Intersections and joins of free groups. (Q1007211)

The author examines the relation between the ranks of finitely generated subgroups of a free group and the ranks of their join and intersection. More precisely in his main theorem he proves that if \(H,K\) are subgroups of rank \(h\) and \(k\geq h\), respectively, of a free group, then \[ \text{rank}(H\cap K)-1\leq 2(h-1)(k-1)-(h-1)(\text{rank}(H\vee K)-1), \] where \(H\vee K\) is the join \(\langle H,K\rangle\) of \(H\) and \(K\). This is a strong form of R. Burns' inequality. This also answers in the affirmative a question of M. Culler and P. Shalen, namely: If \(H\) and \(K\) are two subgroups of rank 2 of a free group and \(H\cap K\) has rank two, must their join have rank two as well? The author quotes and comments on relative results of Burns, Louder, McReynolds, Culler and Shalen. In combination with these and his results he gives interesting consequences. The methods of proof are mostly combinatorial.