We re-cast in a more combinatorial and computational form the foldings approach of John Stallings and pursue a detailed study of the subgroup structure of free groups. In particular, we introduce the notions of an "algebraic" and a "free" extension for subgroups of free groups and apply these notions to obtain a number of algebraic and algorithmic results.
We show that for a fixed free group F and an arbitrary finitely generated subgroup H (as given above) we can perform the Stalling's folding process in time O(N log^*(N)), where N is the sum of the word lengths of the given generators of H.
In the 1980's Stallings showed that every finitely generated subgroup of a free group is canonically represented by a finite minimal immersion of a bouquet of circles. In terms of the theory of automata, this is a minimal finite inverse automaton. This allows for the deep algorithmic theory of finite automata and finite inverse monoids to be used to answer questions about finitely generated subgroups of free groups. In this paper we attempt to apply the same methods to other classes of groups. A fundamental new problem is that the Stallings folding algorithm must be modified to allow for ``sew…
We describe a higher dimensional analogue of the Stallings folding sequence for group actions on CAT(0) cube complexes. We use it to give a characterization of quasiconvex subgroups of hyperbolic groups which act properly co-compactly on CAT(0) cube complexes via finiteness properties of their hyperplane stabilizers.
We show that one can define and effectively compute Stallings graphs for quasi-convex subgroups of automatic groups (\textit{e.g.} hyperbolic groups or right-angled Artin groups). These Stallings graphs are finite labeled graphs, which are canonically associated with the corresponding subgroups. We show that this notion of Stallings graphs allows a unified approach to many algorithmic problems: some which had already been solved like the generalized membership problem or the computation of a quasi-convexity constant (Kapovich, 1996); and others such as the computation of intersections, the con…
In a seminal paper, Stallings introduced folding of morphisms of graphs. One consequence of folding is the representation of finitely-generated subgroups of a finite-rank free group as immersions of finite graphs. Stallings's methods allow one to construct this representation algorithmically, giving effective, algorithmic answers and proofs to classical questions about subgroups of free groups. Recently Dani--Levcovitz used Stallings-like methods to study subgroups of right-angled Coxeter groups, which act geometrically on CAT(0) cube complexes. In this paper we extend their techniques to fund…
We extend the classical Stallings theory (describing subgroups of free groups as automata) to direct products of free and abelian groups: after introducing enriched automata (i.e., automata with extra abelian labels), we obtain an explicit bijection between subgroups and a certain type of such enriched automata, which - as it happens in the free group - is computable in the finitely generated case. This approach provides a neat geometric description of (even non finitely generated) intersections of finitely generated subgroups within this non-Howson family. In particular, we give a geometric s…
This survey is intended to be a fast (and reasonably updated) reference for the theory of Stallings automata and its applications to the study of subgroups of the free group, with the main accent on algorithmic aspects. Consequently, results concerning finitely generated subgroups have greater prominence in the paper. However, when possible, we try to state the results with more generality, including the usually overlooked non-(finitely-generated) case.
Geometric methods proposed by Stallings for treating finitely generated subgroups of free groups were successfully used to solve a wide collection of decision problems for free groups and their subgroups. It turns out that Stallings' methods can be effectively generalized for the class of amalgams of finite groups. In the present paper we employ subgroup graphs constructed by the generalized Stallings' folding algorithm to solve various algorithmic problems in amalgams of finite groups.
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…
We introduce a combinatorial version of Stallings-Bestvina-Feighn-Dunwoody folding sequences. We then show how they are useful in analyzing the solvability of the uniform subgroup membership problem for fundamental groups of graphs of groups. Applications include coherent right-angled Artin groups and coherent solvable groups.
The Stallings construction for finitely generated subgroups of free groups is generalized by introducing the concept of Stallings section, which allows an eficient computation of the core of a Schreier graph based on edge folding. It is proved that those groups admitting Stallings sections are precisely finitely generated virtually free groups, through a constructive approach based on Bass-Serre theory. Complexity issues and applications are also discussed.
We provide a new method of constructing non-quasiconvex subgroups of hyperbolic groups by utilizing techniques inspired by Stallings' foldings. The hyperbolic groups constructed are in the natural class of right-angled Coxeter groups (RACGs for short) and can be chosen to be 2-dimensional. More specifically, given a non-quasiconvex subgroup of a (possibly non-hyperbolic) RACG, our construction gives a corresponding non-quasiconvex subgroup of a hyperbolic RACG. We use this to construct explicit examples of non-quasiconvex subgroups of hyperbolic RACGs including subgroups whose generators are a…
Geometric methods proposed by Stallings for treating finitely generated subgroups of free groups were successfully used by many authors to solve a wide collection of decision problems for free groups and their subgroups. In the present paper we employ our generalized Stallings' folding method to introduce a procedure, which given a subgroup H of a free product of finite groups reads off its Kurosh decomposition from the subgroup graph of H.
We show that the generation problem in Thompson group $F$ is decidable, i.e., there is an algorithm which decides if a finite set of elements of $F$ generates the whole $F$. The algorithm makes use of the Stallings $2$-core of subgroups of $F$, which can be defined in an analogue way to the Stallings core of subgroups of a finitely generated free group. Further study of the Stallings $2$-core of subgroups of $F$ provides a solution to another algorithmic problem in $F$. Namely, given a finitely generated subgroup $H$ of $F$, it is decidable if $H$ acts transitively on the set of finite dyadic …
Geometric methods proposed by Stallings for treating finitely generated subgroups of free groups were successfully used to solve a wide collection of decision problems for free groups and their subgroups. In the present paper we employ the generalized Stallings' methods, developed by the author, to solve various algorithmic problems concerning finitely generated subgroups of amalgams of finite groups.
We associate cube complexes called completions to each subgroup of a right-angled Coxeter group (RACG). A completion characterizes many properties of the subgroup such as whether it is quasiconvex, normal, finite-index or torsion-free. We use completions to show that reflection subgroups are quasiconvex, as are one-ended Coxeter subgroups of a 2-dimensional RACG. We provide an algorithm that determines whether a given one-ended, 2-dimensional RACG is isomorphic to some finite-index subgroup of another given RACG. In addition, we answer several algorithmic questions regarding quasiconvex subgro…
The celebrated Stallings' decomposition theorem states that the splitting of a finite index subgroup $H$ of a finitely generated group $G$ as an amalgamated free product or an HNN-extension over a finite group implies the same for $G$. We generalize the pro-$p$ version of it proved by Weigel and the second author to splittings over infinite pro-$p$ groups. This generalization does not have any abstract analogs. We also prove that generalized accessibility of finitely generated pro-$p$ groups is closed for commensurability.
We describe an algorithm that uses Stallings' folding technique to decompose an element of $Aut(F_n)$ as a product of Whitehead automorphisms (and hence as a product of Nielsen transformations.) We use this to give an alternative method of finding a finite generating set for the subgroup of $Aut(F_n)$ that fixes a subset $Y$ of the basis elements, and the subgroup that fixes each element of $Y$ up to conjugacy. We show that the intersection of this latter subgroup with $IA_n$ is also finitely generated.
In this paper we review some of the fundamental properties of the free group and give a detailed account of Stallings's theory of automata, a geometric interpretation of its subgroups that has been (and still is) immensely fruitful, both as a means of understanding classical results, as as a source of new results. We review some of the most important ones. -- - En aquest article revisem algunes de les propietats fonamentals del group lliure i fem una exposició detallada de la teoria dels autòmats de Stallings, una interpretació geomètrica dels seus subgrups que ha estat (i segueix essent) imme…
Stallings folding theory is modified, using double coset representatives, and to applied to the study of subgroups of amalgamated products of finite rank free groups. As a first application the subgroup membership problem for such groups is shown to be decidable. An algorithm for this problem is constructed and its complexity is analysed. Groups in this class are also shown to possess the Howson property.
Using graph-theoretic techniques for f.g. subgroups of $F^{\mathbb{Z}[t]}$ we provide a criterion for a f.g. subgroup of a f.g. fully residually free group to be of finite index. Moreover, we show that this criterion can be checked effectively. Also we obtain an analogue of Greenberg-Stallings Theorem for f.g. fully residually free groups, and prove that a f.g. non-abelian subgroup of a f.g. fully residually free group is of finite index in its commensurator.
In this paper, using the notions graphs, core graphs, immersions and covering maps of graphs, introduced by Stallings in 1983, we prove the Burnside condition for the intersection of subgroups of free groups with Burnside condition.
The paper is concerned with Kropholler's conjecture on splitting a finitely generated group over a codimension-1 subgroup. For a subgroup H of a group G, we define the notion of "finite splitting height" which generalises the finite-height property. By considering the dual CAT(0) cube complex associated to a codimension-1 subgroup H in G, we show that the Kropholler-Roller conjecture holds when H has finite splitting height in G. Examples of subgroups of finite height are stable subgroups or more generally strongly quasiconvex subgroups. Examples of subgroups of finite splitting height include…
Jones introduced unitary representations for the Thompson groups $F$ and $T$ from a given subfactor planar algebra. Some interesting subgroups arise as the stabilizer of certain vector, in particular the Jones subgroups $\vec{F}$ and $\vec{T}$. Golan and Sapir studied $\vec{F}$ and identified it as a copy of the Thompson group $F_3$. In this paper we completely describe $\vec{T}$ and show that $\vec{T}$ coincides with its commensurator in $T$, implying that the corresponding unitary representation is irreducible. We also generalize the notion of the Stallings 2-core for diagram groups to $T$, …
Suppose that $F$ is a free group and $k$ is a natural number. We show that the fully compressed membership problem for $k$-generated subgroups of $F$ is solvable in polynomial time. In order to do this, we adapt the theory of Stallings' foldings to handle edges with compressed labels. This partially answers a question of Markus Lohrey.
``What aspects of a group are unchanged, or stable, under homology equivalences''? The model theorem in this regard is the 1963 result of J. Stallings that the lower central series is preserved under any integral homological equivalence of groups. Various other theorems of this nature have since appeared. Stallings himself proved similar theorems for homology with rational or mod p coefficients. These involved different series of groups- variations of the lower central series. W. Dwyer generalized Stallings' integral results to larger classes of maps, work that was completed in the other cases…
We prove that a finitely generated pro-$p$ group acting on a pro-$p$ tree $T$ with procyclic edge stabilizers is the fundamental pro-$p$ group of a finite graph of pro-$p$ groups with edge and vertex groups being stabilizers of certain vertices and edges of $T$ respectively, in the following two situations: 1) the action is $n$-acylindrical, i.e., any non-identity element fixes not more than $n$ edges; 2) the group $G$ is generated by its vertex stabilizers. This theorem is applied to obtain several results about pro-$p$ groups from the class $\mathcal{L}$ defined and studied in [Math. Z. 267 …
We give an algorithm which computes the fixed subgroup and the stable image for any endomorphism of the free group of rank two $F_2$, answering for $F_2$ a question posed by Stallings in 1984 and a question of Ventura.
In this paper, we give some necessary and sufficient conditions for a normal subgroup of an amalgamated product of groups to be finitely generated. We apply these conditions together with Stallings' fibering theorem to prove that an irreducible multilink in a homology 3-sphere fibers if and only if each of its multilink splice components fibers.
A $\vee$-complement of a subgroup $H \leqslant \mathbb{F}_n$ is a subgroup $K \leqslant \mathbb{F}_n$ such that $H \vee K = \mathbb{F}_n$. If we also ask $K$ to have trivial intersection with $H$, then we say that $K$ is a $\oplus$-complement of $H$. The minimum possible rank of a $\vee$-complement (resp. $\oplus$-complement) of $H$ is called the $\vee$-corank (resp. $\oplus$-corank) of $H$. We use Stallings automata to study these notions and the relations between them. In particular, we characterize when complements exist, compute the $\vee$-corank, and provide language-theoretical descripti…
A new bound for the rank of the intersection of finitely generated subgroups of a free group is given, formulated in topological terms, and very much in the spirit of Stallings. The bound is a contribution to (although unfortunately not a solution of) the strengthened Hanna Neumann conjecture.
We provide two ways to show that the R. Thompson group $F$ has maximal subgroups of infinite index which do not fix any number in the unit interval under the natural action of $F$ on $(0,1)$, thus solving a problem by D. Savchuk. The first way employs Jones' subgroup of the R. Thompson group $F$ and leads to an explicit finitely generated example. The second way employs directed 2-complexes and 2-dimensional analogs of Stallings' core graphs, and gives many implicit examples. We also show that $F$ has a decreasing sequence of finitely generated subgroups $F>H_1>H_2>...$ such that $\cap H_i=\{1…
We explore an elementary construction that produces finitely presented groups with diverse homological finiteness properties -- the {\em binary subgroups}, $B(Σ,μ)<G_1\times\dots\times G_m$. These full subdirect products require strikingly few generators. If each $G_i$ is finitely presented, $B(Σ,μ)$ is finitely presented. When the $G_i$ are non-abelian limit groups (e.g. free or surface groups), the $B(Σ,μ)$ provide new examples of finitely presented, residually-free groups that do not have finite classifying spaces and are not of Stallings-Bieri type. These examples settle a question of Mina…
Let $π$ be a group equipped with an action of a second group $G$ by automorphisms. We define the equivariant cohomological dimension ${\sf cd}_G(π)$, the equivariant geometric dimension ${\sf gd}_G(π)$, and the equivariant Lusternik-Schnirelmann category ${\sf cat}_G(π)$ in terms of the Bredon dimensions and classifying space of the family of subgroups of the semi-direct product $π\rtimes G$ consisting of sub-conjugates of $G$. When $G$ is finite, we extend theorems of Eilenberg-Ganea and Stallings-Swan to the equivariant setting, thereby showing that all three invariants coincide (except for …
A celebrated theorem of Marshall Hall Jr. implies that finitely generated free groups are subgroup separable and that all of their finitely generated subgroups are retracts of finite-index subgroups. We use topological techniques inspired by the work of Stallings to prove that all limit groups share these two properties. This answers a question of Sela.
Groups acting freely on Z^n-trees (Z^n-free groups) play a key role in the study of non-archimedean group actions. Following Stallings' ideas, we develop graph-theoretic techniques to investigate subgroup structure of Z^n-free groups. As an immediate application of the presented method, we give an effective solution to the Uniform Membership Problem and the Power Problem in Z^n-free groups.
Triangles of groups have been introduced by Gersten and Stallings. They are, roughly speaking, a generalisation of the amalgamated free product of two groups and occur in the framework of Corson diagrams. First, we prove an intersection theorem for Corson diagrams. Then, we focus on triangles of groups. It has been shown by Howie and Kopteva that the colimit of a hyperbolic triangle of groups contains a non-abelian free subgroup. We give two natural conditions, each of which ensures that the colimit of a non-spherical triangle of groups either contains a non-abelian free subgroup or is virtual…
We give an efficient algorithm to randomly generate finitely generated subgroups of a given size, in a finite rank free group. Here, the size of a subgroup is the number of vertices of its representation by a reduced graph such as can be obtained by the method of Stallings foldings. Our algorithm randomly generates a subgroup of a given size n, according to the uniform distribution over size n subgroups. In the process, we give estimates of the number of size n subgroups, of the average rank of size n subgroups, and of the proportion of such subgroups that have finite index. Our algorithm has …
The Hanna Neumann conjecture states that if F is a free group, then for all finitely generated subgroups H,K <= F, rank(H intersect K) - 1 <= [ rank(H)-1 ] [ rank(K)-1 ] In this paper, we show that if one of the subgroups, say H, has a generating set consisting of only positive words, then H is not part of any counterexample to the conjecture. We further show that if H <= F({a,b}) is part of a counterexample to the conjecture, then its folding Gamma_H must contain source and/or sink vertices.
We build a spectral sequence converging to the cohomology of a fusion system with a strongly closed subgroup. This spectral sequence is related to the Lyndon-Hochschild-Serre spectral sequence and coincides with it for the case of an extension of groups. Nevertheless, the new spectral sequence applies to more general situations like finite simple groups with a strongly closed subgroup and exotic fusion systems with a strongly closed subgroup. We prove an analogue of a result of Stallings in the context of fusion preserving homomorphisms and deduce Tate's p-nilpotency criterion as a corollary.
Let $Γ_g$ be the fundamental group of a closed connected orientable surface of genus $g\geq2$. We introduce a combinatorial structure of "core surfaces", that represent subgroups of $Γ_g$. These structures are (usually) 2-dimensional complexes, made up of vertices, labeled oriented edges, and $4g$-gons. They are compact whenever the corresponding subgroup is finitely generated. The theory of core surfaces that we initiate here is analogous to the influential and fruitful theory of Stallings core graphs for subgroups of free groups.
We establish a correspondence between the invariant subsets of a non-degenerate symmetric set-theoretical solution of the quantum Yang-Baxter equation and the parabolic subgroups of its structure group, equipped with its canonical Garside structure. Moreover, we introduce the notion of a foldable solution, which extends the one of a decomposable solution.
We count the finitely generated subgroups of the modular group $\textsf{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$. More precisely: each such subgroup $H$ can be represented by its Stallings graph $Γ(H)$, we consider the number of vertices of $Γ(H)$ to be the size of $H$ and we count the subgroups of size $n$. Since an index $n$ subgroup has size $n$, our results generalize the known results on the enumeration of the finite index subgroups of $\textsf{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$. We give asymptotic equivalents for the number of finitely generated subgroups of $\textsf{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$, as well as of the number of finite …
The general {\bf surface group conjecture} asks whether a one-relator group where every subgroup of finite index is again one-relator and every subgroup of infinite index is free (property IF) is a surface group. We resolve several related conjectures given in [FKMRR]. First we obtain the Surface Group Conjecture B for cyclically pinched and conjugacy pinched one-relator groups. That is: if $G$ is a cyclically pinched one-relator group or conjugacy pinched one-relator group satisfying property IF then $G$ is free, a surface group or a solvable Baumslag-Solitar Group. Further combining results …
We establish a general criterion for the finite presentability of subdirect products of groups and use this to characterize finitely presented residually free groups. We prove that, for all $n\in\mathbb{N}$, a residually free group is of type ${\rm{FP}}_n$ if and only if it is of type ${\rm{F}}_n$. New families of subdirect products of free groups are constructed, including the first examples of finitely presented subgroups that are neither ${\rm{FP}}_\infty$ nor of Stallings-Bieri type. The template for these examples leads to a more constructive characterization of finitely presented residua…
Let $F$ be any finite-rank free group, and $R$ be any finite subset of $\{g, [g]: g \in F-\{1\}\}$, where $[g]:= \{fgf^{-1}:f\in F\}$. By an $R$-allocating $F$-factorization we mean a set $\mathcal{H}$ of nontrivial subgroups of $F$ such that $\ast_{H \in \mathcal{H}} H = F$ and $R \subseteq \{h, [h] : h \in H, H\in \mathcal{H}\}$. We show that Whitehead's (fast) cutvertex algorithm inputs the pair $(F,R)$ and outputs a maximum-size $R$-allocating $F$-factorization. Richard Stong showed this in the case where $R \subseteq F$ or $R \subseteq \{[g] : g \in F\}$, thereby unifying and generalizing…
Pullbacks and intersections in categories of graphs of groups
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC)(加泰罗尼亚理工大学);Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas (ICMAT)(数学科学研究所);University of the Basque Country - EHU(巴斯克大学);Harish-Chandra Research Institute, A CI of HBNI(哈里什-钱德拉研究所);CNRS, ReLaX, IRL 2000(法国国家科学研究中心);CNRS, Univ. Sorbonne Paris Nord, LIPN, UMR 7030(法国国家科学研究中心)
The usual way to investigate the statistical properties of finitely generated subgroups of free groups, and of finite presentations of groups, is based on the so-called word-based distribution: subgroups are generated (finite presentations are determined) by randomly chosen k-tuples of reduced words, whose maximal length is allowed to tend to infinity. In this paper we adopt a different, though equally natural point of view: we investigate the statistical properties of the same objects, but with respect to the so-called graph-based distribution, recently introduced by Bassino, Nicaud and Weil.…