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 Reidemeister equivalent with respect to a given automorphism.
We prove that the complexity of the Conjugacy Problems for wreath products and for free solvable groups is decidable in polynomial time. For the wreath product AwrB, we must assume the decidability in polynomial time of the Conjugacy Problems for A and B and of the power problem in B. We obtain the result by making the algorithm for the Conjugacy Problem described in a paper of Matthews run in polynomial time. Using this result and properties of the Magnus embedding, we show that the Conjugacy and Conjugacy Search Problems in free solvable groups are computable in polynomial time.
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.
(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 describe an effective version of the conjugacy problem and study it for wreath products and free solvable groups. The problem involves estimating the length of short conjugators between two elements of the group, a notion which leads to the definition of the conjugacy length function. We show that for free solvable groups the conjugacy length function is at most cubic. For wreath products the behaviour depends on the conjugacy length function of the two groups involved, as well as subgroup distortion within the quotient group.
Cyclic words are equivalence classes of cyclic permutations of ordinary words. When a group is given by a rewriting relation, a rewriting system on cyclic words is induced, which is used to construct algorithms to find minimal length elements of conjugacy classes in the group. These techniques are applied to the universal groups of Stallings pregroups and in particular to free products with amalgamation, HNN-extensions and virtually free groups, to yield simple and intuitive algorithms and proofs of conjugacy criteria.
In this paper, we set $η(G)$ to be the number of conjugacy classes of maximal cyclic subgroups of $G$. We prove that if $G$ is a $p$-group of order $p^n$ and nilpotence class $l$, then $η(G)$ is bounded below by a linear function in $n/l$.
In this paper, we set $η(G)$ to be the number of conjugacy classes of maximal cyclic subgroups of a finite group $G$. We compute $η(G)$ for all metacyclic $p$-groups. We show that if $G$ is a metacyclic $p$-group of order $p^n$ that is not dihedral, generalized quaternion, or semi-dihedral, then $η(G) \ge n-2$, and we determine when equality holds.
For a fixed $n\ge2$, the Houghton group $H_n$ consists of bijections of $X_n=\{1,\ldots,n\} \times \mathbb{N}$ that are `eventually translations' of each copy of $\mathbb{N}$. The Houghton groups have been shown to have solvable conjugacy problem. In general solvable conjugacy problem does not imply that all finite extensions and finite index subgroups have solvable conjugacy problem. Our main theorem is that a stronger result holds: for any $n\ge2$ and any group $G$ commensurable to $H_n$, $G$ has solvable conjugacy problem.
We give another proof of an observation of Thévenaz \cite{T1989} and present a fusion system version of it. Namely, for a saturated fusion system $\CF$ on a finite $p$-group $S$, we show that the number of the $\CF$-conjugacy classes of cyclic subgroups of $S$ is equal to the rank of certain square matrices of numbers of orbits, coming from characteristic bisets, the characteristic idempotent and finite groups realizing the fusion system $\CF$ as in our previous work \cite{P2010}.
We prove that every countable group with solvable power problem embeds into a finitely presented 2-generated group with solvable power and conjugacy problems.
Let G be a finite group and H a normal subgroup such that G/H is cyclic. Given a conjugacy class g^G of G we define its centralizing subgroup to be HC_G(g). Let K be such that H\le K\le G. We show that the G-conjugacy classes contained in K whose centralizing subgroup is K, are equally distributed between the cosets of H in K. The proof of this result is entirely elementary. As an application we find expressions for the number of conjugacy classes of K under its own action, in terms of quantities relating only to the action of G.
Given a short exact sequence of groups with certain conditions, $1\to F\to G\to H\to 1$, we prove that $G$ has solvable conjugacy problem if and only if the corresponding action subgroup $A\leqslant Aut(F)$ is orbit decidable. From this, we deduce that the conjugacy problem is solvable, among others, for all groups of the form $\mathbb{Z}^2\rtimes F_m$, $F_2\rtimes F_m$, $F_n \rtimes \mathbb{Z}$, and $\mathbb{Z}^n \rtimes_A F_m$ with virtually solvable action group $A\leqslant GL_n(\mathbb{Z})$. Also, we give an easy way of constructing groups of the form $\mathbb{Z}^4\rtimes F_n$ and $F_3\rti…
In this paper, we set $η(G)$ to be the number of conjugacy classes of maximal cyclic subgroups of $G$. We consider $η$ and direct and semi-direct products. We characterize the normal subgroups $N$ so that $η(G/N) = η(G)$. We set $G^- = \{ g \in G \mid \langle g \rangle {\rm ~is~not ~maximal~cyclic} \}$. We show if $\langle G^- \rangle < G$, then $G/\langle G^- \rangle$ is either (1) an elementary abelian $p$-group for some prime $p$, (2) a Frobenius group whose Frobenius kernel is a $p$-group of exponent $p$ and a Frobenius complement has order $q$ for distinct primes $p$ and $q$, or (3) isomo…
The purpose of this paper is to consider when two maximal subalgebras of a finite-dimensional solvable Lie algebra $L$ are conjugate, and to investigate their intersection.
Let $N_1$ (resp., $N_2$) be the normal closure of a finite symmetrized set $R_1$ (resp., $R_2$) of a finitely generated free group $F = F(A)$. It is well-known that if $R_i$ satisfies the condition C(6), then the conjugacy problem is solvable in $F/N_i$. In the present paper we prove that if $R_1\cup R_2$ satisfies the condition C(6) and the presentation $<A\, \mid R_1,R_2>$ is atorical, then the conjugacy problem is solvable in $F/{N_1\cap N_2}$. In particular, if $R_1\cup R_2$ satisfies the condition C(7) then the conjugacy problem is solvable in $F/{N_1\cap N_2}$.
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 …
In this paper we introduce the graph $Γ_{sc}(G)$ associated with a group $G$, called the solvable conjugacy class graph (abbreviated as SCC-graph), whose vertices are the nontrivial conjugacy classes of $G$ and two distinct conjugacy classes $C, D$ are adjacent if there exist $x \in C$ and $y \in D$ such that $\langle x, y\rangle$ is solvable. We discuss the connectivity, girth, clique number, and several other properties of the SCC-graph. One of our results asserts that there are only finitely many finite groups whose SCC-graph has given clique number~$d$, and we find explicitly the list of s…
A group G is a vGBS group if it admits a decomposition as a finite graph of groups with all edge and vertex groups finitely generated and free abelian. We prove that the multiple conjugacy problem is solvable between two n-tuples A and B of elements of G whenever the elements of A does not generate an elliptic subgroup. When the edge and vertex groups are infinite cyclic, i.e. G is a Generalized Baumslag-Solitar group, we prove that the multiple conjugacy problem is fully solvable.
We say that a group has property $R_{\infty}$ if any group automorphism has an infinite number of twisted conjugacy classes. Fel'shtyn and Goncalves prove that the solvable Baumslag-Solitar groups BS(1,m) have property $R_{\infty}$. We define a solvable generalization $Γ(S)$ of these groups which we show to have property $R_{\infty}$. We then show that property $R_{\infty}$ is geometric for these groups, that is, any group quasi-isometric to $Γ(S)$ has property $R_{\infty}$ as well.
We show that the conjugacy problem in a wreath product $A \wr B$ is uniform-$\mathsf{TC}^0$-Turing-reducible to the conjugacy problem in the factors $A$ and $B$ and the power problem in $B$. If $B$ is torsion free, the power problem for $B$ can be replaced by the slightly weaker cyclic submonoid membership problem for $B$. Moreover, if $A$ is abelian, the cyclic subgroup membership problem suffices, which itself is uniform-$\mathsf{AC}^0$-many-one-reducible to the conjugacy problem in $A \wr B$. Furthermore, under certain natural conditions, we give a uniform $\mathsf{TC}^0$ Turing reduction f…
Rivin conjectured that the conjugacy growth series of a hyperbolic group is rational if and only if the group is virtually cyclic. Ciobanu, Hermiller, Holt and Rees proved that the conjugacy growth series of a virtually cyclic group is rational. Here we present the proof confirming the other direction of the conjecture, by showing that the conjugacy growth series of a non-elementary hyperbolic group is transcendental. We also present and prove some variations of Rivin's conjecture for commensurability classes and primitive conjugacy classes. We then explore Rivin's conjecture for finitely gene…
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.
Let W be a Coxeter group. In this paper, we establish that, up to going to some finite index normal subgroup W_0 of W, any two cyclically reduced expressions of conjugate elements of W_0 only differ by a sequence of braid relations and cyclic shifts. This thus provides a simple description of conjugacy classes in W_0. As a byproduct of our methods, we also obtain a characterisation of straight elements of W, namely of those elements w in W for which $\ell(w^n)=n\ell(w)$ for any integer n. In particular, we generalise previous characterisations of straight elements within the class of so-called…
We prove that fundamental groups of non-orientable 3-manifolds have a solvable conjugacy problem, and construct an algorithm. Together with our earlier work on the conjugacy problem in groups on orientable geometrizable 3-manifolds, all $π_1$ of (geometrizable) 3-manifolds have a solvable conjugacy problem. In corollaries, both the twisted conjugacy problem in closed surface groups and the conjugacy problem in closed surface-by-cyclic groups, are solvable.
We have proved in [Topology, 45 1 (2006)] that fundamental groups of oriented geometrizable 3-manifolds have a solvable conjugacy problem. We now consider the case of groups of non-oriented geometrizable 3-manifolds in order to conclude that fundamental groups of geometrizable 3-manifolds all have a solvable conjugacy problem.
When $G$ is solvable group, we prove that the number of conjugacy classes of elements of prime power order is less than or equal to the number of irreducible characters with values in fields where $\mathbb {Q}$ is extended by prime power roots of unity. We then combine this result with a theorem of Héthelyi and Külshammer that bounds the order of a finite group in terms of the number of conjugacy classes of elements of prime power order to bound the order of a solvable group by the number of irreducible characters with values in fields extended by prime power roots of unity. This yields for so…
For every finitely generated recursively presented group G we construct a finitely presented group H containing G such that G is (Frattini) embedded into H and the group H has solvable conjugacy problem if and only if G has solvable conjugacy problem. Moreover G and H have the same r.e. Turing degrees of the conjugacy problem. This solves a problem by D. Collins.
We present a solution to the conjugacy decision problem and the conjugacy search problem in Garside groups, which is theoretically simpler than the usual one, with no loss of efficiency. This is done by replacing the well known cycling and decycling operations by a new one, called cyclic sliding, which appears to be a more natural choice. We give an analysis of the complexity of our algorithm in terms of fundamental operations with simple elements, so our analysis is valid for every Garside group. This paper intends to be self-contained, not requiring any previous knowledge of prior algorithms…
In 2000, L. Héthelyi and B. Külshammer proved that if $p$ is a prime number dividing the order of a finite solvable group $G$, then $G$ has at least $2\sqrt{p-1}$ conjugacy classes. In this paper we show that if $p$ is large, the result remains true for arbitrary finite groups.
Let $n\geq 3$. In this paper we deal with the conjugacy problem in the Artin braid group quotient $B_n/[P_n,P_n]$. To solve it we use systems of equations over the integers arising from the action of $B_n/[P_n,P_n]$ over the abelianization of the pure Artin braid group $P_n/[P_n,P_n]$. Using this technique we also realize explicitly infinite virtually cyclic subgroups in $B_n/[P_n,P_n]$.
We describe a constructive, cubic time solution to the conjugacy problem in Artin groups of extra-large type, which was proved solvable in those groups by Appel and Schupp. We use results from two of our previous papers that characterise geodesic words in those groups, as well as the description of conjugacy between elements involving three or more generators that is given by Appel and Schupp.
We study the regularity of several languages derived from conjugacy classes in a finitely generated group G for a variety of examples including word hyperbolic, virtually abelian, Artin, and Garside groups. We also determine the rationality of the growth series of the shortlex conjugacy language in virtually cyclic groups, proving one direction of a conjecture of Rivin.
We prove that finite index subgroups of right angled Artin groups are conjugacy separable. We then apply this result to establish various properties of other classes of groups. In particular, we show that any word hyperbolic Coxeter group contains a conjugacy separable subgroup of finite index and has a residually finite outer automorphism group. Another consequence of the main result is that Bestvina-Brady groups are conjugacy separable and have solvable conjugacy problem.
Let $G$ be a finite group, and let cs$(G)$ be the set of conjugacy class sizes of $G$. Recalling that an element $g$ of $G$ is called a \emph{vanishing element} if there exists an irreducible character of $G$ taking the value $0$ on $g$, we consider one particular subset of cs$(G)$, namely, the set vcs$(G)$ whose elements are the conjugacy class sizes of the vanishing elements of $G$. Motivated by the results in \cite{BLP}, we describe the class of the finite groups $G$ such that vcs$(G)$ consists of a single element \emph{under the assumption that $G$ is supersolvable or $G$ has a normal Sylo…
We calculate asymptotic estimates for the conjugacy growth function of finitely generated class 2 nilpotent groups whose derived subgroup is infinite cyclic, including the so-called higher Heisenberg groups. We prove that these asymptotics are stable when passing to commensurable groups, by understanding their twisted conjugacy growth. We also use these estimates to prove that, in certain cases, the conjugacy growth series cannot be a holonomic function.
In this note we solve the twisted conjugacy problem for braid groups, i.e. we propose an algorithm which, given two braids $u,v\in B_n$ and an automorphism $ϕ\in Aut (B_n)$, decides whether $v=(ϕ(x))^{-1}ux$ for some $x\in B_n$. As a corollary, we deduce that each group of the form $B_n \rtimes H$, a semidirect product of the braid group $B_n$ by a torsion-free hyperbolic group $H$, has solvable conjugacy problem.
We provide polynomial lower bounds for residual finiteness of residually finite, finitely generated solvable groups that admit infinite order elements in the Fitting subgroup of strict distortion at least exponential. For this class of solvable groups which include polycyclic groups with a nontrivial exponential radical and the metabelian Baumslag-Solitar groups, we improve the lower bounds found in the literature. Additionally, for the class of residually finite, finitely generated solvable groups of infinite Prüfer rank that satisfy the conditions of our theorem, we provide the first nontriv…
We prove that for every $ε> 0$ there exists a $δ> 0$ so that every group of order $n \geq 3$ has at least $δ\log_{2} n/{(\log_{2} \log_{2} n)}^{3+ε}$ conjugacy classes. This sharpens earlier results of Pyber and Keller. Bertram speculates whether it is true that every finite group of order $n$ has more than $\log_{3}n$ conjugacy classes. We answer Bertram's question in the affirmative for groups with a trivial solvable radical.
We investigate the conjugacy growth of finitely generated linear groups. We show that finitely generated non-virtually-solvable subgroups of GL_d have uniform exponential conjugacy growth and in fact that the number of distinct polynomials arising as characteristic polynomials of the elements of the ball of radius n for the word metric has exponential growth rate bounded away from 0 in terms of the dimension d only.
Let N be a finitely generated normal subgroup of a Gromov hyperbolic group G. We establish criteria for N to have solvable conjugacy problem and be conjugacy separable in terms of the corresponding properties of G/N. We show that the hyperbolic group from F. Haglund's and D. Wise's version of Rips's construction is hereditarily conjugacy separable. We then use this construction to produce first examples of finitely generated and finitely presented conjugacy separable groups that contain non-(conjugacy separable) subgroups of finite index.
We design new deterministic and randomized algorithms for computational problems in free solvable groups. In particular, we prove that the word problem and the power problem can be solved in quasi-linear time and the conjugacy problem can be solved in quasi-quartic time by Monte Carlo type algorithms.
