Limits of conjugacy classes under iterates of hyperbolic elements of Out(F)

Abstract: For a free group

m a t h b b F

of finite rank such that

e x t r a n k (m a t h b b F) g e q 3

, we prove that the set of weak limits of a conjugacy class in

m a t h b b F

under iterates of some hyperbolic

p h i i n m a t h s f O u t (m a t h b b F)

is equal to the collection of generic leaves and singular lines of

p h i

. As an application we describe the ending lamination set for a hyperbolic extension of

m a t h b b F

by a hyperbolic subgroup of

m a t h s f O u t (m a t h b b F)

in a new way and use it to prove results about Cannon-Thurston maps for such extensions. We also use it to derive conditions for quasiconvexity of finitely generated, infinite index subgroups of

m a t h b b F

in the extension group. These results generalize similar results obtained by Mahan Mj, Kapovich-Lustig and use different techniques.

Review text

Consider a free group \(F\) of finite rank \(\ge3\). An outer automorphism \(\phi\) of \(F\) is \emph{hyperbolic} if there is \(\lambda>1\) such that, for every conjugacy class \(c\) in \(F\), either the length of \(\phi^n(c)\) or of \(\phi^{-n}(c)\) increases at exponential rate at least \(\lambda^n\); this holds if and only if there are no \(\phi\)-periodic conjugacy classes. This article is concerned with geometric structures associated with such a \(\phi\), an in particular in its action on the set of \textit{lines} (bi-infinite paths) in a finite graph with fundamental group \(F\). The first result (Theorem 3.10) characterizes those lines that are weak limits of a conjugacy class (itself corresponding to a closed path in the graph) under iteration of \(\phi\). The characterization is in terms of the natural action of \(F\) on \(\widetilde{\mathcal B}=(\partial F\times\partial F\setminus\Delta)/\{(\xi,\eta)\sim(\eta,\xi)\}\), and in particular independent of any choice of graph: this set of weak limits coincides with \(\mathcal B_{\text{gen}}(\phi)\cup\mathcal B_{\text{Fix}_+(\phi)}\), respectively the collection of generic leaves of all attracting laminations for \(\phi\) and the set of all projections of lines in \(\widetilde{\mathcal B}\) whose endpoints are attracting fixed points of a lift of \(\phi\) to \(\operatorname{Aut}(F)\). An application follows (Theorem 4.8): consider an exact sequence \[ 1\longrightarrow F\longrightarrow G\longrightarrow\langle\phi\rangle\longrightarrow 1 \] with \(\phi\) hyperbolic (so \(G\) is a word hyperbolic group). Then the Cannon-Thurston map \(\partial F\to\partial G\) has finite fibres of cardinality bounded by a function of the rank of \(F\). The author also characterizes (Theorem 4.10) those finitely generated subgroups of \(F\) that remain quasi-convex in \(G\).

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