A criterion for hyperbolicity (Q4487698)

Let \(G\) be a finitely generated group, \(S\) a finite generating set for \(G\) and \(X\) the corresponding Cayley graph. Let \(P(X)\) be the set of finite paths in \(X\). For \(p\in P(X)\), \(i(p)\) denotes its initial vertex, \(t(p)\) its terminal vertex. The author defines a combing as a map \(\theta\colon G\to P(X)\) such that for all \(g\in G\), \(i(\theta(g))=1_G\) and \(t(\theta(g))=g\). He uses the following notations. If \(g_1\), \(g_2\) and \(g_3\) are elements of \(G\), then \(\Delta_0(g_1,g_2,g_3)\) denotes the triangle in \(X\) whose vertices are \(g_1\), \(g_2\) and \(g_3\) and whose edges are \(\theta(g_1,g_2)\), \(\theta(g_2,g_3)\) and \(\theta(g_3,g_1)\). For \(\delta\geq 0\), the combing \(\theta\) is said to be \(\delta\)-thin if for all \(g_1\), \(g_2\) and \(g_3\), the triangle \(\Delta_0(g_1,g_2,g_3)\) is \(\delta\)-thin (in the usual sense). The main result of this paper is the following Theorem. A finitely presented group is hyperbolic if and only if it admits a thin combing.