Stable tameness of automorphisms of \(F\langle x,y,z\rangle\) fixing \(z\). (Q1925769)

Let \(F\) be an arbitrary field and let \(F\langle x_1,\dots,x_n\rangle\) be the free associative algebra with free generators \(x_1,\dots,x_n\). An \(F\)-automorphism \((f_1,\dots,f_n)\) of \(F\langle x_1,\dots,x_n\rangle\) is tame if it is a composition of automorphisms each of them fixing \(n-1\) of the variables. The automorphism is stably tame if \((f_1,\dots,f_n,x_{n+1},\dots,x_{n+m})\) is a tame automorphism of \(F\langle x_1,\dots,x_n,x_{n+1},\dots,x_{n+m}\rangle\) for some \(m\). The paper under review is devoted to the following well known and long standing problem: Is every automorphism of \(F\langle x_1,\dots,x_n\rangle\) stably tame? Recently \textit{J. Berson, A. van den Essen}, and \textit{D. Wright} [Adv. Math. 230, No. 4-6, 2176-2197 (2012; Zbl 1246.14075)] have established that all automorphisms fixing the variable \(z\) of the polynomial algebra \(F[x,y,z]\) are stably tame. In the present paper the authors prove an important noncommutative analogue of this result. They establish that every automorphism fixing \(z\) of the free associative algebra \(F\langle x,y,z\rangle\) is stably tame and becomes tame if adding one new variable. As a direct consequence, if \(f\in F\langle x,y,z\rangle\) is a \(z\)-coordinate (i.e., there exists a \(g\in F\langle x,y,z\rangle\) such that \((f,g,z)\) is an automorphism), then this coordinate is also stably tame. The proof of the main result is quite different from the proof of the result of Berson, van den Essen, and Wright. It is based on methods of the recent paper by the authors [Sel. Math., New Ser. 17, No. 4, 935-945 (2011; Zbl 1232.13005)] combined with ideas from \textit{M. K. Smith} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 58, No. 2, 209-212 (1989; Zbl 0692.13004] and \textit{V. Drensky} and \textit{J.-T. Yu} [J. Algebra 291, No. 1, 250-258 (2005; Zbl 1086.16019)].