On the Johnson filtration of the basis-conjugating automorphism group of a free group.

Free nonabelian groups (20E05) Automorphisms of infinite groups (20E36) Generators, relations, and presentations of groups (20F05) Derived series, central series, and generalizations for groups (20F14) Automorphism groups of groups (20F28)

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Let \(\mathcal A_n(k)\) denote the kernel of the natural homomorphism \(\Aut(F_n)\to\Aut(F_n/\Gamma_n(k+1))\), then is defined the descending central filtration \(\Aut(F_n)=\mathcal A_n(0)\supset\mathcal A_n(1)\supset\mathcal A_n(2)\supset\cdots\) with \(\mathcal A_n(1)=IA_n\). This descending filtration of \(\Aut(F_n)\) is called the Johnson filtration of \(\Aut(F_n)\) and was originally introduced and studied [in Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 15, 239-268 (1965; Zbl 0135.04502)] by \textit{S. Andreadakis}. Although since then many papers are devoted to studying this filtration and the graded quotients \(gr^k(\mathcal A_n)=\mathcal A_n(k)/\mathcal A_n(k+1)\), it was not yet determined whether each of the \(\mathcal A_n(k)\) is finitely generated or not for \(k\geq 2\). Neither is it known whether the Abelianization \(\mathcal A_n(k)^{ab}\) of \(\mathcal A_n(k)\) is finitely generated for \(k\geq 2\). In the present paper the author, continuing his work on the study of these filtrations, considers a special subgroup of \(\Aut(F_n)\) and studies the relevant Johnson filtration. More precisely, let \(\{x_1,x_2,\dots,x_n\}\) be a basis of the free group \(F_n\), an automorphism \(\sigma\) of \(F_n\) such that \(x_i^\sigma\) is conjugate to \(x_i\), \(1\leq i\leq n\), is called a basis-conjugating automorphism of \(F_n\). The set \(P\Sigma_n\) of all basis-conjugating automorphisms is a subgroup of \(\Aut(F_n)\) and \(P\Sigma_n\subseteq IA_n\). In [Can. J. Math. 38, 1525-1529 (1986; Zbl 0613.20024)] is given by \textit{J. McCool} a finite presentation of \(P\Sigma_n\). Let \(\mathcal P_n(k)=P\Sigma_n\cap\mathcal A_n(k)\) for each \(k\geq 1\). The groups \(\mathcal P_n(k)\) form the descending central Johnson filtration \(P\Sigma_n=\mathcal P_n(1)\supset\mathcal P_n(2)\supset\mathcal P_n(3)\cdots\). If \(P\Sigma_n=P\Sigma_n^{(1)}\supset P\Sigma_n^{(2)}\supset P\Sigma_n^{(3)}\supset\cdots\) is the lower central series of \(P\Sigma_n\), then \(P\Sigma_n^{(k)}\subset\mathcal P_n(k)\) for every \(k\geq 1\). It is proved that the Abelianization of \(P\Sigma_n\) is a free Abelian group of rank \(n(n-1)\) and that \(P\Sigma_n^{(2)}=\mathcal P_n(2)\) and \(P\Sigma_n^{(3)}=\mathcal P_n(3)\). Using the Reidemeister-Schreier method the author obtains an infinite presentation of \(P\Sigma_n^{(2)}=\mathcal P_n(2)\) and proves his main result. Theorem. For \(n\geq 3\) and \(k\geq 2\), \((P\Sigma_n^{(k)})^{ab}\) contains infinitely many linearly independent elements. This theorem has as corollary that for \(n\geq 3\) and \(k\geq 2\), \(\mathcal P_n(k)^{ab}\) contains infinitely many linearly independent elements. Therefore for \(n\geq 3\) and \(k\geq 2\), \(\mathcal P_n(k)\) is not finitely generated.

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