English

Alternating and Symmetric Separability of Free Products

Group Theory 2026-04-22 v2

Abstract

Let FGF \ast G be a free product of a free group FF and a LERF group GG. In this note, we provide sufficient conditions for a subgroup HH of FGF \ast G to be AS\mathcal{A} \cup \mathcal{S}-separable, that is, for any finite set {γ1,,γn}(FG)H\{\gamma_1, \ldots, \gamma_n\} \subset (F \ast G) \setminus H, there is a surjection ff from FGF \ast G to an alternating or symmetric group such that f(γi)f(H)f(\gamma_i) \notin f(H) for all ii. As a corollary, any finitely generated infinite-index subgroup of a free group is AS\mathcal{A} \cup \mathcal{S}-separable in the free product of the free group and an arbitrary LERF group, generalizing a result of Wilton.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2604.17232,
  title  = {Alternating and Symmetric Separability of Free Products},
  author = {Dongxiao Zhao and Qiang Zhang},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.17232},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

12 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Bull. Aust. Math. Soc., 2026