HOMOMORPHISMS FROM AUTOMORPHISM GROUPS OF FREE GROUPS

Abstract: The automorphism group of a finitely generated free group is the normal closure of a single element of order 2. If

m

is less than

n

then a homomorphism

A u t (F_{n}) o A u t (F_{m})

can have cardinality at most 2. More generally, this is true of homomorphisms from

A u t (F_{n})

to any group that does not contain an isomorphic copy of the symmetric group

S_{n + 1}

. Strong constraints are also obtained on maps to groups that do not contain a copy of

W_{n} = (B b b Z / 2)^{n} t i m e s S_{n}

, or of

B b b Z^{n - 1}

. These results place constraints on how

A u t (F_{n})

can act. For example, if

n g e 3

then any action of

A u t (F_{n})

on the circle (by homeomorphisms) factors through

e x t m d e t : A u t (F_{n}) o B b b Z_{2}

.

Cited In (19)

   Recommendations

This page was built for publication: HOMOMORPHISMS FROM AUTOMORPHISM GROUPS OF FREE GROUPS