On the action of a group on a graph (Q1201913)

The present paper investigates asymptotic properties of automorphisms of connected vertex-symmetric locally finite graphs. If \(\Gamma\) is a connected graph, then \(d_ \Gamma(.,.)\) is the usual metric on \(V(\Gamma)\) and \(B_ \Gamma(x,n)\) is the closed ball of radius \(n\) and center \(x\). Now for \(g\in\text{Aut} \Gamma\) a function \(\xi_{\Gamma,x}(g,.)\) is defined as follows: \[ \xi_{\Gamma,x}(g,n)=\max\{d_ \Gamma(y,g(y))| y\in B_ \Gamma(x,n)\}. \] Properties of this function are studied. Moreover bounded automorphisms of connected locally finite vertex-symmetric graphs are characterized. An automorphism \(g\) of a connected graph \(\Gamma\) is said to be bounded if \(d_ \Gamma(y,g(y))\leq c\) for some \(c\in\mathbb{N}\) and all \(y\in V(\Gamma)\). The second part of the paper is devoted to applications such as the question on the existence of a non-simply connected space associated with a finitely generated group.