Schreier theorem on groups which split over free abelian groups (Q4955775)

The fundamental groups of surfaces (other than a projective plane) are free products with amalgamation of free groups or HNN groups; those different from the torus or Kleinbottle groups have the following property \(S\): Every nontrivial finitely generated normal subgroup has finite index. The fundamental group of a torus knot complement in \(S^3\) is an example of a free group with amalgamation of infinite cyclic groups that does not have property \(S\). The main result of the paper is the following Theorem: Let \(G\) be a free product with amalgamation \(A*_CB\) or an HNN group \(A*_C\), where \(C\) is a finitely generated free Abelian group and suppose that \(A\) and \(B\) have property \(S\). If \(N\) is a finitely generated normal subgroup of \(G\) not contained in \(C\), then \(N\) has finite index in \(G\) or \(N\) is free. As an application the author obtains the following result: Let \(M\) be a compact \(3\)-manifold that splits along a torus into two hyperbolic \(3\)-manifolds \(M_1, M_2\) each of which has at least one non-torus boundary component. Then a nontrivial finitely generated normal subgroup \(N\) of the fundamental group \(G\) of \(M\) has finite index in \(G\) or \(N\) is free.