Translation lengths in \(\text{Out}(F_n)\). (Q698120)

Let \(G\) be a finitely generated group with a finite generating set \(X\). Let \(||g||\) denote the word length of \(g\in G\) associated to \(X\). Following Gersten and Short the author defines the translation length of an element \(g\in G\) as \(\lim_{n\to\infty}||g^n||/n\). The author proves that all elements of infinite order in the group \(\text{Out}(F_n)\) of all outer automorphisms of the free group \(F_n\) of finite rank \(n\geq 2\) have positive translation lengths bounded away from zero. It follows a new proof that solvable subgroups of \(\text{Out}(F_n)\) are finitely generated and virtually Abelian. Previously Farb, Lubotzky and Minsky had proved that Dehn twists (more generally, all elements of infinite order) in the mapping class group \(Mod(\Sigma_g)\) of a surface \(\Sigma_g\) have positive translation lengths. These authors used in their proof the intersection numbers. Such an approach cannot work in the case of \(\text{Out}(F_n)\) as we do not have an analogue of the intersection number.