Equations in a free 𝐐-group

DOI10.1090/S0002-9947-98-01798-XMaRDI QIDQ4382952zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Olga Kharlampovich, Alexei Myasnikov

Publication date 24 March 1998

Published in Transactions of the American Mathematical Society (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/9605204

algorithms Cayley diagrams Diophantine problem finite systems of equations free groups with roots recursive sets of primes

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Free nonabelian groups (20E05) Word problems, other decision problems, connections with logic and automata (group-theoretic aspects) (20F10)

Abstract: In this work we investigate tensor completions of groups by associative rings, which were introduced by R.Lyndon and G.Baumslag in 1960s. The main result states that there exists an algorithm that decides if a given finite system of equations over a free

-group has a solution, and if it does, finds a solution. This statement can be generalized for

-completions of torsion-free hyperbolic groups. Our proof significantly uses the techniques of word hyperbolic groups and the results of E.Rips and Z.Sela on the solvability of systems of equations in hyperbolic groups.

Review text

The authors give an algorithm that decides if a given finite system of equations in free groups with roots has a solution. Suppose \(A\) is an associative ring with 1. An \(A\)-group is a group \(G\) with an action \(G\times A\to G\); \((g,\alpha)\to g^\alpha\) satisfying \(g^1=g\), \(g^0=e\), \(e^\alpha=e\), \(g^{\alpha+\beta}=g^\alpha g^\beta\), \(g^{\alpha\beta}=(g^\alpha)^\beta\), \((h^{-1}gh)^\alpha=h^{-1}g^\alpha h\) and \(gh=hg\) implies \((gh)^\alpha=g^\alpha h^\alpha\). The class of all \(A\)-groups is a variety and for any group \(G\) there exists a universal \(A\)-group denoted by \(G^A\). For any set of primes \(\pi\) the set of rational numbers whose denominators are products of primes from \(\pi\) is a subring of the ring of rationals \(\mathbb{Q}\) and is denoted by \(\mathbb{Q}_\pi\). Theorem 1: Let \(\pi\) be a recursive set of primes. Then there is an algorithm that decides if a given finite system of equations over a free \(\mathbb{Q}_\pi\)-group has a solution, and in the case a solution exists, the algorithm finds a solution. In particular, the Diophantine problem over the groups \(F^\mathbb{Q}\), where \(F\) is a free group, is decidable. This theorem is also generalized to rings of characteristic \(0\). Theorem 2: For any field \(K\) of characteristic \(0\) and any free group \(F\), the Diophantine problem with coefficients in \(F\) over \(F^K\) is decidable. The proofs are quite technical and involve geometric properties of Cayley diagrams and reduction from free groups with roots to free groups.

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