The surface group conjecture: cyclically pinched and conjugacy pinched one-relator groups. (Q370820)

A group has property IF if every subgroup of infinite index is free. The general surface group conjecture asks whether a one-relator group where every subgroup of finite index is again one-relator and which has property IF is a surface group. In the paper related problems are treated. A cyclically pinched one-relator group is a one-relator group of the following form: \[ G=\langle a_1,\ldots,a_p,a_{p+1},\ldots,a_n\mid U=V\rangle \] where \(1\neq U\) is a cyclically reduced word in the free group on \(a_1,\ldots,a_p\) and \(1\neq V\) is a cyclically reduced word in the free group on \(a_{p+1},\ldots,a_n\). A conjugacy pinched one-relator group is a one-relator group of the form: \[ G=\langle a_1,\ldots,a_n,t\mid tUt^{-1}=V\rangle \] where \(1\neq U\) and \(1\neq V\) are cyclically reduced in the free group on \(a_1,\ldots,a_n\). The authors show: Theorem 3.1. (1) Let \(G\) be a cyclically pinched one-relator group satisfying property IF. Then \(G\) is a free group or a surface group. (2) Let \(G\) be a conjugacy pinched one-relator group satisfying property IF. Then \(G\) is a free group, a surface group or a solvable Baumslag-Solitar group. Theorem 3.2. Suppose \(G\) is a finitely generated nonfree freely indecomposable fully residually free group satisfying property IF. Then \(G\) is a surface group.