Free actions on handlebodies (Q1874532)

The orientation-preserving free actions of a finite group \(G\) on a three-dimensional handlebody of genus \(g\geq 1\), up to equivalence, correspond to the Nielsen equivalence classes of \(n\)-generating sets of \(G\), where \(n= 1 +(g-1)/|G|;\) this fact follows from Theorem 1.3 of \textit{J. Kalliongis} and \textit{A. Miller} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 308, 721--745 (1988; Zbl 0673.57033)] and is developed within a general theory in the present paper. The authors utilize it to prove a number of results about equivalence and weak equivalence of free actions. In particular, in case of abelian and dihedral groups, a complete determination of the equivalence and weak equivalence classes of actions for all genera is obtained: in fact, for either of these two kinds of groups, all actions on the minimal genus turn out to be weakly equivalent, while arbitrarily large numbers of equivalence classes may exist. Further, the equivalence of any two free actions of \(\mathrm{PSL}(2, 3^p)\), with \(p\) prime, on a handlebody of genus above the minimum is proved; this extends analogous results for \(\mathrm{PSL}(2, 2^m)\), with \(m \geq 2\), and for \(\mathrm{PSL}(2, p)\), with \(p\) prime (see \textit{M. Evans} [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 113, 9--22 (1993; Zbl 0781.20021)] and \textit{R. Gilman} [Can. J. Math. 29, 541--551 (1977; Zbl 0332.20010)]). Finally, the authors take into account the stabilization process sending an equivalence class of actions to an equivalence class of actions on a higher genus. This allows to prove the existence of exactly one equivalence class of actions on the genus \(g\) handlebody, if \(g\) is at least \(1+ l(G)/|G|\), where \(l(G)\) is the maximal length of a decreasing chain of nonzero subgroups of \(G\).