Free subgroups in groups acting on rooted trees (Q531921)

Let \(G\) be a group acting faithfully on a locally-finite rooted tree \(T\). This action extends to the boundary \(\partial T\) consisting of rays in \(T\) issued from its root; \(\partial T\) is a compact topological space. The group of germs \(G_{(\omega)}\) at a ray \(\omega\in\partial T\) is the quotient of the stabilizer \(G_\omega\) by its subgroup of those elements that fix a neighbourhood of \(\omega\); namely, those \(g\in G_\omega\) that fix a subtree of \(T\) containing \(\omega\) in its boundary. The author gives sufficient conditions for \(G\) not to contain a free subgroup. More precisely, he shows that, if \(G\) contains a nonabelian free subgroup, then either \(G\) contains a free subgroup with a free orbit on \(\partial T\), or some group of germs \(G_{(\omega)}\) contains a free subgroup. The proof is elementary, but the result is very powerful, and covers and simplifies many previous ad-hoc arguments. In particular, the author shows that contracting self-similar groups admit no free subgroup. Self-similar groups are groups acting faithfully on the regular tree \(X^*\) of words over an alphabet \(X\), in the following recursive manner. There is given a map \(G\times X \to X\times G\). To determine the action, consider \(g\in G\) and \(x_1 \dots x_n\in X\). Define elements \(g_{|x_1\dots x_i} \in G\), starting at \(i=0\) with \(g_|=g\) and succesively applying the map to compute \((g_{|x_1\dots x_{i-1}},x_i)\mapsto (x'_i, g_{|x_1\dots x_i})\). Then \(g\cdot x_1 \dots x_n = x'_1\dots x'_n\). The ``contracting'' part means that there is a finite subset \(\mathcal N\subseteq G\) such that, for any \(g\in G\), almost all \(g_{|w}\) belong to \(\mathcal N\). This class covers many important examples of groups, in particular the ``iterated monodromy groups'' of expanding maps considered by the author; see, e.g., [Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 387, 41--93 (2011; Zbl 1235.37016)]. The non-existence of free subgroups is proven as follows: the \(G\)-orbits on \(X^\infty\) have polynomial growth, and the groups of germs are finite of cardinality at most \(\#\mathcal N\). Consider now another condition, explored by \textit{S. Sidki} [Geom. Dedicata 108, 193--204 (2004; Zbl 1075.20011)]. Say a ray \(\omega\in X^\infty\) is \(g\)-singular if the sequence of \(g_{|w}\)s computed along the ray as above is never trivial. The group of polynomial finite-state isometries of \(X^*\) is the group of tree isometries that may described as follows: (``finite-state'') there is a map \(S\times X\to X\times S\) for some set \(S\) containing \(g\); and the number of length-\(n\) prefixes of \(g\)-singular sequences grows polynomially. Sidki proved that this group contains no free subgroup, but the present proof is much simpler (albeit only valid for finite \(X\)). The point here is that the groups of germs essentially behave as polynomial isometries of smaller degree. Finally, the author considers the group of bounded tree isometries consisting in tree isometries \(g\) with finitely many \(g\)-singular rays, and such that there exists a number \(R\) with \(g_{|w}\) trivial for all \(w\) not in the \(R\)-neighbourhood of these singular rays. He again shows that this group contains no free subgroup. (In fact, the author considers more general trees of words \(x_1x_2\dots x_n\) in which each letter \(x_i\) belongs to a fixed finite set \(X_i\), and the cardinalities of the \(X_i\) are bounded. This adds no generality to the discussion). Note that the intersection of the last two examples (finite-state and bounded) was shown in [the reviewer, \textit{V. A. Kaimanovich} and the author, Duke Math. J. 154, No. 3, 575--598 (2010; Zbl 1268.20026)] to be amenable; this also holds for the finite-state isometries of polynomial degree at most \(1\), as shown in [\textit{G. Amir} et al., J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 15, No. 3, 705--730 (2013; Zbl 1277.37019)].