Free quotients of congruence subgroups of \(SL_ 2\) over a coordinate ring (Q1089435)

Let R be a commutative ring with identity and let q be an ideal in R. For each \(n\geq 2\), let \(E_ n(R)\) be the subgroup of \(GL_ n(R)\) generated by the elementary matrices, let \(E_ n(R,q)\) be the normal subgroup of \(E_ n(R)\) generated by the q-elementary matrices and let \(SL_ n(R,q)=Ker(SL_ n(R)\to SL_ n(R/q)).\) Let C be a smooth, absolutely connected projective curve over a field \(k_ 0\) and let A be the coordinate ring of the affine curve obtained by removing a closed point from C. Extending an earlier result of Cohn, Suslin has proved the \(E_ 2(A)\) is normal in \(SL_ 2(A)\) only when \(A\cong k_ 0[x]\), the polynomial ring in one variable over \(k_ 0\). Abramenko has proved in addition that \(E_ 2(A)\) is of finite index in \(SL_ 2(A)\) when \(A\cong k_ 0[x].\) \textit{J.-P. Serre} in his book ''Trees'' (1977; Zbl 0369.20013) has proved that \(GL_ 2(A)\) is the (non-trivial) free product (with amalgamations) of a number of groups. Using this result the author proves that, for ''most'' ideals q, the principal congruence subgroup \(SL_ 2(A,q)\) has a normal subgroup N, containing \(E_ 2(A,q)\), such that \(SL_ 2(A,q)/N\) is a free group, whose rank is infinite when \(k_ 0\) is infinite. In a previous paper the author has proved a similar result for the case where \(k_ 0\) is finite. (When \(k_ 0\) is finite the free group is non-cyclic of finite rank.) The author considers two consequences of this result. By standard results from algebraic K-theory it follows that for all \(m\geq n\geq 3\) and all q, the quotient groups \(SL_ n(A,q)/E_ n(A,q)\) and \(SL_ m(A,q)/E_ m(A,q)\) are well-defined and (naturally) isomorphic. Further there is a (natural) epimorphism \(\theta\) : SL\({}_ 2(A,q)\to SL_ 3(A,q)/E_ 3(A,q)\) whose kernel Ker \(\theta\) contains \(E_ 2(A,q)\). It follows from the above result that Ker \(\theta\) \(\neq E_ 2(A,q)\) for ''most'' q. A subgroup S of \(GL_ n(R)\) is called standard if \(E_ n(R,o(S))\leq S\), where o(S) is the ideal in R generated by \(\chi _{ij}\), \(\chi _{ii}- \chi _{jj}\), for all \((\chi _{ij})\in S\). It is well-known that, when \(n\geq 3\), the subgroup S is standard if and only if S is normalized by \(E_ n(R)\). Using the above result the author shows that \(GL_ 2(A)\) has uncountably many standard subgroups which are not normalized by \(SL_ 2(A)\). In addition he shows that \(GL_ 2(A)\) has uncountably many non-standard subgroups which are normalized by \(SL_ 2(A)\).