Simple closed curves, word length, and nilpotent quotients of free groups

DOI10.2140/PJM.2011.254.67zbMATH Open1239.57003OpenAlexW2963609404MaRDI QIDQ411883FDOQ411883

Authors Khalid Bou-Rabee, Asaf Hadari 

Publication date 2 May 2012

Published in Pacific Journal of Mathematics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1009.0332

zbMATH Keywords

nilpotent groupssimple closed curvesword length

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Residual properties and generalizations; residually finite groups (20E26) Fundamental group, presentations, free differential calculus (57M05)

Abstract: We consider the fundamental group $pi$ of a surface of finite type equipped with the infinite generating set consisting of all simple closed curves. We show that every nilpotent quotient of $pi$ has finite diameter with respect to the word metric given by this set. This is in contrast with a result of Danny Calegari that shows that $pi$ has infinite diameter with respect to this set. Furthermore, we give a general criterion for a finitely generated group equipped with a generating set to have this property.

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Cited In (4)

• Word length in surface groups with characteristic generating sets
• On the self-intersections of curves deep in the lower central series of a surface group
• The cancellation norm and the geometry of bi-invariant word metrics
• A remark on the word length in surface groups

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