Homological conditions for graphical splittings of antisocial graph groups (Q1862101)

Given a finite graph \(X\) with vertex set \(V\) and edge set \(E\), the `graph group' \(G(X)\) is generated by the elements of \(V\), with defining relations saying that two elements of \(V\) commute if and only if they are joined by an edge of \(X\). By \textit{J. R. Stallings}'s ends theorem [Ann. Math. (2) 88, 312-334 (1968; Zbl 0238.20036)], a group has more than one end if and only if it splits as either a free product with finite amalgamated subgroups, or as an HNN extension with finite associated subgroups. Since graph groups are torsion-free, this means that the only ones with more than one end are \(\mathbb{Z}\) and those that are non-trivial free products (i.e., the underlying graph is disconnected). A graph group \(G(X)\) is said to be `graphically \(n\)-decomposable' if there is a subgraph \(Y\subseteq X\) such that \(Y\) has a maximal complete subgraph with \(n\) vertices, and \(G(X)\) splits as either (i) an HNN-extension over \(G(Y)\), or (ii) a free product with amalgamation \(G(X_1)*_{G(Y)}G(X_2)\), where \(G(Y)\) is a maximal Abelian subgroup of neither \(G(X_1)\) nor \(G(X_2)\). (Note that for \(n=0\), this means \(Y=\emptyset\), and so \(G(X)\) is either (i) an HNN extension over the trivial group (i.e., \(G(X)=\mathbb{Z}\)) or (ii) a free product with nontrivial factors and trivial amalgamated subgroup -- that is, \(G(X)\) has more than one end.) There is a well-known cube complex \(\text{Cube}(X)\) on which \(G(X)\) acts; define \(b_n(X)\) to be the \(n\)-th Betti number of the one-sphere of \(\text{Cube}(X)\). Then \(b_0(X)\neq 0\) if and only if \(X\) either consists of a single vertex, or if \(X\) is disconnected -- in other words, \(G(X)\) is graphically \(0\)-decomposable if and only if \(b_0(X)\neq 0\). The author proves that for certain graphs (the ``antisocial'' ones), the graph group \(G(X)\) is graphically \(n\)-decomposable iff \(b_n(X)\neq 0\).