Limit groups as limits of free groups. (Q1781931)

By the authors' definition a marked group \((G,S)\) consists of a group \(G\) with a prescribed tuple \(S=\{s_1,\dots,s_n\}\) of generators. Two marked groups \((G_1,S_1)\), \((G_2,S_2)\) are isomorphic as marked groups if and only if the natural bijection of \(S_1\) onto \(S_2\) extends to an isomorphism of \(G_1\) onto \(G_2\). The set \({\mathcal G }_n\) of all marked groups with \(n\) generators is considered as a compact topological space. It appears that the limits of free groups in \({\mathcal G}_n\) are Remeslennikov's finitely generated fully residually free groups, or Sela's limit groups. The authors' topological approach to these groups gives some new insight in the relations between fully residually free groups, the universal theory of free groups, ultraproducts and non-standard free groups.