Invariable generation of Thompson groups (Q515602)

A subset \(S\) of a group \(G\) invariably generates \(G\) if \(G\,=\,\langle\, s^{g(s)}\mid s\in S\,\rangle\) for every choice of \(g(s)\in G,\,s\in S\). One says that a group \(G\) is invariably generated (IG), if such \(S\) exists. A group \(G\) is invariably generated if and only if no proper subgroup of \(G\) meets every conjugacy class. It is said that \(G\) is finitely invariably generated (FIG), if there is a finite subset \(S\subset G\) which invariably generates \(G\). A simple counting argument shows that every finite group is IG. Obviously, abelian groups are IG. More generally, \textit{J. Wiegold} [Arch. Math. 27, 473--475 (1976; Zbl 0372.20023); Arch. Math. 29, 571--573 (1977; Zbl 0382.20029)] showed that: {\parindent=0.7cm\begin{itemize}\item[1.] The class of IG groups is closed under extensions, hence contains all virtually solvable groups. \item[2.] The free group \(F\,=\,\langle\, a,\, b\,\rangle\) is not IG by producing a list \(L\) of conjugacy class representatives which freely generate a free group of infinite rank. \item[3.] There is an example of an IG group whose commutator subgroup is not IG, proving in particular that the class IG is not subgroup-closed. \end{itemize}} Clearly, this class is also closed to quotients. On the other hand, the class of IG groups is not closed under direct unions; for instance the (locally finite) group of finitely supported permutations of \(\mathbb{N}\) is clearly not IG, since every element fixes some point in \(\mathbb{N}\). In [the first author, Int. Math. Res. Not. 2015, No. 19, 9806--9814 (2015; Zbl 1329.20053)], it is proved that convergence groups, and in particular Gromov hyperbolic groups and relatively hyperbolic groups, are not IG, confirming a conjecture from [\textit{W. M. Kantor} et al., J. Algebra 421, 296--310 (2015; Zbl 1318.20032)]. The notion of finite invariant generation is more subtle. For example, it is still unknown weather every finitely generated solvable group is FIG. In [Kantor et al., loc. cit.] it is proved that a finitely generated linear group is finitely invariably generated if and only if it is virtually solvable. The main result of the paper is summarized in the following theorem: Theorem. The Thompson group \(F\) is finitely invariably generated. The Thompson groups \(T\) and \(S\) are not invariably generated. The Thompson group \(F\) can be considered as the group of all piecewise linear homeomorphisms of the interval \([0,\, 1]\) with finitely many breakpoints where all breakpoints are finite dyadic and all slopes are integer powers of 2 and it is generated by two functions \(x_{0}\) and \(x_{1}\) defined as follows: \(x_{0}(t)\, =\,\begin{cases} 2t & \text{ if }\quad 0\leq t\leq 1/4\\ t+1/4 & \text{ if }\quad 1/4\leq t\leq 1/2\\ t/2+1/2 & \text{ if }\quad 1/2\leq t\leq 1 \end{cases}\) \(x_{1}(t)\, =\,\begin{cases} t & \text{ if }\quad0\leq t\leq 1/2\\ 2t-1/2 & \text{ if }\quad 1/2\leq t\leq 5/8\\ t+1/8 & \text{ if }\quad 5/8\leq t\leq 3/4\\ t/2+1/2 & \text{ if }\quad 3/4\leq t\leq 1 \end{cases}\) Every element of \(F\) is completely determined by how it acts on the set \(\mathbb{Z}[ \frac{1}{2}]\). Here, it is proved that the Thompson group \(F\) is invariably generated by \(\{\,x_{0},\, x_{1},\, x_{0}x_{1}\,\}\). The Thompson group \(T\) is the group of all piecewise-linear orientation preserving homeomorphisms of the circle \(\mathbf{S}^{1}\) which preserve the set of finite dyadic fractions, have finitely many breakpoints, all of which are at finite dyadic fractions and where all slopes are integer powers of 2. The Thompson group \(F\) can be viewed as the subgroup of \(T\) which fixes 0. The Thompson group \(V\) is the group of left-continuous bijections of \(\mathbf{S}^{1}\) which map finite dyadic fractions to finite dyadic fractions, that are differentiable except at finitely many finite dyadic fractions and such that on each maximal interval where the functions are differentiable, they are linear with slope an integer power of 2. The Thompson group \(T\) is clearly a subgroup of \(V\). To prove that \(T\) and \(V\) are not invariably generated, the authors give the definition of a \(\gamma\)-wandering set (Definition 10 in the paper) and prove: Theorem 15. There is a collection of representatives of the conjugacy classes of the Thompson group \(T\) that freely generate a subgroup of \(T\). As the Thompson group \(T\) is simple and a free-product of two or more non-trivial groups cannot be simple, it is obtained that the Thompson group \(T\) is not invariably generated. The arguments for the proof that the Thompson group \(T\) is not invariably generated are adapted to prove that the Thompson group \(V\) is not invariably generated.