anshel-Goldfeld metascheme, they include Grigorchuk and universal Grigorchuk groups, Hanoi 3-Towers group, Basilica group and a subgroup of the affine group with the unsolvable conjugacy problem
We consider the growth, order, and finiteness problems for automaton (semi)groups. We propose new implementations and compare them with the existing ones. As a result of extensive experimentations, we propose some conjectures on the order of finite automaton (semi)groups.
(Free-abelian)-by-free, self-similar groups generated by finite self-similar sets of tree automorphisms and having unsolvable conjugacy problem are constructed. Along the way, orbit undecidable, free subgroups of GL_d(Z), for d > 5, and Aut(F_d), for d > 4, are constructed as well.
We prove that every linear-activity automaton group is amenable. The proof is based on showing that a sufficiently symmetric random walk on a specially constructed degree 1 automaton group -- the mother group -- has asymptotic entropy 0. Our result answers an open question by Nekrashevich in the Kourovka notebook, and gives a partial answer to a question of Sidki.
We devise an algorithm which, given a bounded automaton A, decides whether the group generated by A is finite. The solution comes from a description of the infinite sequences having an infinite A-orbit using a deterministic finite-state acceptor. This acceptor can also be used to decide whether the bounded automaton acts level-transitively.
It is shown that certain ascending HNN extensions of free abelian groups of finite rank, as well as various lamplighter groups, can be realized as automaton groups, i.e., can be given a self-similar structure. This includes the solvable Baumslag-Solitar groups BS(1,m), for m not +/-1. In addition, it is shown that, for any relatively prime integers m,n>=2, the pair of Baumslag-Solitar groups BS(1,m) and BS(1,n) can be realized by a pair of dual automata. The examples are then used to illustrate more general connections between Schreier graphs, composition of automata and dual automata.
The class of automaton groups is a rich source of the simplest examples of infinite Burnside groups. However, there are some classes of automata that do not contain such examples. For instance, all infinite Burnside automaton groups in the literature are generated by non reversible Mealy automata and it was recently shown that 2-state invertible-reversible Mealy automata cannot generate infinite Burnside groups. Here we extend this result to connected 3-state invertible-reversible Mealy automata, using new original techniques. The results provide the first uniform method to construct elements …
Mother groups are the basic building blocks for polynomial automaton groups. We show that, in contrast with mother groups of degree 0 or 1, any bounded, symmetric, generating random walk on the mother groups of degree at least 3 has positive speed. The proof is based on an analysis of resistance in fractal mother graphs. We give upper bounds on resistances in these graphs, and show that infinite versions are tran- sient.
We give sufficient conditions for when groups generated by automata in a class $\mathcal{C}$ of transducers, which contains the class of reset automata transducers, have infinite order. As a consequence we also demonstrate that if a group generated by an automata in $\mathcal{C}$ is infinite, then it contains a free semigroup of rank at least 2. This gives a new proof, in the context of groups generated by automaton in $\mathcal{C}$, of a result of Chou showing that finitely generated elementary amenable groups either have polynomial growth or contain a free semigroup of rank at least 2.
We investigate the orbits of automaton semigroups and groups to obtain algorithmic and structural results, both for general automata but also for some special subclasses. First, we show that a more general version of the finiteness problem for automaton groups is undecidable. This problem is equivalent to the finiteness problem for left principal ideals in automaton semigroups generated by complete and reversible automata. Then, we look at $ω$-word (i.e. right infinite words) with a finite orbit. We show that every automaton yielding an $ω$-word with a finite orbit already yields an ultimately…
In the paper, we deal with the notion of an automaton over a changing alphabet, which generalizes the concept of a Mealy-type automaton. We modify the methods based on the idea of a dual automaton and its action used by B. Steinberg et al. (2011) and M. Vorobets and Ya. Vorobets (2007,2010) and adapt them to automata over a changing alphabet. We show that this modification provides some naturally defined automaton representations of a free nonabelian group by a 2-state automaton over a changing alphabet.
This paper addresses a decision problem highlighted by Grigorchuk, Nekrashevich, and Sushchanskii, namely the finiteness problem for automaton (semi)groups. For semigroups, we give an effective sufficient but not necessary condition for finiteness and, for groups, an effective necessary but not sufficient condition. The efficiency of the new criteria is demonstrated by testing all Mealy automata with small stateset and alphabet. Finally, for groups, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition that does not directly lead to a decision procedure.
We prove that a semigroup generated by a reversible two-state Mealy automaton is either finite or free of rank 2. This fact leads to the decidability of finiteness for groups generated by two-state or two-letter invertible-reversible Mealy automata and to the decidability of freeness for semigroups generated by two-state invertible-reversible Mealy automata.
The simplest example of an infinite Burnside group arises in the class of automaton groups. However there is no known example of such a group generated by a reversible Mealy automaton. It has been proved that, for a connected automaton of size at most~3, or when the automaton is not bireversible, the generated group cannot be Burnside infinite. In this paper, we extend these results to automata with bigger stateset, proving that, if a connected reversible automaton has a prime number of states, it cannot generate an infinite Burnside group.
Birget, Margolis, Meakin and Weil proved that a finitely generated subgroup $K$ of a free group is pure if and only if the transition monoid $M(K)$ of its Stallings automaton is aperiodic. In this paper, we establish further connections between algebraic properties of $K$ and algebraic properties of $M(K)$. We mainly focus on the cases where $M(K)$ belongs to the pseudovariety $\overline{\boldsymbol{\mathbf{H}}}$ of finite monoids all of whose subgroups lie in a given pseudovariety $\overline{\boldsymbol{\mathbf{H}}}$ of finite groups. We also discuss normal, malnormal and cyclonormal subgroup…
In this paper, we study algorithmic problems for automaton semigroups and automaton groups related to freeness and finiteness. In the course of this study, we also exhibit some connections between the algebraic structure of automaton (semi)groups and their dynamics on the boundary. First, we show that it is undecidable to check whether the group generated by a given invertible automaton has a positive relation, i.e. a relation p = 1 such that p only contains positive generators. Besides its obvious relation to the freeness of the group, the absence of positive relations has previously been stu…
In this paper we characterize when a Cayley automaton semigroup is a group, is trivial, is finite, is free, is a left zero semigroup, or is a right zero semigroup.
We prove, for various important classes of Mealy automata, that almost all generated groups have an element of infinite order. In certain cases, it also implies other results such as exponential growth.
We construct an automaton group with a PSPACE-complete word problem, proving a conjecture due to Steinberg. Additionally, the constructed group has a provably more difficult, namely EXPSPACE-complete, compressed word problem and acts over a binary alphabet. Thus, it is optimal in terms of the alphabet size. Our construction directly simulates the computation of a Turing machine in an automaton group and, therefore, seems to be quite versatile. It combines two ideas: the first one is a construction used by D'Angeli, Rodaro and the first author to obtain an inverse automaton semigroup with a PSP…
The first example of a non-residually finite group in the classes of finitely presented small-cancelation groups, automatic groups, and CAT(0) groups was constructed by Wise as the fundamental group of a complete square complex (CSC for short) with twelve squares. At the same time, Janzen and Wise proved that CSCs with at most three squares, five or seven squares have residually finite fundamental group. The smallest open cases were CSCs with four squares and directed complete VH complexes with six squares. We prove that the CSC with four squares studied by Janzen and Wise has a non-residually…
We show that an automaton group or semigroup is infinite if and only if it admits an $ω$-word (i. e. a right-infinite word) with an infinite orbit, which solves an open problem communicated to us by Ievgen V. Bondarenko. In fact, we prove a generalization of this result, which can be applied to show that finitely generated subgroups and subsemigroups as well as principal left ideals of automaton semigroups are infinite if and only if there is an $ω$ -word with an infinite orbit under their action. The proof also shows some interesting connections between the automaton semigroup and its dual. F…
We consider decidability problems associated with Engel's identity ($[\cdots[[x,y],y],\dots,y]=1$ for a long enough commutator sequence) in groups generated by an automaton. We give a partial algorithm that decides, given $x,y$, whether an Engel identity is satisfied. It succeeds, importantly, in proving that Grigorchuk's $2$-group is not Engel. We consider next the problem of recognizing Engel elements, namely elements $y$ such that the map $x\mapsto[x,y]$ attracts to $\{1\}$. Although this problem seems intractable in general, we prove that it is decidable for Grigorchuk's group: Engel eleme…
We introduce the notion of expandability in the context of automaton semigroups and groups: a word is k-expandable if one can append a suffix to it such that the size of the orbit under the action of the automaton increases by at least k. This definition is motivated by the question which ω-words admit infinite orbits: for such a word, every prefix is expandable. In this paper, we show that, on input of a word u, an automaton T and a number k, it is decidable to check whether u is k-expandable with respect to the action of T. In fact, this can be done in exponential nondeterministic space. Fro…
We produce for arbitrary non-amenable group $G$ and field $K$ a non-pre-injective, surjective linear cellular automaton. This answers positively Open Problem (OP-14) in Ceccherini-Silberstein and Coornaert's monograph "Cellular Automata and Groups". We also reprove in a direct manner, for linear cellular automata, the result by Capobianco, Kari and Taati that cellular automata over sofic groups are injective if and only if they are post-surjective. These results come from considerations related to matrices over group rings: we prove that a matrix's kernel and the image of its adjoint are mutua…
An automaton is said to be synchronizing if there is a word in the transitions which sends all states of the automaton to a single state. Research on this topic has been driven by the Černý conjecture, one of the oldest and most famous problems in automata theory, according to which a synchronizing $n$-state automaton has a reset word of length at most $(n-1)^2$. The transitions of an automaton generate a transformation monoid on the set of states, and so an automaton can be regarded as a transformation monoid with a prescribed set of generators. In this setting, an automaton is synchronizing …
It is shown how to use a small finite state automaton in two variables in order to carry out the Knuth-Bendix process for rewriting words in a group in shortlex order. The two-variable automaton can be used to store an infinite set of rules and to carry out fast reduction of arbitrary words using this infinite set. We introduce a new operation, which we call welding, which applies to an arbitrary finite state automaton. We show how to improve on the standard subset construction to determinize a non-deterministic automaton under special conditions which hold in our situation.
The knapsack problem is a classic optimisation problem that has been recently extended in the setting of groups. Its study reveals to be interesting since it provides many different behaviours, depending on the considered class of groups. In this paper we deal with groups generated by Mealy automata-a class that is often used to study group-theoretical conjectures-and prove that the knapsack problem is undecidable for this class. In a second time, we construct a graph that, if finite, provides a solution to the knapsack problem. We deduce that the knapsack problem is decidable for the so-calle…
It is shown how to use a small finite state automaton in two variables in order to carry out part of the Knuth--Bendix process for rewriting words in a group. The main objective is to provide a substitute for the most space-demanding module of the existing software which attempts to find a shortlex-automatic structure for a group. The two-variable automaton can be used to store an infinite set of rules and to carry out fast reduction of arbitrary words using this infinite set. We introduce a new operation, which we call welding, which applies to an arbitrary finite state automaton. In our cont…
For every natural number $n$, we classify abelian groups generated by an $n$-state time-varying automaton over the binary alphabet, as well as by an $n$-state Mealy automaton over the binary alphabet.
The notion of an automaton over a changing alphabet $X=(X_i)_{i\geq 1}$ is used to define and study automorphism groups of the tree $X^*$ of finite words over $X$. The concept of bi-reversibility for Mealy-type automata is extended to automata over a changing alphabet. It is proved that a non-abelian free group can be generated by a two-state bi-reversible automaton over a changing alphabet $X=(X_i)_{i\geq 1}$ if and only if $X$ is unbounded. The characterization of groups generated by a two-state bi-reversible automaton over the sequence of binary alphabets is established.
Hurwitz orbits are the orbits of the braid group action on the powers of a rack. Hurwitz orbits for the action of the braid group on three strands are used in \cite{21} and \cite{22} for the classification of Nichols algebras. This classification is based on a combinatorial invariant called plague on the Hurwitz orbits. The method to calculate plagues on the Hurwitz orbits is formulated in \cite{22} by using a cellular automaton on the Hurwitz orbits and their quotients. By using this cellular automaton-based method we estimate the minimal plagues on the Hurwitz orbits.
We study automaton groups without singular points, that is, points in the boundary for which the map that associates to each point its stabilizer, is not continuous. This is motivated by the problem of finding examples of infinite bireversible automaton groups with all trivial stabilizers in the boundary, raised by Grigorchuk and Savchuk. We show that, in general, the set of singular points has measure zero. Then we focus our attention on several classes of automata. We characterize those contracting automata generating groups without singular points, and apply this characterization to the Bas…
We introduce a new geometric tool for analyzing groups of finite automata. To each finite automaton we associate a square complex. The square complex is covered by a product of two trees iff the automaton is bi-reversible. Using this method we give examples of free groups and of Kazhdan groups which are generated by the different states of one finite (bi-reversible) automaton. We also reproduce the theorem of Macedonska, Nekrashevych, Sushchansky, on the connection between bi-reversible automata and the commensurator of a regular tree.
Dixon's famous theorem states that the group generated by two random permutations of a finite set is generically either the whole symmetric group or the alternating group. In the context of random generation of finite groups this means that it is hopeless to wish for a uniform distribution -- or even a non-trivial one -- by drawing random permutations and looking at the generated group. Mealy automata are a powerful tool to generate groups, including all finite groups and many interesting infinite ones, whence the idea of generating random finite groups by drawing random Mealy automata. In thi…
We introduce two series of finite automata starting from the so-called Aleshin and Bellaterra automata. We prove that each automaton in the first series defines a free non-Abelian group while each automaton in the second series defines the free product of groups of order 2. Furthermore, these properties are shared by disjoint unions of any number of distinct automata from either series.
Elder, Kambites, and Ostheimer showed that if the word problem of a finitely generated group $H$ is accepted by a $G$-automaton for an abelian group $G$, then $H$ is virtually abelian. We give a new, elementary, and purely combinatorial proof to the theorem. Furthermore, our method extracts an explicit connection between the two groups $G$ and $H$ from the automaton as a group homomorphism from a subgroup of $G$ onto a finite index subgroup of $H$.
We consider decidability problems in self-similar semigroups, and in particular in semigroups of automatic transformations of $X^*$. We describe algorithms answering the word problem, and bound its complexity under some additional assumptions. We give a partial algorithm that decides in a group generated by an automaton, given $x,y$, whether an Engel identity ($[\cdots[[x,y],y],\dots,y]=1$ for a long enough commutator sequence) is satisfied. This algorithm succeeds, importantly, in proving that Grigorchuk's $2$-group is not Engel. We consider next the problem of recognizing Engel elements, nam…
Generalizing the idea of self-similar groups defined by Mealy automata, we itroduce the notion of a self-similar automaton and a self-similar group over a changing alphabet. We show that every finitely generated residually-finite group is self-similar over an arbitrary unbounded changing alphabet. We construct some naturally defined self-similar automaton representations over an unbounded changing alphabet for any lamplighter group $K\wr \mathbb{Z}$ with an arbitrary finitely generated (finite or infinite) abelian group $K$.
We prove that if a group generated by a bireversible Mealy automaton contains an element of infinite order, its growth blows up and is necessarily exponential. As a direct consequence, no infinite virtually nilpotent group can be generated by a bireversible Mealy automaton.
We prove that if the group generated by a Mealy automaton acts level-transitively on a regular rooted tree, then the semigroup generated by the dual automaton has exponential growth, hence giving a decision procedure of exponential growth for a restricted family of automaton semigroups.
We study those automatic sequences which are produced by an automaton whose underlying graph is the Cayley graph of a finite group. For $2$-automatic sequences, we find a characterization in terms of what we call homogeneity, and among homogeneous sequences, we single out those enjoying what we call self-similarity. It turns out that self-similar $2$-automatic sequences (viewed up to a permutation of their alphabet) are in bijection with many interesting objects, for example dessins d'enfants (covers of the Riemann sphere with three points removed). For any $p$ we show that, in the case of an …
Let us say that a Cayley graph $Γ$ of a group $G$ of order $n$ is a Cerny Cayley graph if every synchronizing automaton containing $Γ$ as a subgraph with the same vertex set admits a synchronizing word of length at most $(n-1)^2$. In this paper we use the representation theory of groups over the rational numbers to obtain a number of new infinite families of {Č}ern{ý} Cayley graphs.
