Computing fixed closures in free groups.

Publication date 28 April 2011

Published in Illinois Journal of Mathematics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0910.0713, https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.ijm/1299679744

automorphisms endomorphisms fixed closures in free groups fixed subgroups

Free nonabelian groups (20E05) Automorphisms of infinite groups (20E36) Word problems, other decision problems, connections with logic and automata (group-theoretic aspects) (20F10)

Abstract: Let

F

be a finitely generated free group. We present an algorithm such that, given a subgroup

H l e q s l a n t F

, decides whether

H

is the fixed subgroup of some family of automorphisms, or family of endomorphisms of

F

and, in the affirmative case, finds such a family. The algorithm combines both combinatorial and geometric methods.

Review text

Let \(F\) be the free group of rank \(r(F)=n\) on the basis \(A=\{a_1,a_2,\dots,a_n\}\). Let \(\text{End}(F)\) be the monoid of endomorphisms of \(F\) and \(\Aut(F)\) the group of automorphisms of \(F\). The purpose of this paper is to give an algorithm to decide whether the subgroup \(H\leq F\) is the fixed subgroup of some family of automorphisms of \(F\) (corr. of some family of endomorphisms of \(F\)). In the case that there is an algorithm, then he finds such a family. One of the main results of the paper is: Let \(H\leq F\) be a finitely generated subgroup of a free group, given by a finite set of generators. Then, a basis for the auto-closure \(\text{a-Cl}_F(H)\) of \(H\) is algorithmically computable, together with a set of \(m\leq 2r(F)\) automorphisms \(\varphi_1,\dots,\varphi_m\in\Aut(F)\), such that \(\text{a-Cl}_F(H)=\text{Fix}(\varphi_1)\cap\cdots\cap\text{Fix}(\varphi_m)\). Here the author defines the auto-closure of \(H\) in \(F\), denoted \(\text{a-Cl}_F(H)\), as \(\text{Fix}(\Aut_H(F))\), that is, the smallest auto-fixed subgroup of \(F\) containing \(H\). An analogous result is for endomorphisms. -- The paper ends with a list of 6 open problems.

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