Profinite rigidity of graph manifolds. II: Knots and mapping classes (Q2327976)

The paper under review studies \textit{profinite rigidity} of graph manifolds with applications to knots and mapping classes of surfaces. Several illustrating examples are provided with details. Let us start by recalling that a \textit{profinite group} is an inverse limit of a system of finite groups, while the \textit{profinite completion} of a group \(G\) is the profinite group \(\hat{G}\) defined as the inverse limit of all finite quotient groups of \(G\). Now, let \(G\) and \(H\) be two groups with isomorphic profinite completions. A property \(\mathcal P\) is called a \textit{profinite invariant} whenever the group \(G\) has \(\mathcal P\) if and only if \(H\) has \(\mathcal P\). In this work the author considers profinite invariants of fundamental groups of compact orientable \textit{graph manifolds} (i.e. irreducible 3-manifold whose JSJ decomposition consists only of Seifert-fibred pieces). One says that a 3-manifold \(M\) is \textit{profinitely rigid} if, for any 3-manifold \(N\), an isomorphism of the profinite completions of their fundamental groups implies that the manifolds \(N\) and \(M\) are homeomorphic. The main result states that every closed orientable graph manifold has a finite-sheeted cover which is profinitely rigid. This implies, in particular, that two graph manifold groups with isomorphic profinite completions are actually commensurable. The second part of the paper concerns two applications of the main result. The first one concerns \textit{graph knots} (that are knots in the 3-sphere whose exterior are graph manifolds). Let \(M_K\) be the exterior of a graph knot \(K\). If \(N\) is a compact orientable 3-manifold whose fundamental group completion is isomorphic to \(\widehat{\pi_1 M_K}\), then \(\pi_1(M_K) \simeq \pi_1 N\). As to the second application, rather technical to be presented here, let us just say that it concerns the following question: Do there exist automorphisms of a surface group \(G=\pi_1(S)\) which are conjugate in Out\((\hat{G})\) but not in Out\((G)\)?