Recognizing free metabelian groups (Q1079661)

It is shown that there is an algorithm to determine whether or not a finitely generated metabelian group G (given via a presentation on finitely many generators \(x_ 1,...,x_ n\) with finitely many relations modulo the second derived group of the free group on \(x_ 1,...,x_ n)\) is isomorphic to a free metabelian group. The authors prove that G is free metabelian of rank k if and only if \(Q=G/[G,G]\) is free abelian of rank k and \(M={\mathbb{Z}}Q\otimes_{{\mathbb{Z}}G}IG\), where IG is the augmentation ideal of \({\mathbb{Z}}G\), is a free \({\mathbb{Z}}Q\)-module of rank k. The existence of the desired algorithm then follows from the existence of recursive procedures for determining from the given presentation of G whether or not Q is free abelian of rank k (this is easy) and M is a free \({\mathbb{Z}}Q\)-module of rank k.