The abstract commensurator of Baumslag-Solitar groups. (Q354491): Difference between revisions

Let \(G\) be a group, and denote by \(\Omega(G)\) the set of isomorphisms of subgroups of finite index in \(G\). Let \(\varphi_1\colon H_1\mapsto K_1\) and \(\varphi_2\colon H_2\mapsto K_2\) be two elements of the set \(\Omega(G)\). We say that \(\varphi_1\) and \(\varphi_2\) are \textit{equivalent}, and we write \(\varphi_1E\varphi_2\), if there exists a subgroup \(H\) of finite index of \(G\) such that \(\varphi_1\) and \(\varphi_2\) are both defined on \(H\) and \(\varphi_1(h)=\varphi_2(h)\), for every \(h\in H\). It is easy to show that \(E\) is an equivalence relation. For two isomorphisms \(\varphi_1\) and \(\varphi_2\) in \(\Omega(G)\), we define their product \[ \varphi_1\varphi_2\colon\varphi_1^{-1}(K_1\cap H_2)\mapsto\varphi_2(K_1\cap H_2), \] which is an isomorphism in \(\Omega(G)\). The factor set \(\Omega(G)/E\) inherits multiplication \([\alpha][\beta]=[\alpha\beta]\) and is a group under this operation. This group is called the \textit{commensurator} of \(G\) and is denoted by \(\text{Comm}(G)\). In 1962 G. Baumslag and D. Solitar constructed a series of examples of two-generator, one relator non-Hopfian groups \(\text{BS}(p,q)=\langle a,t\mid t^{-1}a^pt=a^q\rangle\), where \(p\) and \(q\) are integers. These groups play an important role in combinatorial group theory and geometric group theory. Important examples are \(\text{BS}(1,1)\), which is the free Abelian group on two generators, and \(\text{BS}(1,-1)\), which is the fundamental group of the Klein bottle. In this article the author gives a detailed description of the commensurator \(\text{Comm}(\text{BS}(p,q))\) of a Baumslag-Solitar group \(\text{BS}(p,q)\), where \(p\) and \(q\) are coprime integers not equal to \(0\), \(1\) and \(-1\).