The free splitting complex of a free group. I: Hyperbolicity. (Q351708)

The free splitting complex of a finite rank free group is regarded as an analogue in the setting of outer automorphisms of free groups of the curve complex of a surface. It was first introduced by \textit{A. E. Hatcher} as a kind of a sphere complex for a connected sum of \(n\) copies on \(S^2\times S^1\), [see Comment. Math. Helv. 70, No. 1, 39-62 (1995; Zbl 0836.57003)]. The free splitting complex is also called Hatcher's sphere complex. The definition is as follows. Let \(F_n\) be a free group of rank \(n\geq 2\). A `free splitting over \(F_n\)' is a minimal simplicial action of \(F_n\) on a simplicial tree where the stabilizer of each edge is the trivial group. We say that the action is `\(k\)-edge free' if \(k\) is the number of natural edge orbits of the action. The `free splitting complex' \(\mathcal{FS}(F_n)\) is a simplicial complex having a simplex of dimension \(k\) for each conjugacy class of \(k+1\)-edge free splittings. There is a natural left action of the outer automorphism group \(\mathrm{Out}(F_n)\) on \(\mathcal{FS}(F_n)\) by precomposition with automorphisms representing the element of \(\mathrm{Out}(F_n)\). There is another analogue for automorphisms of free groups of the curve complex of a surface, namely, the free factor complex, which was introduced by Culler and Vogtmann [see \textit{A. Hatcher} and \textit{K. Vogtmann}, Q. J. Math., Oxf. II. Ser. 49, No. 196, 459-468 (1998; Zbl 0935.20015)]. In the paper under review the authors prove that the free splitting complex, with respect to its geodesic simplicial complex, is Gromov hyperbolic, an analogue of a result of Masur and Minsky for the curve complex. The analogous result for the free factor complex was obtained by \textit{M. Bestvina} and \textit{M. Feighn} [in ``Hyperbolicity of the complex of free groups'', \url{arXiv:1107.3308}].