Recursive sequences of surjective word maps for the algebraic groups \(\mathrm{PGL}_2\) and \({{\mathrm{SL}}}_2\) (Q2182682)

Given a group \(G\), any word \(w\) on \(n\) letters, i.e.\ any element \(w\) of the free group \(F_n\) on \(n\) generators, defines, in a natural way, a map \(G^n\to G\). This map, defined more precisely by \((g_1,\ldots,g_n)\mapsto w(g_1,\ldots,g_n)\), is the word map associated to the word \(w\). The paper under review is concerned with the construction of surjective word maps for \(G=\mathrm{PGL}_2(K)\) and \(G=\mathrm{SL}_2(K)\), where \(K\) is an algebraically closed field. If \(G\) is the (group of rational points of) a simple algebraic group over \(K\), and \(w\neq1\) is a decomposable word, then a result of A.\ Borel states that the associated word map is surjective. Examples of indecomposable word maps for which the surjectivity question is settled either way are rare in the cases \(G=\mathrm{PGL}_2(K)\) and \(G=\mathrm{SL}_2(K)\). It appears more difficult to find surjective examples where \(w\in[F_n^i,F_n^i]\) for higher \(i\). In the paper under review, the authors construct an infinite sequence \((w_m)_{m\in \mathbb N}\) of words in \(F_2\) with the property that \[w_m\in[F_2^{i-1},F_2^{i-1}]\Rightarrow w_{m+1}\in[F_2^i,F_2^i],\] such that the associated word maps \(\mathrm{PGL}_2(K)^2\to\mathrm{PGL}_2(K)\) are surjective, and similarly an infinite sequence of words in \(F_3\) with the same property, such that the associated word maps \(\mathrm{SL}_2(K)^3\to\mathrm{SL}_2(K)\) are surjective. This is done through concrete calculations of commutators in these groups, using with the fact that in \(\mathrm{SL}_2(K)\), there are no so-called identities with constants.