On abstract commensurators of groups

We prove that the abstract commensurator of a nonabelian free group, an infinite surface group, or more generally of a group that splits appropriately over a cyclic subgroup, is not finitely generated. This applies in particular to all torsion-free word-hyperbolic groups with infinite outer automorphism group and abelianization of rank at least 2. We also construct a finitely generated, torsion-free group which can be mapped onto Z and which has a finitely generated commensurator.Comment: 13 pages, no figur

On the Finiteness Problem for Automaton (Semi)groups

This paper addresses a decision problem highlighted by Grigorchuk, Nekrashevich, and Sushchanskii, namely the finiteness problem for automaton (semi)groups. For semigroups, we give an effective sufficient but not necessary condition for finiteness and, for groups, an effective necessary but not sufficient condition. The efficiency of the new criteria is demonstrated by testing all Mealy automata with small stateset and alphabet. Finally, for groups, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition that does not directly lead to a decision procedure

On the coincidence of verbal products

The article contains no abstrac

On equivalence of semigroup identities

For a given relation $\rho$ on a free semigroup ${\mathcal F}$ we describe the smallest cancellative fully invariant congruence ${\rho}^{\sharp}$ containing $\rho$. Two semigroup identities are s-equivalent if each of them is a consequence of the other on cancellative semigroups. If two semigroup identities are equivalent on groups, it is not known if they are s-equivalent. We give a positive answer to this question for all binary semigroup identities of the degree less or equal to 5. A poset of corresponding varieties of groups is given