On rational and concise words. (Q2341308)

Let \(w=w(x_1,\ldots,x_r)\) be a group-word in variables \(x_1,\ldots,x_r\). For any group \(G\), let \(G_w=\{w(g_1,\ldots,g_r)\mid g_1,\ldots,g_r\in G\}\) denote the set of \(w\)-values in \(G\) and \(w(G)=\langle G_w\rangle\) the corresponding verbal subgroup of \(G\). The word \(w\) is said to be concise in a given class of groups \(\mathcal C\) if, for all groups \(G\) in \(\mathcal C\), the following holds: \(|G_w|<\infty\) implies \(|w(G)|<\infty\). A word is called concise if it is concise in the class of all groups. A conjecture attributed to P. Hall stated that every word is concise, but this turned out not to be true; a counterexample was constructed by \textit{S. V. Ivanov} [Sov. Math. 33, No. 6, 59-70 (1990); translation from Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved., Mat. 1989, No. 6(325), 60-70 (1989; Zbl 0697.20016)]. On the other hand, multilinear commutator words (also called outer-commutator words) have been known to be concise since the 1970s. More recently, in the context of investigations regarding verbal width, it was asked whether every word is concise in the class of residually finite groups; see [\textit{D. Segal}, Words. Notes on verbal width in groups. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2009; Zbl 1198.20001)]. The word \(w\) is said to be weakly rational if for every finite group \(G\) and every integer \(e\) relatively prime to \(|G|\), the set \(G_w\) is closed under taking \(e\)th powers. The word \(w\) is said to be rational if for every finite group \(G\), every \(g \in G\) and every integer \(e\) relatively prime to \(| G |\), the number of solutions of the equation \(w(x_1,\ldots,x_r)=g\) is the same as the number of solutions of the equation \(w(x_1,\ldots,x_r)=g^e\). Clearly, every rational word is weakly rational. In the paper under review, the authors observe that every weakly rational word is concise in the class of residually finite groups. More precisely, they employ a classical theorem of Schur to show: there is a function \(f\colon\mathbb N\to\mathbb N\) such that, if \(w\) is weakly rational, then every residually finite group \(G\) with \(m=|G_w|<\infty\) satisfies \(|w(G)|<f(m)\). The authors speculate that all multilinear commutator words could be rational. After discussing examples and non-examples of (weakly) rational words, they provide a new construction of such words: if \(w'=[w,x_0]\), where \(w=w(x_1,\ldots,x_r)\) is a word that is (weakly) rational and \(x_0\) is a new variable, then \(w'\) is (weakly) rational. The proof is based on a classical formula, going back to Frobenius, that expresses the number of solutions to certain group equations in terms of characters. The paper is well written, informative and provides a stimulus to further research in the area.