230 research outputs found
Twisted conjugacy in braid groups
In this note we solve the twisted conjugacy problem for braid groups, i.e. we
propose an algorithm which, given two braids and an automorphism
, decides whether for some . As a corollary, we deduce that each group of the form , a
semidirect product of the braid group by a torsion-free hyperbolic group
, has solvable conjugacy problem
Orbit decidability and the conjugacy problem for some extensions of groups
Given a short exact sequence of groups with certain conditions, 1 ? F ? G ? H ? 1, weprove that G has solvable conjugacy problem if and only if the corresponding action subgroupA 6 Aut(F) is orbit decidable. From this, we deduce that the conjugacy problem is solvable,among others, for all groups of the form Z2?Fm, F2?Fm, Fn?Z, and Zn?A Fm with virtually solvable action group A 6 GLn(Z). Also, we give an easy way of constructing groups of the form Z4?Fn and F3?Fn with unsolvable conjugacy problem. On the way, we solve the twisted conjugacy problem for virtually surface and virtually polycyclic groups, and give an example of a group with solvable conjugacy problem but unsolvable twisted conjugacy problem. As an application, an alternative solution to the conjugacy problem in Aut(F2) is given
On the complexity of the Whitehead minimization problem
The Whitehead minimization problem consists in finding a minimum size element
in the automorphic orbit of a word, a cyclic word or a finitely generated
subgroup in a finite rank free group. We give the first fully polynomial
algorithm to solve this problem, that is, an algorithm that is polynomial both
in the length of the input word and in the rank of the free group. Earlier
algorithms had an exponential dependency in the rank of the free group. It
follows that the primitivity problem -- to decide whether a word is an element
of some basis of the free group -- and the free factor problem can also be
solved in polynomial time.Comment: v.2: Corrected minor typos and mistakes, improved the proof of the
main technical lemma (Statement 2.4); added a section of open problems. 30
page
Algebraic extensions in free groups
The aim of this paper is to unify the points of view of three recent and
independent papers (Ventura 1997, Margolis, Sapir and Weil 2001 and Kapovich
and Miasnikov 2002), where similar modern versions of a 1951 theorem of
Takahasi were given. We develop a theory of algebraic extensions for free
groups, highlighting the analogies and differences with respect to the
corresponding classical field-theoretic notions, and we discuss in detail the
notion of algebraic closure. We apply that theory to the study and the
computation of certain algebraic properties of subgroups (e.g. being malnormal,
pure, inert or compressed, being closed in certain profinite topologies) and
the corresponding closure operators. We also analyze the closure of a subgroup
under the addition of solutions of certain sets of equations.Comment: 35 page
Intersection problem for Droms RAAGs
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 is finitely generated or not,
and, in the affirmative case, it computes a set of generators for .
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 groups. We note that
most of RAAGs are not Howson, and many (e.g. F_2 x F_2) even have unsolvable
SIP.Comment: 33 pages, 12 figures (revised following the referee's suggestions
Degree of commutativity of infinite groups
First published in Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society in volum 145, number 2, 2016, published by the American Mathematical SocietyWe prove that, in a finitely generated residually finite group of subexponential growth, the proportion of commuting pairs is positive if and only if the group is virtually abelian. In particular, this covers the case where the group has polynomial growth (i.e., virtually nilpotent groups, where the hypothesis of residual finiteness is always satisfied). We also show that, for non-elementary hyperbolic groups, the proportion of commuting pairs is always zero.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Bounding the gap between a free group (outer) automorphism and its inverse
For any finitely generated group , two complexity functions and
are defined to measure the maximal possible gap between the norm of
an automorphism (respectively outer automorphism) of and the norm of its
inverse. Restricting attention to free groups , the exact asymptotic
behaviour of and is computed. For rank ,
polynomial lower bounds are provided for and , and the
existence of a polynomial upper bound is proved for .Comment: 24 pages; To appear in Collectanea Mathematic
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