English

Ideal Whitehead Graphs in Out(F_r) I: Some Unachieved Graphs

Group Theory 2012-10-23 v1 Geometric Topology

Abstract

H. Masur and J. Smillie proved precisely which singularity index lists arise from pseudo-Anosov mapping classes. In search of an analogous theorem for outer automorphisms of free groups, Handel and Mosher ask: Is each connected, simplicial, (2r-1)-vertex graph the ideal Whitehead graph of a fully irreducible outer automorphism in Out(F_r)? We answer this question in the negative by exhibiting, for each r, examples of connected (2r-1)-vertex graphs that are not the ideal Whitehead graph of any fully irreducible outer automorphism in Out(F_r)? In the course of our proof we also develop machinery used in "Constructing and Classifying Fully Irreducible Outer Automorphisms of Free Groups" to fully answer the question in the rank-three case.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1210.5762,
  title  = {Ideal Whitehead Graphs in Out(F_r) I: Some Unachieved Graphs},
  author = {Catherine Pfaff},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1210.5762},
  year   = {2012}
}

Comments

arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1205.5320