Automorphisms fixing a variable of \(K\langle x,y,z\rangle\). (Q2569434)

Let \(K\) be a field and \(F=K\langle x_1,x_2,z\rangle\) the free associative \(K\)-algebra with free generators \(x_1,x_2,z\). The authors deal with automorphisms \(\varphi\) of \(F\) such that \(\varphi(z)=z\) and \[ \varphi(x_i)=\sum_{j=1,2}\sum_la_{ilj}(z)x_jb_{jli}(z),\quad i=1,2,\quad a_{ilj}(z),b_{jli}(z)\in K[z]. \] Put \(a_{ij}=\sum_la_{ilj}(z)\otimes b_{jli}(z)\in K[z]\otimes K[z]\) and \(J=\left(\begin{smallmatrix} a_{11} &a_{12}\\ a_{21} &a_{22}\end{smallmatrix}\right)\). It is shown that \(\varphi\) is an automorphism if and only if \(J\in\text{GL}(2,k[z]\otimes k[z])\). The main result of the paper states that \(\varphi\) is tame if and only if \(\varphi\) belongs to the subgroup in \(\text{GL}(2,k[z]\otimes k[z])\) generated by elementary and diagonal matrices. In all cases \(\varphi\) induces a tame automorphism of the polynomial algebra \(K[x_1,x_2,z]\). Moreover if we take a free algebra on \(x_1,\dots,x_n,z\) where \(n>2\) and introduce in the similar way an automorphism \(\varphi\) fixing \(z\) then \(\varphi\) will always be tame.