The surjectivity problem for one-generator, one-relator extensions of torsion-free groups

DOI10.2140/GT.2001.5.127MaRDI QIDQ1865100zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Marshall M. Cohen, Colin Rourke

Publication date 25 March 2003

Published in Geometry \& Topology (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0009101, https://eudml.org/doc/122704, http://www.emis.de/journals/UW/gt/GTVol5/paper5.abs.html

zbMATH Keywords

CW-complexesKervaire conjecturesimple homotopy equivalencessurjectivity problemtorsion-free groupsWhitehead torsion

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Extensions, wreath products, and other compositions of groups (20E22) Generators, relations, and presentations of groups (20F05) Simple homotopy type, Whitehead torsion, Reidemeister-Franz torsion, etc. (57Q10)

Abstract: We use Klyachko's methods to prove that the natural map G to G-hat, where G is a torsion-free group and G-hat is obtained by adding a new generator t and a new relator w, is surjective only if w is conjugate to gt or gt^{-1} for some g in G. This solves a special case of the surjectivity problem for group extensions, raised by Cohen [Whitehead torsion, group extensions, and Zeeman's conjecture in high dimensions, Topology, 16 (1977) 79--88].

Review text

If a group \(\widehat G\) is obtained from a group \(G\) by adding \(n\) generators and \(n\) relators then the surjectivity problem is whether the natural homomorphism \(G\to\widehat G\) is surjective. This was raised by \textit{M. M. Cohen} [Topology 16, 79-88 (1977; Zbl 0351.57002)] and independently by \textit{W. Metzler} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 285, 7-23 (1976; Zbl 0325.57003)]. Here it is proved that the natural map \(G\to\widehat G\), where \(G\) is a torsion-free group and \(\widehat G\) is obtained by adding a new generator \(t\) and a new relator \(w\), is surjective only if \(w\) is conjugate to \(gt\) or \(gt^{-1}\) where \(g\in G\). One of the corollaries is that for a CW-complex \(\widehat L\), that is obtained from a CW-complex \(L\) by attaching first a \(1\)-cell and then a \(2\)-cell, the inclusion map \(j\colon L\to\widehat L\) is a simple homotopy equivalence if \(j\) induces a surjection \(j_*\colon\pi_1L\to\pi_1\widehat L\). The proof uses methods and results of \textit{A. A. Klyachko} [Commun. Algebra 21, No. 7, 2555-2575 (1993; Zbl 0788.20017)].

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Cites work

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Cited in

(8)

• The structure of one-relator relative presentations and their centres.
• The Kervaire-Laudenbach Conjecture and Presentations of Simple Groups
• Relative hyperbolicity and similar properties of one-generator one-relator relative presentations with powered unimodular relator.
• Commutator length of powers in free products of groups
• The adjunction problem over torsion-free groups
• The group \(\langle G,t\mid e\rangle\) when \(G\) is torsion free
• How to generalize known results on equations over groups.
• Pseudocharacters on anomalous products of locally indicable groups.

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