Finite groups of automorphisms of free groups (Q1077542)

The author gives necessary and sufficient conditions for a finite group to be (isomorphic to) a subgroup of the automorhism group \(A_ n=Aut(F_ n)\) of the free group of rank n. These conditions are expressed in terms of three systems of subgroups. The proof of the main theorem is too technical to be sketched here. Using the main theorem the author gives a characterization of the finite abelian subgroups of \(A_ n\), in particular the finite cyclic subgroups, of \(A_ n\) and a description of the finite maximal subgroups of \(A_ n\). Thus the finite abelian subgroup \(H=Z_{p_ i^{\alpha_ i}}\times...\times Z_{p_ s^{\alpha_ s}}\) where \(Z_ m\) denotes as usual the cyclic group of order m, \(p_ 1,p_ 2,...,p_ s\) are not necessarily distinct primes and \(\alpha_ i\) natural numbers, is embedded, in \(A_ n\) if and only if \(\sum^{s}_{i=1}(p_ i^{\alpha_ i}-p_ i^{\alpha_ i- 1})\leq n\). For every natural number n there exists an m such that a cyclic group of order m can be embedded into \(A_{n+1}\), but not into \(A_ n\). Finally the author describes the maximal finite subgroups of \(A_ n\) in terms of direct products of certain wreath products of symmetric groups.