Girth alternative for subgroups of PL_o(I)

DOI10.1017/S0017089524000181MaRDI QIDQ7033963zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors Azer Akhmedov

Publication date 3 February 2025

Published in Glasgow Mathematical Journal (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1017/S0017089524000181

zbMATH Keywords

exemplary towergroup girthhyperbolic-like elementspiecewise linear homeomorphism

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Geometric group theory (20F65) General theory of group and pseudogroup actions (22F05) Dynamics induced by group actions other than (mathbb{Z}) and (mathbb{R}), and (mathbb{C}) (37C85) Dynamical systems involving maps of the interval (37E05) Topological methods in group theory (57M07)

Review text

This article proves that the Girth alternative holds for finitely generated subgroups of the group \(\mathrm{PL}_o(I)\), the group of orientation-preserving piecewise linear homeomorphisms of the interval \([0,1]\). That is, such subgroups are either solvable or have infinite girth (Theorem 1.2). The girth of a group is the supremum of the minimal lengths of nontrivial relations over all finite generating sets.\N\NThe argument uses structural results about \(\mathrm{PL}_o(I)\), in particular the theory of exemplary towers developed by \textit{C. Bleak} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 78, No. 2, 352--372 (2008; Zbl 1192.20025)]. The author constructs elements simulating iterated wreath products of \(\mathbb{Z}\), showing they generate subgroups with no short relations. This leads to new proofs of the fact that Thompson's group \(F\) and Brin's group \(B\) have infinite girth.\N\NA second main result (Theorem 1.5) shows that finitely generated subgroups of \(\mathrm{Homeo}_+(I)\) containing enough hyperbolic-like elements have infinite girth. Theorem 4.4 further generalizes this to groups acting by homeomorphisms on Hausdorff spaces, via a ping-pong argument.

Cites work

• A geometric classification of some solvable groups of homeomorphisms
• Complexity among the finitely generated subgroups of Thompson's group
• ELEMENTARY AMENABLE SUBGROUPS OF R. THOMPSON'S GROUP F
• Free limits of Thompson's group F.
• Groups of fast homeomorphisms of the interval and the ping-pong argument
• Hyperbolicity as an obstruction to smoothability for one-dimensional actions
• On the dimension growth of groups.
• On the girth of finitely generated groups.
• The free group of rank 2 is a limit of Thompson's group F.
• The girth alternative for mapping class groups.
• The girth of convergence groups and mapping class groups.
• The girth of groups satisfying Tits alternative.

Cited in

(2)

• Girth alternative for HNN extensions
• On the girth of groups acting on CAT(0) cube complexes

This page was built for publication: Girth alternative for subgroups of \(\mathrm{PL}_o(I)\)

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q7033963)