We construct three groups $Λ_1$, $Λ_2$, $Λ_3$, which can all be decomposed as amalgamated products $F_9 \ast_{F_{81}} F_{9}$ and have very few normal subgroups of finite or infinite index. Concretely, $Λ_1$ is a simple group, $Λ_2$ is not simple but has no non-trivial normal subgroup of infinite index, and $Λ_3$ is not simple but has no proper subgroup of finite index.
We partly generalize the estimate for the rank of intersection of subgroups in free products of groups, proved earlier by S.V.Ivanov and W.Dicks, to the case of free amalgamated products of groups with normal finite amalgamated subgroup. We also prove that the obtained estimate is sharp and cannot be further improved when the amalgamated product contains an involution.
We consider an amalgam of groups constructed from fusion systems for different odd primes p and q. This amalgam contains a self-normalizing cyclic subgroup of order pq and isolated elements of order p and q.
We use the description of the Schutzenberger automata for amalgams of finite inverse semigroups given by Cherubini, Meakin, Piochi to obtain structural results for such amalgams. Schutzenberger automata, in the case of amalgams of finite inverse semigroups, are automata with special structure possessing finite subgraphs, that contain all essential information related to the whole automaton. Using this crucial fact, and the Bass-Serre theory, we show that the maximal subgroups of an amalgamated free-product are either isomorphic to certain subgroups of the original semigroups or can be describe…
We show that the class of amalgamated free products of two free groups over a cyclic subgroup admits amenable, faithful and transitive actions on infinite countable sets. This work generalizes the results on such actions for doubles of free group on 2 generators.
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.
We classify fusion systems $\mathcal{F}$ in which $O_p(\mathcal{F})=\{1\}$, and there are two $\mathrm{Aut}_{\mathcal{F}}(S)$-invariant essential subgroups whose normalizer systems generate $\mathcal{F}$. We employ the amalgam method and, as a bonus, obtain $p$-local characterizations of certain rank $2$ group amalgams whose parabolic subgroups involve strongly $p$-embedded subgroups.
Let $G$ be a free product of two groups with amalgamated subgroup, $π$ be either the set of all prime numbers or the one-element set \{$p$\} for some prime number $p$. Denote by $Σ$ the family of all cyclic subgroups of group $G$, which are separable in the class of all finite $π$-groups. Obviously, cyclic subgroups of the free factors, which aren't separable in these factors by the family of all normal subgroups of finite $π$-index of group $G$, the subgroups conjugated with them and all subgroups, which aren't $π^{\prime}$-isolated, don't belong to $Σ$. Some sufficient conditions are obtaine…
Let G be a finitely generated infinite pro-p group acting on a pro-p tree such that the restriction of the action to some open subgroup is free. Then we prove that G splits as a pro-p amalgamated product or as a pro-p HNN-extension over an edge stabilizer. Using this result we prove under certain conditions that free pro-p products with procyclic amalgamation inherit from its free factors the property of each 2-generated subgroup being free pro-p. This generalizes known pro-p results, as well as some pro-p analogs of classical results in abstract combinatorial group theory.
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.
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 define the notion of preGarside group slightly lightening the definition of Garside group so that all Artin-Tits groups are preGarside groups. This paper intends to give a first basic study on these groups. Firstly, we introduce the notion of parabolic subgroup, we prove that any preGarside group has a (partial) complemented presentation, and we characterize the parbolic subgroups in terms of these presentations. Afterwards we prove that the amalgamated product of two preGarside groups along a common parabolic subgroup is again a preGarside group. This enables us to define the family of pre…
In 1930, Wilhelm Magnus introduced the so-called Freiheitssatz: Let $F$ be a free group with basis $\mathcal{X}$ and let $r$ be a cyclically reduced element of $F$ which contains a basis element $x \in \mathcal{X}$, then every non-trivial element of the normal closure of $r$ in $F$ contains the basis element $x$. Equivalently, the subgroup freely generated by $\mathcal{X} \backslash \{x\}$ embeds canonically into the quotient group $F / \langle \! \langle r \rangle \! \rangle_{F}$. In this article, we want to introduce a Freiheitssatz for amalgamated products $G=A \ast_{U} B$ of free groups $A…
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 prove that the amalgamated free product of two free groups of rank two over a common cyclic subgroup, admits an amenable, faithful, transitive action on an infinite countable set. We also show that any finite index subgroup admits such an action, which applies for example to surface groups and fundamental groups of surface bundles over $\mathbb{S}^1$.
For relatively hyperbolic groups, we investigate conditions guaranteeing that the subgroup generated by two relatively quasiconvex subgroups $Q_1$ and $Q_2$ is relatively quasiconvex and isomorphic to $Q_1 \ast_{Q_1 \cap Q_2} Q_2$. The main theorem extends results for quasiconvex subgroups of word-hyperbolic groups, and results for discrete subgroups of isometries of hyperbolic spaces.
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 permutation group is called semiprimitive if each of its normal subgroups is either transitive or semiregular. Given nontrivial finite transitive permutation groups $L_1$ and $L_2$ with $L_1$ not semiprimitive, we construct an infinite family of rank two amalgams of permutation type $[L_1,L_2]$ and Borel subgroups of strictly increasing order. As an application, we show that there is no bound on the order of edge-stabilisers in locally $[L_1,L_2]$ graphs. We also consider the corresponding question for amalgams of rank $k\geq 3$. We completely resolve this by showing that the order of the Bo…
This paper gives necessary and sufficient conditions that the free product with amalgamation of circularly-ordered groups admit a circular ordering extending the given orderings of the factors. Our result follows from establishing a categorical framework that allows the problem to be restated in terms of amalgamating certain left-ordered central extensions, where we are able to apply work of Bludov and Glass.
An amalgam of groups can be viewed as a Sudoku game inside a group. You are given a set of subgroups and their intersections and you need to decide what the largest group containing such a structure can be. In a recent paper (0907.1388v1) we used Bass-Serre theory of graphs of groups to classify all possible amalgams of Curtis-Tits shape with a given diagram. This note describes the method for general rank two amalgams.
For $n \geq 2$ let $Δ$ be a Dynkin diagram of rank $n$ and let $I = {1, >..., n}$ be the set of labels of $Δ$. A group $G$ admits a weak Phan system of type $Δ$ over $\mathbb{C}$ if $G$ is generated by subgroups $U_i$, $i \in I$, which are central quotients of simply connected compact semisimple Lie groups of rank one, and contains subgroups $U_{i,j} = \gen{U_i ,U_j}$, $i \neq j \in I$, which are central quotients of simply connected compact semisimple Lie groups of rank two such that $U_i$ and $U_j$ are rank one subgroups of $U_{i,j}$ corresponding to a choice of a maximal torus and a fundame…
We prove that, for any two finite volume hyperbolic $3$-manifolds, the amalgamation of their fundamental groups along any nontrivial geometrically finite subgroup is not LERF. This generalizes the author's previous work on nonLERFness of amalgamations of hyperbolic $3$-manifold groups along abelian subgroups. A consequence of this result is that closed arithmetic hyperbolic $4$-manifolds have nonLERF fundamental groups. Along with the author's previous work, we get that, for any arithmetic hyperbolic manifold with dimension at least $4$, with possible exceptions in $7$-dimensional manifolds de…
It is shown that the knapsack problem, which was introduced by Myasnikov et al. for arbitrary finitely generated groups, can be solved in NP for graph groups. This result even holds if the group elements are represented in a compressed form by SLPs, which generalizes the classical NP-completeness result of the integer knapsack problem. We also prove general transfer results: NP-membership of the knapsack problem is passed on to finite extensions, HNN-extensions over finite associated subgroups, and amalgamated products with finite identified subgroups.
Garside groups are a natural lattice-theoretic generalisation of the braid groups and spherical type Artin--Tits groups. Here we show that the class of Garside groups is closed under some free products with cyclic amalgamated subgroups. We deduce that every tree product of infinite cyclic groups is a Garside group. Moreover, we study those cyclic HNN extensions of Garside groups that are Garside groups as well. Using a theorem of Pietrowski, we conclude this paper by stating that a non-cyclic one-relator group is Garside if and only if its centre is nontrivial.
Root-class residuality of free product of root-class residual groups is demonstrated. A sufficient condition for root-class residuality of generalized free product $G$ of groups $A$ and $B$ amalgamating subgroups $H$ and $K$ through the isomorphism $ϕ$ is derived. For the particular case when $A=B$, $H=K$ and $ϕ$ is the identity mapping, it is shown that group $G$ is root-class residual if and only if $A$ is root-class residual and subgroup $H$ of $A$ is root-class closed. These results are extended to generalized free product of infinitely many groups amalgamating a common subgroup.
A Coxeter system is an ordered pair (W,S) where S is the generating set in a particular type of presentation for the Coxeter group W. A subgroup of W is called special if it is generated by a subset of S. Amalgamated product decompositions of a Coxeter group having special factors and special amalgamated subgroup are easily recognized from the presentation of the Coxeter group. If a Coxeter group is a subgroup of the fundamental group of a given graph of groups, then the Coxeter group is also the fundamental group of a graph of special subgroups, where each vertex and edge group is a subgroup …
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 describe a general technique for embedding certain amalgamated products into direct products. This technique provides us with a way of constructing a host of finitely presented subgroups of automatic groups which are not even asynchronously automatic. We can also arrange that such subgroups satisfy, at best, an exponential isoperimetric inequality.
Free products of two residually finite groups with amalgamated retracts are considered. It is proved that a cyclic subgroup of such a group is not finitely separable if, and only if, it is conjugated with a subgroup of a free factor which is not finitely separable in this factor. A similar result is obtained for the case of separability in the class of finite p-groups.
We show that $\mathcal{U}(\mathbb{Z}G)$, the unit group of the integral group ring $\mathbb{Z} G$, either satisfies Kazhdan's property (T) or is, up to commensurability, a non-trivial amalgamated product, in case $G$ is a finite group satisfying some mild conditions. Crucial in the proof is the construction of amalgamated decompositions of the elementary group $\operatorname{E}_2(\mathcal{O})$, where $\mathcal{O}$ is an order in a rational division algebra. A major step is to introduce subgroups $\operatorname{E}_2(Γ_n(\mathbb{Z}))$ inside the so-called higher modular groups $\operatorname{SL}…
We construct an efficient model for graphs of finitely generated subgroups of free groups. Using this we give a very short proof of Dicks's reformulation of the strengthened Hanna Neumann Conjecture as the Amalgamated Graph Conjecture. In addition, we answer a question of Culler and Shalen on ranks of intersections in free groups. The latter has also been done independently by R. P. Kent IV.
We develop a new criterion to tell if a group $G$ has the maximal gap of $1/2$ in stable commutator length (scl). For amalgamated free products $G = A \star_C B$ we show that every element $g$ in the commutator subgroup of $G$ which does not conjugate into $A$ or $B$ satisfies $scl(g) \geq 1/2$, provided that $C$ embeds as a left relatively convex subgroup in both $A$ and $B$. We deduce from this that every non-trivial element $g$ in the commutator subgroup of a right-angled Artin group $G$ satisfies $scl(g) \geq 1/2$. This bound is sharp and is inherited by all fundamental groups of special c…
Given a graph of groups $\mathcal{G} = (Γ, \{G_v\}, \{G_e\})$ with certain conditions on vertex groups and $G$ acts acylindrically on its Bass-Serre tree $T$. Let $H$ be a finitely generated subgroup of $G$. We prove the following statements equivalence: $H$ has finite height, $(G, T, H)$ is a $A/QI$--triple, $H$ is strongly quasiconvex and virtually free in $G$. We also give a condition to determine whether strong quasiconvexity in a group is preserved under amalgams.
It is an old and challenging topic to investigate for which discrete groups G the full group C*-algebra C*(G) is residually finite-dimensional (RFD). In particular not much is known about how the RFD property behaves under fundamental constructions, such as amalgamated free products and HNN-extensions. In [CS19] it was proved that central amalgamated free products of virtually abelian groups are RFD. In this paper we prove that this holds much beyond this case. Our method is based on showing a certain approximation property for characters induced from central subgroups. In particular it allows…
We prove that the palindromic width of HNN extension of a group by proper associated subgroups is infinite. We also prove that the palindromic width of the amalgamated free product of two groups via a proper subgroup is infinite (except when the amalgamated subgroup has index two in each of the factors). Combining these results it follows that the palindromic width of the fundamental group of a graph of groups is mostly infinite.
This article is part of the program of studying large-scale geometric properties of totally disconnected locally compact groups, TDLC-groups, by analogy with the theory for discrete groups. We provide a characterization of hyperbolic TDLC-groups, in terms of homological isoperimetric inequalities. This characterization is used to prove the main result of the article: for hyperbolic TDLC-groups with rational discrete cohomological dimension $\leq 2$, hyperbolicity is inherited by compactly presented closed subgroups. As a consequence, every compactly presented closed subgroup of the automorphis…
Let G be a p-adic Lie group and Ad be the adjoint representation of G on its Lie algebra. It was claimed in the literature that the kernel K of Ad always has an abelian open normal subgroup. We show by means of a counterexample that this assertion is false; it can even happen that K=G but G has no abelian subnormal subgroup except for the trivial group. The arguments are based on auxiliary results on subgroups of free products with central amalgamation.
We classify all subgroups of $SO(3)$ that are generated by two elements, each a rotation of finite order, about axes separated by an angle that is a rational multiple of $π$. In all cases we give a presentation of the subgroup. In most cases the subgroup is the free product, or the amalgamated free product, of cyclic groups or dihedral groups. The relations between the generators are all simple consequences of standard facts about rotations by $π$ and $π/2$. Embedded in the subgroups are explicit free groups on 2 generators, as used in the Banach-Tarski paradox.
We establish sufficient conditions for the C$^*$-simplicity of two classes of groups. The first class is that of groups acting on trees, such as amalgamated free products, HNN-extensions, and their normal subgroups; for example normal subgroups of Baumslag-Solitar groups. The second class is that of fundamental groups of compact 3-manifolds, related to the first class by their Kneser-Milnor and JSJ-decompositions. Much of our analysis deals with conditions on an action of a group $Γ$ on a tree $T$ which imply the following three properties: abundance of hyperbolic elements, better called stron…
We show that free products of sofic groups with amalgamation over monotileably amenable subgroups are sofic. Consequently, so are HNN extensions of sofic groups relative to homomorphisms of monotileably amenable subgroups. We also show that families of independent uniformly distributed permutation matrices and certain families of non-random permutation matrices (essentially, those coming from quasi--actions of a sofic group) are asymptotically *-free as the matrix size grows without bound.
Let G be a word-hyperbolic group, obtained as a graph of free groups amalgamated along cyclic subgroups. If H_2(G;Q) is nonzero, then G contains a closed hyperbolic surface subgroup. Moreover, the unit ball of the Gromov-Thurston norm on H_2(G;R) is a finite-sided rational polyhedron.
Suppose $4|n$, $n\geq 8$, $F=F_n=\mathbb{Q}(ζ_n+\barζ_n)$, and there is one prime $\mathfrak{p}=\mathfrak{p}_n$ above $2$ in $F_n$. We study amalgam presentations for $\operatorname{PU_{2}}(\mathbb{Z}[ζ_n, 1/2])$ and $\operatorname{PSU_{2}}(\mathbb{Z}[ζ_n, 1/2])$ with the Clifford-cyclotomic group in quantum computing as a subgroup. These amalgams arise from an action of these groups on the Bruhat-Tits tree $Δ=Δ_{\mathfrak{p}}$ for $\operatorname{SL_{2}}(F_\mathfrak{p})$ constructed via the Hamilton quaternions. We explicitly compute the finite quotient graphs and the resulting amalgams for $8…
There has been interest recently concerning when a left ordered group is locally indicable. Bergman and Tararin have shown that not all left ordered groups are locally indicable, but all known examples contain a nonabelian free subgroup. We shall show for a large class of groups not containing a nonabelian free subgroup, that any left ordered group in this class is locally indicable. Specifically this class is the smallest class of groups containing NS and Thompson's group of piecewise linear homeomorphisms of the unit interval, and is closed under taking subgroups, quotient groups, extensions…
We obtain the symplectic group $\SP(V)$ as the universal completion of an amalgam of low rank subgroups akin to Levi components. We let $\SP(V)$ act flag-transitively on the geometry of maximal rank subspaces of $V$. We show that this geometry and its rank $\ge 3$ residues are simply connected with few exceptions. The main exceptional residue is described in some detail. The amalgamation result is then obtained by applying Tits' lemma. This provides a new way of recognizing the symplectic groups from a small collection of small subgroups.
We introduce and study the operation, called dense amalgam, which to any tuple X_1,...,X_k of non-empty compact metric spaces associates some disconnected perfect compact metric space, denoted $\widetilde\sqcup(X_1,...,X_k)$, in which there are many appropriately distributed copies of the spaces X_1,...,X_k. We then show that, in various settings, the ideal boundary of the free product of groups is homeomorphic to the dense amalgam of boundaries of the factors. We give also related more general results for graphs of groups with finite edge groups. We justify these results by referring to a con…