Uniform negative immersions and the coherence of one-relator groups (Q6203656)

A group \(G\) is said to be coherent if all its finitely generated subgroups are finitely presentable. The first main result of the paper under review resolves a notorious question of \textit{G. Baumslag} (see [\textit{G. Baumslag}, Lect. Notes Math. 372, 75--81 (1974; Zbl 0315.20034)], p. 76). Theorem A: Let \(G =F/\langle\!\langle w \rangle \! \rangle\) be a one-relator group. If every two-generator, one-relator subgroup of \(G\) is free, then \(G\) is coherent. The hypothesis of Theorem A (that every two-generator, one-relator subgroup is free) appears on its face to be difficult to check. However, the results by the authors, in [Duke Math. J. 171, No. 3, 547-594 (2022; Zbl 07500558)], imply that it is equivalent to other, more effective, conditions. The proof of Theorem A leads to various other strong constraints on the subgroups of one-relator groups with negative immersions. The next result summarises these. Theorem B: Let \(G = F/\langle \! \langle w \rangle \! \rangle\) be a one-relator group with negative immersions. (i) Every finitely generated, one-ended subgroup \(H\) of \(G\) is co-Hopfian. In particular, if \(G\) itself is one-ended then it is co-Hopfian. (ii) For any integer \(r\), there are only finitely many conjugacy classes of finitely generated, one-ended subgroups \(H\) of \(G\) such that the abelianisation of \(H\) has rational rank at most \(r\). (iii) Every finitely generated non-cyclic subgroup \(H\) of \(G\) is large in the sense of Pride, i.e. there is a subgroup \(H_{0}\) of finite index in \(H\) that surjects a non-abelian free group.