Actions of finite groups of graphs and related automorphisms of free groups (Q1121991)

The author studies automorphism groups of free groups by geometric methods i.e. by actions of groups on graphs and the study of related fundamental groupoids and groups. The main result is that in the groups Aut \(\Phi\) and Out \(\Phi\), where \(\Phi\) is a free group of finite rank, finite subgroups have finitely generated centralizers. He also gives a short proof of a Theorem of Karrass, Pietrowski and Solitar that the isomorphism problem for the class of finitely generated free by finite groups is solvable. In the course of the proof the author proves a number of other results of geometric nature some of interest in their own but too technical to be stated here.