On the index of congruence subgroups of \(\Aut(F_n)\). (Q2390492)

Let \(\pi\colon F_n\to G\) be an epimorphism of the free group \(F_n\) of finite rank \(n\) onto a finite group \(G\) and \(R\) its kernel. Let \(\Gamma(R)\) be the subgroup of \(\Aut(F_n)\) which consists of the automorphisms which map \(R\) onto itself and therefore induce automorphisms on the factor \(F_n/R\simeq G\). The subgroup \(\Gamma(G,\pi)=\{\varphi\in\Gamma(R)\mid\varphi\) induces the identity on \(F_n/R\}=\{\varphi\in\Aut(F_n)\mid\pi\varphi=\pi\}\) is called the standard congruence subgroup of \(\Aut(F_n)\) associated to \(G\) and \(\pi\), while a subgroup of \(\Aut(F_n)\) containing \(\Gamma(G,\pi)\) is called a congruence subgroup of \(\Aut(F_n)\). Let \(\Aut^+(F_n)\) denote the special automorphism group of \(F_n\), i.e., the subgroup consisting of the automorphisms which are mapped into the subgroup \(\text{SL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\) by the natural epimorphism \(\rho\colon\Aut(F_n)\to\Aut(F_n/F_n')\simeq\text{GL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\). Let \(\Gamma^+(G,\pi)=\Gamma(G,\pi)\cap\Aut^+(F_n)\). These subgroups are of finite index in \(\Aut^+(F_n)\). In this paper the authors study the indices of \(\Gamma^+(G,\pi)\) in \(\Aut^+(F_n)\) in the case \(n=2\) and \(G\) Abelian or the dihedral group \(D_n\). Their main results are: Let \(G\) be a finite Abelian group and \(\pi\colon F_2\to G\) an arbitrary epimorphism. Writing \(G\simeq\mathbb{Z}/m\mathbb{Z}\times\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}\) with \(n\mid m\) one has \[ [\Aut^+F_2:\Gamma^+(G,\pi)]=nm^2\prod_{p\mid m}(1-\tfrac {1}{p^2}), \] where the product runs over all primes \(p\) dividing \(m\). Let \(\pi\colon F_2\to D_n\) be an arbitrary epimorphism of \(F_2\) onto the dihedral group \(D_n\). Then \([\Aut^+F_2:\Gamma^+(D_n,\pi)]=6n\). Moreover \(\Gamma^+(D_n,\pi)\) is generated by four elements. And the interesting corollary: Finite index subgroups of \(\Aut(F_2)\) cannot be written as free products.