Invariable generation and the Houghton groups

Abstract: The Houghton groups

H_{1}, H_{2}, l d o t s

are a family of infinite groups. In 1975 Wiegold showed that

H_{3}

was invariably generated (IG) but

H_{1} l e H_{3}

was not. A natural question is then whether the groups

H_{2}, H_{3}, l d o t s

are all IG. Wiegold also ends by saying that, in the examples he had found of an IG group with a subgroup that is not IG, the subgroup was never of finite index. Another natural question is then whether there is a subgroup of finite index in

H_{3}

that is not IG. In this note we prove, for each

n i n 2, 3, l d o t s

, that

H_{n}

and all of its finite index subgroups are IG. The independent work of Minasyan and Goffer-Lazarovich in June 2020 frames this note quite nicely: they showed that an IG group can have a finite index subgroup that is not IG.

Review text

A group $G$ is \textit{invariably generated by a subset $S$} if replacing each element of $S$ with any of its conjugates results in a generating set for $G$. The group $G$ is \textit{invariably generated} if such an $S$ exists. Let us denote by $d(G)$ the smallest cardinal of a generating set of $G$. Let $n$ be a positive integer and let $X_n = \{1, \dots, n\} \times \mathbb{N}$. The \textit{Houghton group $H_n$} is the group of permutations of $X_n$ that eventually act as a translation in each copy of $\mathbb{N}$. Wiegold showed that $H_3$ is invariably generated whereas its subgroup $H_1$ isn't [\textit{J. Wiegold}, Arch. Math. 29, 571--573 (1977; Zbl 0382.20029)]. From now on, we assume that $n \ge 2$. The author first proves that $H_n$ is invariably generated by a subset with $d(H_n) = \max(2, n - 1)$ elements (Theorem A). Then he proves that every group commensurable to $H_n$ is invariably generated by a finite subset (Theorem B). Let us describe the invariable finite generating subsets constructed by the author. For $k \in \{2, \dots ,n\}$, let $g_k$ be the permutation of $X_n$ with support $(\{1\} \times \mathbb{N}) \cup (\{k\} \times \mathbb{N})$ which is defined by $g_k(1, m) = (1, m + 1)$ for $m \ge 1$, $g_k(k, 1) = (1 ,1)$ and $g_k(k, m) = (k, m - 1)$ for $m \ge 2$. The group $H_2$ is invariably generated by the set $\{ g_2, g_2 \sigma\}$ where $\sigma$ is the $4$-cycle $\left((1, 4)(1, 3)(1, 2)(1, 1)\right)$. If $n \ge 3$, then $H_n$ is invariably generated by $\{g_2, \dots, g_{n - 1}, h\}$ where $h = g_n g_{n - 1} \cdots g_2$. The proof of Theorem B is the most delicate part of the paper. It relies on the following elementary fact: each subgroup $H$ of finite index in $H_n$ contains the subgroup generated by the $3$-cycles of $X_n$ and the permutations $g_2^{2v}, \dots, g_n^{2v}$ for some $v = v(H) > 1$. The latter subgroup, named $U_{2v}$, is easily seen to be normal and of finite index in $H_n$. The author's key finding is that $U_{2v}$ is invariably generated by $\{g_2^{2v}, \dots, g_{n - 1}^{2v}, h_{2v}, \sigma_1, g_2^{4v}\sigma_1, g_2^{4v} \sigma_2\}$ where $h_{2v} = g_n^{2v} g_{n - 1}^{2v} \cdots g_2^{2v}$, $\sigma_1$ is the $3$-cycle $\left((1,1) (1,2) (1,3)\right)$ and $\sigma_2$ is the product $\left( (1, 1) (1,2)\right) \left( (1, 3) (1,4) \cdots (1, 4v)\right)$.

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