A fine property of Whitehead's algorithm

DOI10.4171/GGD/746MaRDI QIDQ6381061zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Dario Ascari

Publication date 22 October 2021

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.4171/ggd/746

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Free nonabelian groups (20E05) Geometric group theory (20F65)

Abstract: We develop a refinement of Whitehead's algorithm for primitive words in a free group. We generalize to subgroups, establishing a strengthened version of Whitehead's algorithm for free factors. We make use of these refinements in proving new results about primitive elements and free factors in a free group. These include a relative version of Whitehead's algorithm, and a criterion that tests whether a subgroup is a free factor just by looking at its primitive elements. We develop an algorithm to determine whether or not two vertices in the free factor complex have distance $d$ for $d=1,2,3$, as well as $d=4$ in a special case.

Recommendations

• Rescuing the Whitehead method for free products. II: The algorithm
• ON THE COMPLEXITY OF THE WHITEHEAD MINIMIZATION PROBLEM
• Rescuing the Whitehead method for free products. I: Peak reduction
• Subgroups of free groups and primitive elements
• On Whitehead’s algorithm

Cited in

(3)

• An algorithm to recognize echelon subgroups of a free group
• Orbit-blocking words in free groups
• Automorphic orbits in free groups: recent progress

This page was built for publication: A fine property of Whitehead's algorithm

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q6381061)