On two-generator subgroups of mapping torus groups
Many celebrated results in geometric group theory classify subgroups \(H\) of a group \(G\), where \(G\) belongs to a given class of interest and \(H\) has some algebraic restriction. This paper is concerned with the case in which \(H\) is \(2\)-generated. A standout result in this case is when \(G\) is an oriented \(3\)-manifold group, due to \textit{W. Jaco} and \textit{P. B. Shalen} [in: Geometric topology. Proceedings of the 1977 Georgia topology conference, Athens, GA, USA, August 1--12, 1977. New York - San Francisco - London: Academic Press, A Subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers. 91--99 (1979; Zbl 0471.57001)], this is generalized to the non-orientable case by Shalen's appendix to the paper.\N\NThe main result of the paper is about the situation in which \(H\) is again \(2\)-generated and \(G\) is a mapping torus of a free group \(\langle F, t \mid txt^{-1} = \phi(x), x \in F \rangle\). The free group \(F\) can be infinitely generated and the endomorphism \(\varphi\) need not be an isomorphism. Then every \(2\)-generated subgroup is either free or conjugate to a finitary sub-mapping torus; that is the mapping torus of a finite rank free subgroup of \(F\), whose endomorphism is essentially induced by \(\phi\). The proof relies on the techniques developed by \textit{M. Feighn} and \textit{M. Handel} to prove coherence of such groups [Ann. Math. (2) 149, No. 3, 1061--1077 (1999; Zbl 0938.20022)]. Namely, invariant graph pairs, relative complexity and tight representatives, i.e. representatives of minimal relative complexity. In [loc. cit.], these representatives are not constructed explicitly, but in the rank \(2\) case the minimal complexity is small enough that the authors can overcome this obstacle and use explicit representatives for the proof of the main theorem.\N\NStarting from the main theorem, one can impose additional assumptions on \(G\) and obtain stronger conclusions on \(H\). For example, if \(G\) is a hyperbolic (finitely generated free)-by-cyclic group, then every \(2\)-generated subgroup is either free or has finite index in \(G\).\N\NA further application of the main theorem is to one-relator groups with torsion and to RFRS groups with vanishing second \(\ell^2\)-Betti number and rational cohomological dimension \(2\). Indeed, recent results by \textit{D. Kielak} and \textit{M. Linton} [Geom. Funct. Anal. 34, No. 5, 1580--1608 (2024; Zbl 1552.20155)] and \textit{S. P. Fisher} [``On the cohomological dimension of kernels of maps to $\mathbb Z$, Preprint, \url{arXiv:2403.18758}] imply that such groups are virtually free-by-cyclic (where the free group is often infinitely generated).
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