Free subgroups of free profinite groups (Q4256989)

The main topic of study in the paper is the following twinning principle suggested by Jarden and Lubotzky: Twinning Principle. Let \(m\) be an infinite cardinal. Given a statement \(P(H,G)\) about a profinite group \(G\) and a closed subgroup \(H\); are the following equivalent? (G) If a closed subgroup \(H\) of \(\widehat F_m\) satisfies \(P(H,\widehat F_m)\), then \(H\cong\widehat F_m\). (F) If a separable algebraic extension \(L\) of a Hilbertian field \(K\) satisfies \(P(G(L),G(K))\), then \(L\) is Hilbertian. Here \(\widehat F_m\) stands for a free profinite group of rank \(m\) and \(G(L),G(K)\) for absolute Galois groups of the fields \(L,K\). The author obtains a technical criterion for a subgroup of \(\widehat F_m\) to be isomorphic to \(\widehat F_m\), which turns out to be responsible for essentially all known cases when the Twinning Principle holds. In addition, the following nice theorem is proved: Theorem. Let \(\widehat F_m\) be a free profinite group of infinite rank \(m\), and let \(M_1\), \(M_2\) be two normal subgroups of \(\widehat F_m\). Let \(M\) be a closed subgroup of \(\widehat F_m\) such that \(M_1\cap M_2\subseteq M\) and \(M_1\not\subseteq M\), \(M_2\not\subseteq M\). Then \(M\cong\widehat F_m\). The author shows that this is another example of the Twinning Principle. The Twinning Principle (counter examples to it as it is stated and ways of restating it) is discussed in the last section of the paper.