Normal subgroups of profinite groups of non-negative deficiency.

DOI10.1016/J.JPAA.2013.10.003MaRDI QIDQ392508zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Andrei Jaikin-Zapirain, Aline G. S. Pinto, Fritz Grunewald, Pavel Zalesskij

Publication date 14 January 2014

Published in Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0810.2027

\(p\)-deficiency of groups cohomological dimensions finitely generated normal subgroups of infinite index finitely generated profinite groups HNN-extensions Poincaré duality groups profinite completions Sylow subgroups

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Structure of modular groups and generalizations; arithmetic groups (11F06) Congruence subgroup problems (19B37) Free products of groups, free products with amalgamation, Higman-Neumann-Neumann extensions, and generalizations (20E06) Subgroup theorems; subgroup growth (20E07) Limits, profinite groups (20E18) Generators, relations, and presentations of groups (20F05) Homological methods in group theory (20J05) Poincaré duality spaces (57P10)

Abstract: We initiate the study of profinite groups of non-negative deficiency. The principal focus of the paper is to show that the existence of a finitely generated normal subgroup of infinite index in a profinite group

G

of non-negative deficiency gives rather strong consequences for the structure of

G

. To make this precise we introduce the notion of

p

-deficiency (

p

a prime) for a profinite group

G

. This concept is more useful in the study of profinite groups then the notion of deficiency. We prove that if the

p

-deficiency of

G

is positive and

N

is a finitely generated normal subgroup such that the

p

-Sylow subgroup of

G / N

is infinite and

p

divides the order of

N

then we have

c d_{p} (G) = 2

,

c d_{p} (N) = 1

and

v c d_{p} (G / N) = 1

for the cohomological

p

-dimensions; moreover either the

p

-Sylow subgroup of

G / N

is virtually cyclic or the

p

-Sylow subgroup of

N

is cyclic. A profinite Poincar'e duality group

G

of dimension 3 at a prime

p

(

P D^{3}

-group) has deficiency 0. In this case we show that for

N

and

p

as above either

N

is

P D^{1}

at

p

and

G / N

is virtually

P D^{2}

at

p

or

N

is

P D^{2}

at

p

and

G / N

is virtually

P D^{1}

at

p

. In particular if

G

is pro-

p

then either

N

is infinite cyclic and

G / N

is virtually Demushkin or

N

is Demushkin and

G / N

is virtually infinite cyclic. We apply this results to deduce structural information on the profinite completions of ascending HNN-extensions of free groups. We also give some implications of our theory to the congruence kernels of certain arithmetic groups.

Review text

Let \(G\) be a profinite group of nonnegative deficiency; akin to discrete groups, the deficiency of a profinite group \(G\) is the largest integer \(k\) such that there exists a presentation of \(G\) (in the category of profinite groups) where the number of generators minus the number of relators equals \(k\). In this paper, it is demonstrated using homological methods that the existence of a finitely generated normal subgroup of infinite index in \(G\) has some significant implications for the structure of \(G\).NEWLINENEWLINE The authors introduce a cohomological notion of \(p\)-deficiency \(\text{def}_p(G)\), where \(p\) is a prime, for a profinite group \(G\). This definition is different from the \(p\)-deficiency introduced by \textit{J.-C. Schlage-Puchta} [in J. Group Theory 15, No. 2, 261-270 (2012; Zbl 1259.20046)], which may take non-integer values.NEWLINENEWLINE Let \(G\) be a finitely generated profinite group with positive deficiency and \(N\) a finitely generated normal subgroup such that the \(p\)-Sylow subgroup \((G/N)_p\) is infinite and \(p\) divides the order of \(N\). Generalizing a result of \textit{J. A. Hillmann} and \textit{A. Schmidt} [in Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 40, No. 6, 1065-1069 (2008; Zbl 1162.20019)], the authors prove that \(\text{def}_p(G)=1\) and either the \(p\)-Sylow subgroup of \(G/N\) is virtually cyclic or the \(p\)-Sylow subgroup of \(N\) is cyclic. Additionally \(\text{cd}_p(G)=2\), \(\text{cd}_p(N)=1\) and \(\text{vcd}_p(G/N)=1\), where \(\text{cd}_p\) is the cohomological \(p\)-dimension and \(\text{vcd}_p\) is the virtual cohomological \(p\)-dimension.NEWLINENEWLINE Similar to a result of \textit{J. A. Hillmann} [in Math. Z. 195, 89-92 (1987; Zbl 0597.57009)], the authors prove the following. Let \(G\) be a profinite Poincaré duality group of dimension 3, i.e. a profinite \(\text{PD}^3\)-group at a prime \(p\), and \(N\) be a finitely generated normal subgroup of \(G\) such that the \(p\)-Sylow \((G/N)_p\) is infinite and \(p\) divides \(|N|\). Then either \(N\) is \(\text{PD}^1\) at \(p\) and \(G/N\) is virtually \(\text{PD}^2\) at \(p\) or \(N\) is \(\text{PD}^2\) and \(G/N\) is virtually \(\text{PD}^1\) at \(p\). A pro-\(p\) version of the above result is also given. An example is included showing that it is not true in general that if \(G\) is a \(\text{PD}^3\)-group at \(p\), then \(\text{def}_p(G)=0\).NEWLINENEWLINE It is established that the profinite version of the \textit{E. Rapaport-Strasser} conjecture [Knot-like groups. Knots, Groups, 3-Manif.; Pap. dedic. Mem. R. H. Fox, 119-133 (1975; Zbl 0323.55003)] is also true: Let \(G\) be a finitely generated profinite group of positive deficiency whose commutator subgroup \([G,G]\) is finitely generated. Then \(\text{def}(G)=1\) and \([G,G]\) is projective. Moreover \(\text{cd}(G)=2\) unless \(G=\widehat{\mathbb{Z}}\).NEWLINENEWLINE Let \(G\) be a finitely generated pro-\(p\) group of sub-exponential subgroup growth with \(\overline\chi_2(G,\mathbb{F}_p)=0\). It is proven that \(G\) is then (finitely generated free pro-\(p\))-by-cyclic and all finitely generated subgroups of infinite index are free pro-\(p\) groups. The authors proceed to conjecture, that \(G\) is \(\mathbb{Z}_p\) or \(\mathbb{Z}_p\rtimes\mathbb{Z}_p\).NEWLINENEWLINE The structure of the profinite completion of ascending HNN-extensions of a free group is established as follows: Let \(F=F(x_1,\ldots,x_n)\) be a free group of finite rank \(n\) and \(f\colon F\to F\) an endomorphism. Let \(\Gamma=\langle F,t\mid x^t_i=f(x_i)\rangle\) be the HNN-extension. Let \(P\) be the closure of \(F\) in the profinite completion \(\widehat\Gamma\). Then \(P\) is a projective profinite group that is normal in \(\widehat\Gamma\) and \(\widehat\Gamma=P\rtimes\widehat{\mathbb{Z}}\). Also \(P\) is free profinite of rank \(n\) if and only if \(f\) is an automorphism. The authors then ask to describe the projective groups \(P\) obtained in this manner. An example of such is given.NEWLINENEWLINE A corollary is that an ascending HNN-extension \(\Gamma\) of a free group is good, where goodness is a concept introduced by \textit{J.-P. Serre} [Galois cohomology. Springer Monographs in Mathematics. Berlin, Springer (2002; Zbl 1004.12003)]. Furthermore it is shown that all arithmetic Kleinian groups are good, generalizing the earlier result for Bianchi groups [\textit{F. Grunewald, A. Jaikin-Zapirain} and \textit{P. A. Zalesskii}, Duke Math. J. 144, No. 1, 53-72 (2008; Zbl 1194.20029)]. The authors sketch a proof that all fundamental groups of 3-manifolds are good, using a result of \textit{D. T. Wise} [in Electron. Res. Announc. Math. Sci. 16, 44-55 (2009; Zbl 1183.20043)].

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