We answer a question due to A. Myasnikov by proving that all expected ranks occur as the ranks of intersections of finitely generated subgroups of free groups.
The main result in this paper is the failure of the finitely generated intersection property (FGIP) of ascending HNN extensions of non-cyclic finite rank free groups. This class of group consists of free-by-cyclic groups and properly ascending HNN extensions of free groups. We also give a sufficient condition for the failure of the FGIP in the context of relative hyperbolicity, we apply this to free-by-cyclic groups of exponential growth.
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…
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.
The finitely generated intersection property in fundamental groups 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, Siruseri, India(法国国家科学研究中心,ReLaX);CNRS, Univ. Sorbonne Paris Nord, LIPN, UMR 7030, F-93430 Villetaneuse, France(法国国家科学研究中心,索邦巴黎北大学,LIPN)
We show that the number of conjugacy classes of intersections $A\cap B^g$, for fixed finitely generated subgroups $A, B<F$ of a free group, is bounded above in terms of the ranks of $A$ and $B$; this confirms an intuition of Walter Neumann. This result was previously known only in the case where $A$ or $B$ is cyclic by the $w$-cycles theorem of Helfer and Wise and, independently, Louder and Wilton. In order to prove our main theorem, we introduce new results regarding the structure of fibre products of finite graphs. We work with a generalised definition of graph immersions so that our results…
We exploit the classical correspondence between finitely generated abelian groups and abelian complex algebraic reductive groups to study the intersection theory of translated subgroups in an abelian complex algebraic reductive group, with special emphasis on intersections of (torsion) translated subtori in an algebraic torus.
An algebra has the Howson property if the intersection of any two finitely generated subalgebras is finitely generated. A simple necessary and sufficient condition is given for the Howson property to hold on an inverse semigroup with finitely many idempotents. In addition, it is shown that any monogenic inverse semigroup has the Howson property.
We study graphs of (generalized) joins and intersections of finitely generated subgroups of a free group. We show how to disprove a lemma of Imrich and Müller on these graphs and how to repair this lemma.
For suitable subgroups of a finitely generated group, we define the intersection number of one subgroup with another subgroup and show that this number is symmetric. We also give an interpretation of this number.
A subgroup $H$ of a free group $F$ is called inert in $F$ if for every $G < F$ the rank of the intersection of $H$ with $G$ is no grater than the rank of $G$. In this paper we expand the known families of inert subgroups. We show that the inertia property holds for 1-generator endomorphisms. Equivalently, echelon subgroups in free groups are inert. An echelon subgroup is defined through a set of generators that are in echelon form with respect to some ordered basis of the free group, and may be seen as a generalization of a free factor. For example, the fixed subgroups of automorphisms of fini…
An inverse semigroup $S$ is a Howson inverse semigroup if the intersection of finitely generated inverse subsemigroups of $S$ is finitely generated. Given a locally finite action $θ$ of a group $G$ on a semilattice $E$, it is proved that $E \ast_θ G$ is a Howson inverse semigroup if and only if $G$ is a Howson group. It is also shown that this equivalence fails for arbitrary actions.
We show that for every finitely generated closed subgroup $K$ of a non-solvable Demushkin group $G$, there exists an open subgroup $U$ of $G$ containing $K$, and a continuous homomorphism $τ\colon U \to K$ satisfying $τ(k) = k$ for every $k \in K$. We prove that the intersection of a pair of finitely generated closed subgroups of a Demushkin group is finitely generated (giving an explicit bound on the number of generators). Furthermore, we show that these properties of Demushkin groups are preserved under free pro-$p$ products, and deduce that Howson's theorem holds for the Sylow subgroups of …
We solve the subgroup intersection problem (SIP) for any RAAG G of Droms type (i.e., with defining graph not containing induced squares or paths of length 3): there is an algorithm which, given finite sets of generators for two subgroups H,K of G, decides whether $H \cap K$ is finitely generated or not, and, in the affirmative case, it computes a set of generators for $H \cap K$. Taking advantage of the recursive characterization of Droms groups, the proof consists in separately showing that the solvability of SIP passes through free products, and through direct products with free-abelian grou…
We show that a finite collection of stable subgroups of a finitely generated group has finite height, finite width and bounded packing. We then use knowledge about intersections of conjugates to characterize finite families of quasimorphisms on hyperbolically embedded subgroups that can be to simultaneously extended to the ambient group.
We study the intersection of finitely generated factor-free subgroups of free products of groups by utilizing the method of linear programming. For example, we prove that if $H_1$ is a finitely generated factor-free noncyclic subgroup of the free product $G_1 * G_2$ of two finite groups $G_1$, $G_2$, then the WN-coefficient $σ(H_1)$ of $H_1$ is rational and can be computed in exponential time in the size of $H_1$. This coefficient $σ(H_1)$ is the minimal positive real number such that, for every finitely generated factor-free subgroup $H_2$ of $G_1 * G_2$, it is true that $\bar {\rm r} (H_1, H…
We study the intersection of finitely generated subgroups of free groups by utilizing the method of linear programming. We prove that if $H_1$ is a finitely generated subgroup of a free group $F$, then the WN-coefficient $σ(H_1)$ of $H_1$ is rational and can be computed in deterministic exponential time in the size of $H_1$. This coefficient $σ(H_1)$ is the minimal nonnegative real number such that, for every finitely generated subgroup $H_2$ of $F$, it is true that $\bar {\rm r}(H_1, H_2) \le σ(H_1) \bar {\rm r}(H_1) \bar {\rm r}(H_2)$, where $\bar{ {\rm r}} (H) := \max ( {\rm r} (H)-1,0)$ is…
Kapovich and Nagnibeda introduced the space $\mathcal{S} {\rm Curr}(F_N)$ of subset currents on a free group $F_N$ of rank $N\geq 2$, which can be thought of as a measure-theoretic completion of the set of all conjugacy classes of finitely generated subgroups of $F_N$. We define a product $\mathcal{N} (H,K)$ of two finitely generated subgroups $H$ and $K$ of $F_N$ by the sum of the reduced rank $\overline{\rm rk}(H\cap gKg^{-1})$ over all double cosets $HgK\ (g\in F_N)$, and extend the product $\mathcal{N}$ to a continuous symmetric $\mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$-bilinear functional $\mathcal{N} \colon…
In geometric group theory one uses group actions on spaces to gain information about groups. One natural space to use is the Cayley graph of a group. The Cayley graph arguments that one encounters tend to require local finiteness, and hence finite generation of the group. In this paper, I take the theory of intersections of splittings of finitely generated groups (as developed by Scott, Scott-Swarup, and Niblo-Sageev-Scott-Swarup), and rework it to remove finite generation assumptions. Whereas the aforementioned authors relied on the local finiteness of the Cayley graph, I capitalize on the Ba…
We study the Furstenberg-entropy realization problem for stationary actions. It is shown that for finitely supported probability measures on free groups, any a-priori possible entropy value can be realized as the entropy of an ergodic stationary action. This generalizes results of Bowen. The stationary actions we construct arise via invariant random subgroups (IRSs), based on ideas of Bowen and Kaimanovich. We provide a general framework for constructing a continuum of ergodic IRSs for a discrete group under some algebraic conditions, which gives a continuum of entropy values. Our tools apply …
The residual closure of a subgroup $H$ of a group $G$ is the intersection of all virtually normal subgroups of $G$ containing $H$. We show that if $G$ is generated by finitely many cosets of $H$ and if $H$ is commensurated, then the residual closure of $H$ in $G$ is virtually normal. This implies that separable commensurated subgroups of finitely generated groups are virtually normal. A stream of applications to separable subgroups, polycyclic groups, residually finite groups, groups acting on trees, lattices in products of trees and just-infinite groups then flows from this main result.
A group $G$ is said to have the Howson property (or to be a Howson group) if the intersection of any two finitely generated subgroups of $G$ is finitely generated subgroup. It is proved that descending HNN-extension is not a Howson group under some assumptions satisfied by the base group of HNN-extension. In particular, a result of the paper joined with a Burns - Brunner result (received in 1979) implies that any descending HNN-extension of non-cyclic free group does not have the Howson property.
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.
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)
Given a finitely presented monoid and a homotopy base for the monoid, and given an arbitrary Schutzenberger group of the monoid, the main result of this paper gives a homotopy base, and presentation, for the Schutzenberger group. In the case that the R-class R' of the Schutzenberger group G(H) has only finitely many H-classes, and there is an element s of the multiplicative right pointwise stabilizer of H, such that under the left action of the monoid on its R-classes the intersection of the orbit of the R-class of s with the inverse orbit of R' is finite, then finiteness of the presentation a…
We present a new algorithm deciding if the intersection of a quasiconvex subgroup of a negatively curved group with a conjugate is finite. We also give a short proof of decidability of the membership problem for quasiconvex subgroups of finitely generated groups with decidable word problem.
Given a prime $p$, a group is called residually $p$ if the intersection of its $p$-power index normal subgroups is trivial. A group is called virtually residually $p$ if it has a finite index subgroup which is residually $p$. It is well-known that finitely generated linear groups over fields of characteristic zero are virtually residually $p$ for all but finitely many $p$. In particular, fundamental groups of hyperbolic 3-manifolds are virtually residually $p$. It is also well-known that fundamental groups of 3-manifolds are residually finite. In this paper we prove a common generalization of …
The Hanna Neumann conjecture gives a bound on the intersection of finitely generated subgroups of free groups. We explore a natural extension of this result, which turns out to be true only in the finite index case, and provide counterexamples for the general case. We also see that the graph-based method of generating random subgroups of free groups developed by Bassino, Nicaud and Weil is well-suited to generating subgroups with non-trivial intersections. The same method is then used to generate a counterexample to a similar conjecture of Guzman.
We lay the foundations for the study of relatively quasiconvex subgroups of relatively hyperbolic groups. These foundations require that we first work out a coherent theory of countable relatively hyperbolic groups (not necessarily finitely generated). We prove the equivalence of Gromov, Osin, and Bowditch's definitions of relative hyperbolicity for countable groups. We then give several equivalent definitions of relatively quasiconvex subgroups in terms of various natural geometries on a relatively hyperbolic group. We show that each relatively quasiconvex subgroup is itself relatively hyperb…
We consider the class of groups whose word problem is poly-context-free; that is, an intersection of finitely many context-free languages. We show that any group which is virtually a finitely generated subgroup of a direct product of free groups has poly-context-free word problem, and conjecture that the converse also holds. We prove our conjecture for several classes of soluble groups, including metabelian groups and torsion-free soluble groups, and present progress towards resolving the conjecture for soluble groups in general. Some of the techniques introduced for proving languages not to b…
We give upper bounds, linear in rank, to the topological dimensions of the Gromov boundaries of the intersection graph, the free factor graph and the cyclic splitting graph of a finitely generated free group.
We finish the proof of the conjecture of F. Bogomolov and F. Pop: Let $F_{1}$ and $F_{2}$ be fields finitely-generated and of transcendence degree $\geq 2$ over $k_{1}$ and $k_{2}$, respectively, where $k_{1}$ is either $\bar{\mathbb{Q}}$ or $\bar{\mathbb{F}}_{p}$, and $k_{2}$ is algebraically closed. We denote by $G_{F_1}$ and $G_{F_2}$ their respective absolute Galois groups. Then the canonical map $φ_{F_{1}, F_{2}}: \Isom^i(F_1, F_2)\rightarrow \Isom^{\Out}_{\cont}(G_{F_2}, G_{F_1})$ from the isomorphisms, up to Frobenius twists, of the inseparable closures of $F_1$ and $F_2$ to continuous …