Endomorphic presentations of branch groups. (Q1415345)

In the literature there are many examples of groups the presentations by generators and defining relations of which use endomorphisms and iterations under a set of substitutions on the generating set. Generalizing this concept the current paper introduces the notion of `\(L\)-presentations'. The latter is denoted by \(L=\langle S\mid Q|\Phi|R\rangle\), where \(S\) is an alphabet, \(Q\) and \(R\) are sets of reduced words in the free group \(F_S\), and where \(\Phi\) is a set of free group homomorphisms \(\phi\colon F_S\to F_S\). The group \(G_L\) defined by such an \(L\)-presentation is the factor group \(G_L=F_S/N\), where \(N\) is the normal closure in \(F_S\) of the subgroup \(\langle Q\cup\bigcup_{\phi\in\Phi^*}\phi(R)\rangle\), and where \(\Phi^*\) is the monoid generated by \(\Phi\). This \(L\)-presentation is `finite' if \(S,Q,\Phi,R\) are finite. It is `ascending' if \(Q\) is empty. It is `injective' if, furthermore, the homomorphisms \(\phi\in\Phi\) are injective. The paper studies the properties of such presentations and, in particular, proves Theorem 1.1. Let \(G\) be a finitely generated, contracting, semi-fractal, regular branch group. Then \(G\) is finitely \(L\)-presented. However, \(G\) is not finitely presented. The Schur multiplier of \(G\) has the form \(A\oplus B^\infty\) for finite-rank groups \(A,B\).