Magnus subgroups of one-relator surface groups. (Q965174)

The authors define a one-relator surface group as the quotient of the fundamental group of an orientable surface (possibly noncompact, or with boundary) by the normal closure of a single element. A Magnus subgroup of a one-relator surface group is defined as follows motivated by the definition of Magnus subgroups for one-relator groups. Definition: Let \(S\) be a surface, \(R\) an element of \(\pi_1(S)\) and \(G=\pi_1(S)/\langle\langle R\rangle\rangle\). A subgroup \(M\) of \(G\) is a Magnus subgroup if there is an essential separating simple closed curve \(\alpha\) in \(S\) that separates \(S\) into two components \(S_1\) and \(S_2\), such that: 1. \(R\) is not conjugate in \(\pi_1(S)\) to an element of \(\pi_1(S_1)\) or of \(\pi_1(S_2)\); and 2. \(M\) is the image in \(G\) of the subgroup \(\pi_1(S_1)\) of \(\pi_1(S)\). A pair of such Magnus subgroups \(M_1\) and \(M_2\) are said to be `compatible' if the corresponding separating curves on \(S\) can be chosen to be disjoint. The following are two of the main theorems of the paper under review: Theorem: Let \(G\) be a one-relator surface group, and let \(M\) be a Magnus subgroup of \(G\). Then \(M\) is cyclonormal, that is, for any \(g\in G\setminus M\), \(M\cap gMg^{-1}\) is cyclic. Theorem: Let \(G\) be a one-relator surface group and let \(M_1\) and \(M_2\) be two compatible Magnus subgroups of \(G\). Let \(g\in G\). Then \(M_1\cap_GgM_2g^{-1}\) is cyclic unless \(g\in M_1M_2\).