Local limit theorems for free groups (Q5957327)

Let \(G\) be the free group on \(k\geq 2\) generators. For \(g\in G\), let \(|g|\) be its word length and \([g]\in\mathbb{Z}^k\) its image under the Abelianization map \(G\to\mathbb{Z}^k\). Let \(W(n)=\{g\in G:|g|=n\}\) and, for fixed \(\alpha=(\alpha_1,\dots,\alpha_k)\in\mathbb{Z}^k\), let \(W(n,\alpha)=\{g\in W(n):[g]=\alpha\}\). This paper is about the distribution of the elements of \(W(n)\) over \(\mathbb{Z}^k\) and the dependence of \(|W(n,\alpha)|\) on \(\alpha\) as well as on \(n\). The approach is to regard \(|W(n,\alpha)|/|W(n)|\) as a probability distribution on \(\mathbb{Z}^k\) and to study the asymptotic behavior as \(n\to\infty\). Since one of \(|W(n,\alpha)|\) or \(|W(n+1,\alpha)|\) is zero depending on the parity of \(\alpha_1+\cdots+\alpha_k\), it is reasonable to consider the quantity \(Q(n,\alpha)=|W(n,\alpha)|/|W(n)|+|W(n+1,\alpha)|/|W(n+1)|\). The main result is a local limit theorem: \[ \lim_{n\to\infty}\left|\sigma^kn^{k/2}Q(n,\alpha)-\frac 2{(2\pi)^{k/2}}e^{-\|\alpha\|^2/2\sigma^2n}\right|=0, \] uniformly in \(\alpha\) where \(\sigma^2\) is an appropriate variance depending on \(k\). The theorem is obtained by using subshifts of finite type and proving a similar theorem for certain maps \(X_A\to\mathbb{Z}^k\) (where \(X_A\) is the shift space) playing the role of the Abelianization map. A related result for fundamental groups of compact surfaces of genus \(\geq 2\) is also obtained.