Quasi-potency and cyclic subgroup separability. (Q2491842)

A group \(G\) is called `cyclic subgroup separable' if every cyclic subgroup of \(G\) is closed with respect to the profinite topology. A group \(G\) is called `quasi-potent' if for every \(g\in G\) there exist a positive integer \(k_g\), depending on \(g\), and a family \(\{H_n\}_{n\in\mathbb{N}}\) of finite index normal subgroups of \(G\) such that \(\langle g\rangle\cap H_n=\langle g^{nk_g}\rangle\) for every \(n\). If the subgroups \(H_n\) are characteristic in \(G\), then the group \(G\) is called characteristically quasi-potent. The class \({\mathcal C}_n\) consists of all groups which are quasi-potent and cyclic subgroup separable, and the class \({\mathcal C}_c\) consists of all groups which are characteristically quasi-potent and cyclic subgroup separable. In this paper the authors describe families of groups which belong to \({\mathcal C}_n\) (or to \({\mathcal C}_c\)). Here we glean some of their results. The class \({\mathcal C}_n\) is closed under direct products (Corollary 4.3). Finitely generated virtually residually free groups belong to \({\mathcal C}_c\) (Corollary 4.6). So surface groups are in \({\mathcal C}_c\). Let \(1\to N\to G\to K\to 1\) be a short exact sequence of groups. Under some conditions on \(N\) and \(K\) the group \(G\) belongs to \({\mathcal C}_n\) (or to \({\mathcal C}_c\)) (Theorem 5.1). Applying this theorem they obtain that some families of groups are in \({\mathcal C}_n\) (or in \({\mathcal C}_c\)). Some sufficient conditions are also given for amalgamated free products and HNN-extensions to belong to \({\mathcal C}_n\). The free product with amalgamation \(G=G_1*_HG_2\in{\mathcal C}_n\) provided that \(G_1,G_2\in{\mathcal C}_n\) and \(H\) is a cyclic-by-finite group (Theorem 3.6). Let \(A\) be a subgroup of the group \(H\). The HNN-extension \(G=\langle t,H:t^{-1}at=a,\;a\in A\rangle\) is in \({\mathcal C}_n\) provided that \(H\in{\mathcal C}_n\) and \(A\) is closed in the profinite topology of \(H\) (Theorem 3.7). Applying this theorem successively it is proved that right-angled Artin groups are in \({\mathcal C}_n\). The quasi-potency has been already used for the study of the residual finiteness and the subgroup separability of amalgamated free products and HNN-extensions, see for example \textit{D. T. Wise} [Q. J. Math. 51, No. 1, 107-129 (2000; Zbl 0991.05056)]; \textit{L. Ribes, D. Segal} and \textit{P. A. Zalesskij} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 57, No. 3, 609-628 (1998; Zbl 0922.20031)]; \textit{L. Ribes} and \textit{P. A. Zalesskij} [J. Algebra 179, No. 3, 751-774 (1996; Zbl 0869.20015)]. In the two last mentioned papers one can find the results of Theorem 3.6. But, although the ideas and techniques are similar, here the proof is more straight.