scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1421184
centralizersEuler characteristicfinite subgroups of outer automorphism groupsfree groupsgraphs of groups
Free nonabelian groups (20E05) Free products of groups, free products with amalgamation, Higman-Neumann-Neumann extensions, and generalizations (20E06) Subgroup theorems; subgroup growth (20E07) Automorphism groups of groups (20F28) Geometric group theory (20F65) Topological methods in group theory (57M07)
Each finite subgroup \(G\) of the outer automorphism group \(\text{Out} F_n\) of a free group \(F_n\) can be induced by the action of \(G\) on a finite graph \(\Gamma\) with fundamental group \(F_n\). In the present paper, necessary and sufficient conditions are given for the centralizer of a finite group \(G\) of outer automorphisms (resp. automorphisms) of a free group \(F_n\) to be finite, in terms of the action of \(G\) on such a finite \(G\)-graph \(\Gamma\). This is done on the basis of work of Krstić who showed how to find generators of the centralizer of \(G\) from its action on \(\Gamma\), in terms of graph isomorphisms and certain graph transformations. The necessary and sufficient conditions given in the present paper are alternative to those given by Pettet for a free-by-finite group (the extension of \(F_n\) determined by \(G\)) to have a finite outer automorphism group, in terms of the action of the extension on a tree resp. the associated graph of groups. The question about centralizers is of interest also for the computation of the integral Euler characteristic of \(\text{Out} F_n\) for which it is sufficient to know the rational Euler characteristic of the centralizers of finite order elements in \(\text{Out} F_n\) (computed by Smillie and Vogtmann for the whole group \(\text{Out} F_n\) which may be considered the centralizer of the trivial automorphism). For the entire collection see [Zbl 0930.00042].
- Finite groups of outer automorphisms of free groups
- Equivariant outer space and automorphisms of free-by-finite groups
- Finite subgroups of groups of outer automorphisms of free groups
- Actions of finite groups of graphs and related automorphisms of free groups
- Automorphism group of a free group: Centralizers and stabilizers
- Automorphisms of graphs, p-subgroups of \(Out(F_ n)\) and the Euler characteristic of \(Out(F_ n)\)
- Equivariant outer space and automorphisms of free-by-finite groups
- A generating function for the Euler characteristic of \(Out(F_ n)\)
- Centralizers of automorphisms permuting free generators
- Centralisers of Dehn twist automorphisms of free groups
- Centralisers of linear growth automorphisms of free groups
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