Outer automorphism groups of certain 1-relator groups. (Q989804)

A group \(G\) is `conjugacy separable' if for any non-conjugate elements \(x\) and \(y\) of \(G\), there exists some finite quotient of \(G\) in which the images of \(x\) and \(y\) are non-conjugate. The class of conjugacy separable groups that have residually finite outer automorphism groups is known to include all Fuchsian groups and all cyclically pinched one-relator groups. Here it is shown that for \(k>1\) the one-relator groups \(\langle a,b\mid (a^lb^m)^k\rangle\) and \(\langle a,b\mid (a^{-s}b^la^sb^m)^k\rangle\) also belong to this class. (The case \(k=1\) having been dealt with in earlier papers.) The authors and their collaborators showed in earlier papers that the groups considered are conjugacy separable. Residual finiteness of their outer automorphism groups is proved by showing that the groups considered have Property~E and then applying Grossman's theorem that the outer automorphism group of any finitely generated conjugacy separable group with Property~A is residually finite. (A group \(G\) has `Property~E' (resp. `Property~A') if for each conjugating endomorphism (resp. automorphism) \(\alpha\) of \(G\) there exists a single element \(k\in G\) such that \(\alpha(g)=k^{-1}gk\) for all \(g\in G\).)