We show that Thompson's group F does not satisfy Cannon's almost convexity condition AC(n) for any integer n in the standard finite two generator presentation. To accomplish this, we construct a family of pairs of elements at distance n from the identity and distance 2 from each other, which are not connected by a path lying inside the n-ball of length less than k for increasingly large k. Our techniques rely upon Fordham's method for calculating the length of a word in F and upon an analysis of the generators' geometric actions on the tree pair diagrams representing elements of F.
We prove that Thompson's group F is not minimally almost convex with respect to any generating set which is a subset of the standard infinite generating set for F and which contains x_1. We use this to show that F is not almost convex with respect to any generating set which is a subset of the standard infinite generating set.
We prove that Richard Thompson's group F is not minimally almost convex with respect to the two standard generators. This improves upon a recent result of S. Cleary and J. Taback. We make use of the forest diagrams for elements of F introduced by J. Belk and K. Brown. These diagrams seem particularly well-suited for understanding the Cayley graph for the two standard generators.
Recall that a group $G$ is said to be $\frac{3}{2}$-generated if every non-trivial element of $G$ belongs to a generating pair of $G$. Thompson's group $V$ was proved to be $\frac{3}{2}$-generated by Donoven and Harper in 2019. It was the first example of an infinite finitely presented non-cyclic $\frac{3}{2}$-generated group. Recently, Bleak, Harper and Skipper proved that Thompson's group $T$ is also $\frac{3}{2}$-generated. In this paper, we prove that Thompson's group $F$ is "almost" $\frac{3}{2}$-generated in the sense that every element of $F$ whose image in the abelianization forms part…
We show how all topological full groups coming from a one-sided irreducible shift of finite type, as studied by Matui, can be re-interpreted as groups of colour-preserving tree almost automorphisms. As an application, we show that they admit t.d.l.c. completions of arbitrary finite local prime content. This applies in particular to Thompson's $V$.
We introduce a new method for computing the word length of an element of Thompson's group F with respect to a "consecutive" generating set of the form X_n={x_0,x_1,...,x_n}, which is a subset of the standard infinite generating set for F. We use this method to show that (F,X_n) is not almost convex, and has pockets of increasing, though bounded, depth dependent on n.
We prove that the tree almost automorphism groups admit exactly three commensurability classes of closed commensurated subgroups. Our proof utilizes an independently interesting characterization of subgroups of the tree almost automorphism groups which contain only periodic elements in terms of the dynamics of the action on the boundary of the tree. Our results further cover several interesting finitely generated subgroups of the tree almost automorphism groups, including the Thompson groups $F$, $T$, and $V$. We show in particular that Thompson's group $T$ has no commensurated subgroups other…
We give the first examples of groups which admit a tame combing with linear radial tameness function with respect to any choice of finite presentation, but which are not minimally almost convex on a standard generating set. Namely, we explicitly construct such combings for Thompson's group F and the Baumslag-Solitar groups BS(1, p) with p \ge 3. In order to make this construction for Thompson's group F, we significantly expand the understanding of the Cayley complex of this group with respect to the standard finite presentation. In particular we describe a quasigeodesic set of normal forms and…
We determine when two almost automorphisms of a regular tree are conjugate. This is done by combining the classification of conjugacy classes in the automorphism group of a level-homogeneous tree by Gawron, Nekrashevych and Sushchansky and the solution of the conjugacy problem in Thompson's $V$ by Belk and Matucci. We also analyze dynamics of tree almost automorphisms.
A remarkable result of Thompson states that a finite group is soluble if and only if its two-generated subgroups are soluble. This result has been generalized in numerous ways, and it is in the core of a wide area of research in the theory of groups, aiming for global properties of groups from local properties of two-generated (or more generally, $n$-generated) subgroups. We contribute an extension of Thompson's theorem from the perspective of factorized groups. More precisely, we study finite groups $G = AB$ with subgroups $A,\ B$ such that $\langle a, b\rangle$ is soluble for all $a \in A$ a…
The arguments of Cannon, Floyd, Grayson and Thurston showing that solve geometry groups are not almost convex also show that solvable Baumslag-Solitar groups are not almost convex.
Recently, several public key exchange protocols based on symbolic computation in non-commutative (semi)groups were proposed as a more efficient alternative to well established protocols based on numeric computation. Notably, the protocols due to Anshel-Anshel-Goldfeld and Ko-Lee et al. exploited the conjugacy search problem in groups, which is a ramification of the discrete logarithm problem. However, it is a prevalent opinion now that the conjugacy search problem alone is unlikely to provide sufficient level of security no matter what particular group is chosen as a platform. In this paper we…
In this article we prove that an "isometric multiple HNN-extension" of a group satisfying the falsification by fellow traveler property is almost convex. As a corollary, Wise's example of a CAT(0) non-Hopfian group is Almost convex.
We introduce the "loop shortening property" and the "basepoint loop shortening property" for finitely generated groups, and examine their relation to quadratic isoperimetric functions and almost convexity.
If $M$ is a closed Nil geometry 3-manifold then $π_1(M)$ is almost convex with respect to a fairly simple ``geometric'' generating set. If $G$ is a central extension or a ${\Bbb Z}$-extension of a word hyperbolic group, then $G$ is also almost convex with respect to some generating set. Combining these with previously known results shows that if $M$ is a closed 3-manifold with one of Thurston's eight geometries, $π_1(M)$ is almost convex with respect to some generating set if and only if the geometry in question is not Sol.
A machine developed by the second author produces a rich family of unitary representations of the Thompson groups F,T and V. We use it to give direct proofs of two previously known results. First, we exhibit a unitary representation of V that has an almost invariant vector but no nonzero [F,F]-invariant vectors reproving, at least for T, Reznikov's result that any intermediate subgroup between the commutator subgroup of F and V does not have Kazhdan's property (T). Second, we construct a one parameter family interpolating between the trivial and the left regular representations of V. We exhibi…
In this article we show that the Baumslag-Solitar group $BS(1,2)$ is minimally almost convex, or $MAC$. We also show that $BS(1,2)$ does not satisfy Poénaru's almost convexity condition $P(2)$, and hence the condition $P(2)$ is strictly stronger than $MAC$. Finally, we show that the groups $BS(1,q)$ for $q \geq 7$ and Stallings' non-$FP_3$ group do not satisfy $MAC$. As a consequence, the condition $MAC$ is not a commensurability invariant.
The "relating" entwines three problems: 1. Davenport's Problem, describing pairs of polynomials over Q whose ranges on Z/p are the same for almost all p. 2. Showing that the monodromy groups of rational function maps over the complexes are limited to a finite set of groups, outside of groups close to alternating groups (example, symmetric groups) with special representations, and dihedral and cyclic groups. 3. Relating the genus 0 modular curves to the character group of the Monster simple group, so-called Monstrous Moonshine. http://www.math.uci.edu/~mfried/pathlist-cov/thomp-genus0.html has …
We introduce a topological property for finitely generated groups called stackable that implies the existence of an inductive procedure for constructing van Kampen diagrams with respect to a particular finite presentation. We also define algorithmically stackable groups, for which this procedure is an algorithm. This property gives a common model for algorithms arising from both rewriting systems and almost convexity for groups.
We establish compact presentability, i.e. the locally compact version of finite presentability, for an infinite family of tree almost automorphism groups. Examples covered by our results include Neretin's group of spheromorphisms, as well as the topologically simple group containing the profinite completion of the Grigorchuk group constructed by Barnea, Ershov and Weigel. We additionally obtain an upper bound on the Dehn function of these groups in terms of the Dehn function of an embedded Higman-Thompson group. This, combined with a result of Guba, implies that the Dehn function of the Nereti…
We prove that the group of almost-automorphisms of the infinite rooted regular $d$-ary tree $\mathcal{T}_d$ arises naturally as the Thompson-like group of a so called $d$-ary cloning system. A similar phenomenon occurs for any Röver-Nekrashevych group $V_d(G)$, for $G\le Aut(\mathcal{T}_d)$ a self-similar group. We use this framework to expand on work of Belk and Matucci, who proved that the Röver group, using the Grigorchuk group for $G$, is of type $F_\infty$. Namely, we find some natural conditions on subgroups of $G$ to ensure that $V_d(G)$ is of type $F_\infty$, and in particular we prove…
We prove that if the Cayley graph of a finitely generated group enjoys the property L_delta then the group is almost convex and has a sub-cubic isoperimetric function.
A measure preserving action of a countably infinite group Γis called totally ergodic if every infinite subgroup of Γacts ergodically. For example, all mixing and mildly mixing actions are totally ergodic. This note shows that if an action of Γis totally ergodic then there exists a finite normal subgroup N of Γsuch that the stabilizer of almost every point is equal to N. Surprisingly the proof relies on the group theoretic fact (proved by Hall and Kulatilaka as well as by Kargapolov) that every infinite locally finite group contains an infinite abelian subgroup, of which all known proofs rely o…
Given a matrix $A\in SL(N,\Z)$, form the semidirect product $G=\Z^N\rtimes_A \Z$ where the $\Z$ factor acts on $\Z^N$ by $A$. Such a $G$ arises naturally as the fundamental group of an $N$-dimensional torus bundle which fibers over the circle. In this paper we prove that if $A$ has distinct eigenvalues not lying on the unit circle, then there exists a finite index subgroup $H\leq G$ possessing rational growth series for some generating set. In contrast, we show that if $A$ has at least one eigenvalue not lying on the unit circle, then $G$ is not almost convex for any generating set.
