In this paper we describe an elimination process which is a deterministic rewriting procedure that on each elementary step transforms one system of equations over free groups into a finitely many new ones. Infinite branches of this process correspond to cyclic splittings of the coordinate group of the initial system of equations. This allows us to construct algorithmically Grushko's decompositions of finitely generated fully residually free groups and cyclic [abelian] JSJ decompositions of freely indecomposable finitely generated fully residually free groups. We apply these results to obtain an effective description of the set of homomorphisms from a given finitely presented group into a free group, or, more generally, into an NTQ group.
The JSJ decomposition encodes the automorphisms and the virtually cyclic splittings of a hyperbolic group. For general finitely presented groups, the JSJ decomposition encodes only their splittings. In this sequence of papers we study the automorphisms of a hierarchically hyperbolic group that satisfies some weak acylindricity conditions. To study these automorphisms we construct an object that can be viewed as a higher rank JSJ decomposition. In the first paper we demonstrate our construction in the case of a right angled Artin group. For studying automorphisms of a general HHG we construct w…
A JSJ-splitting of a group $G$ over a certain class of subgroups is a graph of groups decomposition of $G$ which describes all possible decompositions of $G$ as an amalgamated product or an HNN extension over subgroups lying in the given class. Such decompositions originated in 3-manifold topology. In this paper we generalize the JSJ-splitting constructions of Sela, Rips-Sela and Dunwoody-Sageev and we construct a JSJ-splitting for any finitely presented group with respect to the class of all slender subgroups along which the group splits. Our approach relies on Haefliger's theory of group act…
We give a complete characterization of the forking independence relation over any set of parameters in the free groups of finite rank, in terms of the $JSJ$ decompositions relative to those parameters.
We give an example of two JSJ decompositions of a group that are not related by conjugation, conjugation of edge-inclusions, and slide moves. This answers the question of Rips and Sela stated in "Cyclic splittings of finitely presented groups and the canonical JSJ decomposition," Ann. of Math. 146 (1997), 53-109. On the other hand we observe that any two JSJ decompositions of a group are related by an elementary deformation, and that strongly slide-free JSJ decompositions are genuinely unique. These results hold for the decompositions of Rips and Sela, Dunwoody and Sageev, and Fujiwara and Pap…
This is the second paper in a sequence on Krull dimension for limit groups, answering a question of Z. Sela. In it we develop the notion of a resolution of a sequence of limit groups and show how to derive resolutions of low complexity from resolutions of high complexity.
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 describe the compatibility JSJ decomposition over abelian groups. We prove that in general this decomposition is not algorithmically computable.
This paper and its companion arXiv:1002.4564 have been replaced by arXiv:1602.05139. We give a general simple definition of JSJ decompositions by means of a universal maximality property. The JSJ decomposition should not be viewed as a tree (which is not uniquely defined) but as a canonical deformation space of trees. We prove that JSJ decompositions of finitely presented groups always exist, without any assumption on edge groups. Many examples are given.
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 construct the JSJ decomposition of a vGBS group over abelian groups. We prove that this decomposition is explicitly computable, and may be obtained by local changes on the initial graph of groups.
We classify all possible JSJ decompositions of doubles of free groups of rank two and we then compute the Makanin-Razborov diagram of a particular double of a free group and deduce that in general limit groups are not freely subgroup separable.
In this paper we use JSJ-decompositions to formalise a folk conjecture recorded by Pride on the structure of one-relator groups with torsion. We prove a slightly weaker version of the conjecture, which implies that the structure of one-relator groups with torsion closely resemble the structure of torsion-free hyperbolic groups.
A group G has property FA if G fixes a point of every tree on which G acts without inversions. We prove that every Coxeter system of finite rank has a visual JSJ decomposition over subgroups with property FA. As an application, we reduce the twist conjecture to Coxeter systems that are indecomposable with respect to amalgamated products over visual subgroups with property FA.
We construct quasi-isometry invariants of a one-ended finitely presented group by considering the tree of cylinders of a two-ended JSJ decomposition of the group. When the group satisfies additional quasi-isometric rigidity hypotheses we construct finer invariants by also considering relative amounts of stretching across edges of the tree of cylinders.
We demonstrate the quasi-isometry invariance of two important geometric structures for relatively hyperbolic groups: the coned space and the cusped space. As applications, we produce a JSJ-decomposition for relatively hyperbolic groups which is invariant under quasi-isometries and outer automorphisms, as well as a related splitting of the quasi-isometry groups of relatively hyperbolic groups.
This paper and its companion arXiv:0911.3173 have been replaced by arXiv:1602.05139. We define the compatibility JSJ tree of a group G over a class of subgroups. It exists whenever G is finitely presented and leads to a canonical tree (not a deformation space) which is invariant under automorphisms. Under acylindricity hypotheses, we prove that the (usual) JSJ deformation space and the compatibility JSJ tree exist, and we describe their flexible subgroups. We apply these results to finitely generated CSA groups, Γ-limit groups (allowing torsion), and relatively hyperbolic groups.
This is an account of the theory of JSJ decompositions of finitely generated groups, as developed in the last twenty years or so. We give a simple general definition of JSJ decompositions (or rather of their Bass-Serre trees), as maximal universally elliptic trees. In general, there is no preferred JSJ decomposition, and the right object to consider is the whole set of JSJ decompositions, which forms a contractible space: the JSJ deformation space (analogous to Outer Space). We prove that JSJ decompositions exist for any finitely presented group, without any assumption on edge groups. When edg…
We present an algorithm to construct the JSJ decomposition of one-ended hyperbolic groups which are fundamental groups of graphs of free groups with cyclic edge groups. Our algorithm runs in double exponential time, and is the first algorithm on JSJ decompositions to have an explicit time bound. Our methods are combinatorial/geometric and rely on analysing properties of immersed cycles in certain CAT(0) square complexes.
Generalized Baumslag-Solitar groups are defined as fundamental groups of graphs of groups with infinite cyclic vertex and edge groups. Forester proved (in "On uniqueness of JSJ decompositions of finitely generated groups", Comment. Math. Helv. 78 (2003) pp 740-751) that in most cases the defining graphs are cyclic JSJ decompositions, in the sense of Rips and Sela. Here we extend Forester's results to graphs of groups with vertex groups that can be either infinite cyclic or quadratically hanging surface groups.
We present an algorithm that computes Bowditch's canonical JSJ decomposition of a given one-ended hyperbolic group over its virtually cyclic subgroups. The algorithm works by identifying topological features in the boundary of the group. As a corollary we also show how to compute the JSJ decomposition of such a group over its virtually cyclic subgroups with infinite centre. We also give a new algorithm that determines whether or not a given one-ended hyperbolic group is virtually fuchsian. Our approach uses only the geometry of large balls in the Cayley graph and avoids Makanin's algorithm.
We construct `structure invariants' of a one-ended, finitely presented group that describe the way in which the factors of its JSJ decomposition over two-ended subgroups fit together. For groups satisfying two technical conditions, these invariants reduce the problem of quasi-isometry classification of such groups to the problem of relative quasi-isometry classification of the factors of their JSJ decompositions. The first condition is that their JSJ decompositions have two-ended cylinder stabilizers. The second is that every factor in their JSJ decompositions is either `relatively rigid' or `…
A hierarchy of a group is a rooted tree of groups obtained by iteratively passing to vertex groups of graphs of groups decompositions. We define a (relative) slender JSJ hierarchy for (almost) finitely presented groups and show that it is finite, provided the group in question doesn't contain any slender subgroups with infinite dihedral quotients and satisfies an ascending chain condition on certain chains of subgroups of edge groups. As a corollary, slender JSJ hierarchies of hyperbolic groups which are (virtually) without $2$--torsion and finitely presented subgroups of SL(n,Z) are both fini…
The idea of "JSJ-decompositions" for 3-manifolds began with work of Waldhausen and was developed later through work of Jaco, Shalen and Johansen. It was shown that there is a finite collection of 2-sided, incompressible tori that separate a given closed irreducible 3-manifold into pieces with strong topological structure. Sela introduced the idea of JSJ-decompositions for groups, an idea that has flourished in a variety of directions. The general idea is to consider a certain class X of groups and splittings of groups in X by groups in another class Y. E.g. Rips and Sela considered splittings …
Let G be a one-ended group acting discretely and co-compactly on a CAT(0) space X. We show that the boundary of X has no cut points and that one can detect splittings of $G$ over two-ended groups and recover its JSJ decomposition from the boundary. We show that any discrete action of a group G on a CAT(0) space X satisfies a convergence type property. This is used in the proof of the results above but it is also of independent interest. In particular, if G acts co-compactly on X, then one obtains as a Corollary that if the Tits diameter of the boundary of X is bigger than $\frac {3π} 2$ then i…
There has been much recent interest into those properties of a 3-manifold determined by the profinite completion of its fundamental group. In this paper we give readily computable criteria specifying precisely when two orientable graph manifold groups have isomorphic profinite completions. Our results also distinguish graph manifolds among the class of all 3-manifolds and give information about the structure of totally hyperbolic manifolds, and give control over the pro-$p$ completion of certain graph manifold groups.
We introduce a class $\A$ of finitely generated residually finite accessible groups with some natural restriction on one-ended vertex groups in their JSJ-decompositions. We prove that the profinite completion of groups in $\A$ almost detects its JSJ-decomposition and compute the genus of free products of groups in $\A$.
This paper aims to give an account of theorem of Louder and Touikan which shows that many hierarchies consisting of slender JSJ-decompositions are finite. In particular JSJ-hierarchies of $2$-torsion-free hyperbolic groups are always finite.
A JSJ decomposition of a group is a splitting that allows one to classify all possible splittings of the group over a certain family of edge groups. Although JSJ decompositions are not unique in general, Guirardel--Levitt have constructed a canonical JSJ decomposition, the tree of cylinders, which classifies splittings of relatively hyperbolic groups over elementary subgroups. In this paper, we give a new topological construction of the Guirardel--Levitt tree of cylinders, and we show that this tree depends only on the homeomorphism type of the Bowditch boundary. Furthermore, the tree of cylin…
We give a complete characterization of torsion-free hyperbolic groups which are homogeneous in the sense of first-order logic, in terms of the JSJ decompositions of their free factors.
Using graph of groups decompositions of finitely generated groups, we define Euler characteristic type invariants which are non-zero in many interesting classes of finitely presented, hyperbolic, limit and CSA groups, including elementarily free groups and one-ended torsion-free hyperbolic groups whose JSJ decomposition contains a maximal hanging Fuchsian vertex group.
Let $M$ be a closed, orientable, irreducible, geometrizable 3-manifold. We prove that the profinite topology on the fundamental group of $π_1(M)$ is efficient with respect to the JSJ decomposition of $M$. We go on to prove that $π_1(M)$ is good, in the sense of Serre, if all the pieces of the JSJ decomposition are. We also prove that if $M$ is a graph manifold then $π_1(M)$ is conjugacy separable.
Analogues of JSJ decompositions were developed for Poincaré duality pairs in [19]. These decompositions depend only on the group. Our focus will be on describing the edge splittings of these decompositions more precisely. We use our results to compare these decompositions with two other closely related decompositions.
We prove a pro-$p$ version of Sela's theorem stating that a finitely generated group is $k$-acylindrically accessible. This result is then used to prove that $\mathrm{PD}^n$ pro-$p$ groups admit a unique $k$-acylindrical JSJ-decomposition.
Let T be a tree with an action of a finitely generated group G. Given a suitable equivalence relation on the set of edge stabilizers of T (such as commensurability, co-elementarity in a relatively hyperbolic group, or commutation in a commutative transitive group), we define a tree of cylinders T_c. This tree only depends on the deformation space of T; in particular, it is invariant under automorphisms of G if T is a JSJ splitting. We thus obtain Out(G)-invariant cyclic or abelian JSJ splittings. Furthermore, T_c has very strong compatibility properties (two trees are compatible if they have a…
School of Mathematics, Fry Building, Woodland Road Bristol, UK（布里斯托大学数学学院）；Maxwell Institute and Department of Mathematics Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, UK（爱丁堡赫瑞-瓦特大学麦克斯韦研究所和数学系）
Let $G$ be the fundamental group of a finite graph of groups with Noetherian edges and locally tame vertices. We prove that $G$ is locally tame. It follows that if a finitely presented group $H$ has a non-trivial $JSJ$-decomposition over the class of its $VPC(k)$ subgroups for $k=1$ or $k=2$, and all the vertex groups in the decomposition are flexible, then $H$ is locally tame.
Let G be a finitely presented group. Scott and Swarup have constructed a canonical splitting of G which encloses all almost invariant sets over virtually polycyclic subgroups of a given length. We give an alternative construction of this regular neighbourhood, by showing that it is the tree of cylinders of a JSJ splitting.
We find canonical decompositions for finitely presented groups which specialize to the classical JSJ-decomposition when restricted to the fundamental groups of Haken manifolds. The decompositions that we obtain are invariant under automorphisms of the group. A crucial new ingredient is the concept of a regular neighbourhood for a finite family of almost invariant subsets of a group. An almost invariant set is an analogue of an immersion.
The authors previously described an algebraic analogue of the JSJ-decomposition of a 3-manifold. This analogue is defined for any finitely presented, one-ended group. We study this analogue in the special case of Poincaré duality pairs.
We show that a right-angled Artin group, defined by a graph $Γ$ that has at least three vertices, does not split over an infinite cyclic subgroup if and only if $Γ$ is biconnected. Further, we compute JSJ--decompositions of 1--ended right-angled Artin groups over infinite cyclic subgroups.
We give explicit necessary and sufficient conditions for the abstract commensurability of certain families of 1-ended, hyperbolic groups, namely right-angled Coxeter groups defined by generalized theta-graphs and cycles of generalized theta-graphs, and geometric amalgams of free groups whose JSJ graphs are trees of diameter at most 4. We also show that if a geometric amalgam of free groups has JSJ graph a tree, then it is commensurable to a right-angled Coxeter group, and give an example of a geometric amalgam of free groups which is not quasi-isometric (hence not commensurable) to any group w…
We study algebraic closure and its relation with definable closure in free groups and more generally in torsion-free hyperbolic groups. Given a torsion-free hyperbolic group G and a nonabelian subgroup A of G, we describe G as a constructible group from the algebraic closure of A along cyclic subgroups. In particular, it follows that the algebraic closure of A is finitely generated, quasiconvex and hyperbolic. Suppose that G is free. Then the definable closure of A is a free factor of the algebraic closure of A and the rank of these groups is bounded by that of G. We prove that the algebraic c…
We introduce the notion of a `canonical' splitting over Z or ZxZ for a finitely generated group G. We show that when G happens to be the fundamental group of an orientable Haken manifold M with incompressible boundary, then the decomposition of the group naturally obtained from canonical splittings is closely related to the one given by the standard JSJ-decomposition of M. This leads to a new proof of Johannson's Deformation Theorem.
We characterize which permutational wreath products W^(X)\rtimes G are finitely presented. This occurs if and only if G and W are finitely presented, G acts on X with finitely generated stabilizers, and with finitely many orbits on the cartesian square X^2. On the one hand, this extends a result of G. Baumslag about standard wreath products; on the other hand, this provides nontrivial examples of finitely presented groups. For instance, we obtain two quasi-isometric finitely presented groups, one of which is torsion-free and the other has an infinite torsion subgroup. Motivated by the characte…
Finite decomposition complexity and asymptotic dimension growth are two generalizations of M. Gromov's asymptotic dimension which can be used to prove property A for large classes of finitely generated groups of infinite asymptotic dimension. In this paper, we introduce the notion of decomposition complexity growth, which is a quasi-isometry invariant generalizing both finite decomposition complexity and dimension growth. We show that subexponential decomposition complexity growth implies property A, and is preserved by certain group and metric constructions.
We study the quasi-isometric rigidity of a large family of finitely generated groups that split as graphs of groups with virtually free vertex groups and two-ended edge groups. Let $G$ be a group that is one-ended, hyperbolic relative to virtually abelian subgroups, and has JSJ decomposition over two-ended subgroups containing only virtually free vertex groups that aren't quadratically hanging. Our main result is that any group quasi-isometric to $G$ is abstractly commensurable to $G$. In particular, our result applies to certain "generic" HNN extensions of a free group over cyclic subgroups.
We classify the groups quasi-isometric to a group generated by finite-order elements within the class of one-ended hyperbolic groups which are not Fuchsian and whose JSJ decomposition over two-ended subgroups does not contain rigid vertex groups. To do this, we characterize which JSJ trees of a group in this class admit a cocompact group action with quotient a tree. The conditions are stated in terms of two graphs we associate to the degree refinement of a group in this class. We prove there is a group in this class which is quasi-isometric to a Coxeter group but is not abstractly commensurabl…
In his work on the Farrell-Jones Conjecture, Arthur Bartels introduced the concept of a "finitely $\mathcal{F}$-amenable" group action, where $\mathcal{F}$ is a family of subgroups. We show how a finitely $\mathcal{F}$-amenable action of a countable group $G$ on a compact metric space, where the asymptotic dimensions of the elements of $\mathcal{F}$ are bounded from above, gives an upper bound for the asymptotic dimension of $G$ viewed as a metric space with a proper left invariant metric. We generalize this to families $\mathcal{F}$ whose elements are contained in a collection, $\mathfrak{C}$…
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 prove that the isomorphism problem for finitely generated fully residually free groups is decidable. We also show that each finitely generated fully residually free group G has a decomposition that is invariant under automorphisms of G, and obtain a structure theorem for the group of outer automorphisms Out(G).
