The Hrushovski property for compact special cube complexes (Q6536658)

Hrushovski proved that any finite graph \(G\) embeds as an induced subgraph in some finite graph \(G'\) such that any isomorphism between a pair of induced subgraphs of \(G\) extends to an isomorphism of \(G'\) [\textit{E. Hrushovski}, Combinatorica 12, No. 4, 411--416 (1992; Zbl 0767.05053)]. This kind of extension property for partial automorphisms or Hrushovski property has been proved for several other classes of spaces.\N\NThe authors of this article prove the Hrushovski properties for two classes of cube complexes. A cube complex \(X\) is locally \(\mathrm{CAT}(0)\) if it satisfies the \textit{Gromov link condition}: for every vertex \(v \in X\), the simplex complex \(\mathrm{Link}(v)\) is a simplicial complex in which every complete graph is contained in a simplex.\N\NThe first main result of the authors is a Hrushovski property for compact locally \(\mathrm{CAT}(0)\) cube complexes.\N\NTheorem 1. Let \(X\) be a compact locally \(\mathrm{CAT}(0)\) cube complex. Then \(X\) embeds as a subcomplex in a locally \(\mathrm{CAT}(0)\) cube complex \(X'\) such that every locally isometric isomorphism between locally convex subcomplexes of \(X\) extends to an automorphism of \(X'\).\N\NA combinatorial map \(f: X \to Y\) of \(\mathrm{CAT}(0)\) cube complexes is \textit{locally isometric} if for each vertex \(v\) of \(X\), the induced map \(f_v: \mathrm{Link}(v) \to \mathrm{Link}(f(v))\) is an embedding of a \textit{full} subcomplex, i.e., if the boundary of a simplex is contained in \(\mathrm{Image}(f_v)\), then so is the simplex. A subcomplex of a \(\mathrm{CAT}(0)\) cube complex \(X\) is \textit{locally convex} if its inclusion map is locally isometric.\N\NThe construction of \(X'\) involves a graph of cube complexes \(Y\) with \(X\) as the only vertex space and an edge space for each locally isometric isomorphism between locally convex subcomplexes of \(X\). The cube complex \(X'\) is a quotient of a suitable finite covering space of \(Y\), which is obtained from a covering space of its underlying graph: the bouquet of circles. Thus, properties of the profinite topology of the free group make essential appearance in the argument.\N\NThe second main result of the authors is a Hrushovski property for compact special cube complexes. A cube complex \(X\) is special if it is locally \(\mathrm{CAT}(0)\) and its immersed hyperplanes satisfy certain combinatorial properties. \textit{Immersed hyperplanes} are particular continuous immersive maps from cube complexes in which each cube is sent to the midcube of a cube of \(X\).\N\NTheorem 2. Let \(X\) be a compact special cube complex and let \(\mathcal{O}\) be a controlled collection of locally isometric isomorphisms between locally convex subcomplexes of \(X\). Then \(X\) embeds as a locally convex subcomplex of a compact special cube complex \(X'\) such that every \(\phi \in \mathcal{O}\) extends to an automorphism of \(X'\).\N\NThe condition that \(\mathcal{O}\) be controlled amounts to combinatorial conditions on the immersed hyperplanes of the graph of cube complexes involved in the construction. These are required to ensure that a special \(X'\) can be obtained.