Related papers: Sieve methods in group theory \Rmnum{3}: $\aut(F_n…

We prove that the set of non-pseudo-Anosov elements in the Torelli group is exponentially small.

For an epimorphism pi of the free group F_n onto a finite group G write Gamma(G,pi) for the group of all automorphisms f of F_n for which pi*f = pi. This is called the standard congruence subgroup of Aut(F_n) associated to G and pi. In the…

We show that the smallest non-abelian quotient of $\mathrm{Aut}(F_n)$ is $\mathrm{PSL}_n(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}) = \mathrm{L}_n(2)$, thus confirming a conjecture of Mecchia--Zimmermann. In the course of the proof we give an exponential (in…

The Tits alternative for Out(F_n) is reduced to the case where all elements in the subgroup under consideration grow polynomially.

We consider the class non-surjective irreducible endomorphisms of the free group $F_n$. We show that such an endomorphism $\phi$ is topologically represented by a simplicial immersion $f:G \rightarrow G$ of a marked graph $G$; along the way…

In this paper we investigate actions of $\operatorname{SAut}(F_n)$, the unique index $2$ subgroup of $\operatorname{Aut}(F_n)$, on small sets, improving upon results by Baumeister--Kielak--Pierro for several small values of $n$. Using a…

Let $A$ be an arbitrary symmetrizable Cartan matrix of rank $r$, and ${\bf n}={\bf n_+}$ be the standard maximal nilpotent subalgebra in the Kac-Moody algebra associated with $A$ (thus, ${\bf n}$ is generated by $E_1,\ldots,E_r$ subject to…

This is the fourth and last in a series of four papers (with research announcement posted on this arXiv) that develop a decomposition theory for subgroups of $\text{Out}(F_n)$. In this paper we develop general ping-pong techniques for the…

Let $G = H\times A$ be a group, where $H$ is a purely non-abelian subgroup of $G$ and $A$ is a non-trivial abelian factor of $G$. Then, for $n \geq 2$, we show that there exists an isomorphism $\phi : Aut_{Z(G)}^{\gamma_{n}(G)}(G)…

Let $N \geq 2$ and let $\mathrm{Out}(F_N)$ be the outer automorphism group of a nonabelian free group of rank $N$. Let $\mathrm{IA}_N(\mathbb{Z}/3\mathbb{Z})$ be the finite index subgroup of $\mathrm{Out}(F_N)$ which is the kernel of the…

This paper, which is the last of a series of three papers, studies dynamical properties of elements of $\mathrm{Out}(F_{\tt n})$, the outer automorphism group of a nonabelian free group $F_{\tt n}$. We prove that, for every subgroup $H$ of…

We prove that if $\phi,\psi\in Out(F_N)$ are hyperbolic iwips (irreducible with irreducible powers) such that $<\phi,\psi>\le Out(F_N)$ is not virtually cyclic then some high powers of $\phi$ and $\psi$ generate a free subgroup of rank two,…

Totally positive (TP) and totally nonnegative (TN) matrices connect to analysis, mechanics, and to dual canonical bases in reductive groups, by well-known works of Schoenberg, Gantmacher-Krein, Lusztig, and others. TP matrices form a…

In a previous paper, the author and his collaborators studied the phenomenon of isotropy in the context of single-sorted equational theories, and showed that the isotropy group of the category of models of any such theory encodes a notion…

This is the introduction to a series of four papers that develop a decomposition theory for subgroups of Out(F_n) which generalizes the theory for elements of Out(F_n) found in the work of Bestvina, Feighn, and Handel on the Tits…

Consider a tree $\mathbb T$, all whose vertices have countable valence; its boundary is the Baire space $\mathbb{B} \simeq\mathbb{N}^{\mathbb N}$; continued fractions expansions identify the set of irrational numbers $\mathbb{R}\setminus…

Certain subgroups of the groups $Aut(F_n)$ of automorphisms of a free group $F_n$ are considered. Comparing Alexander polynomials of two poly-free groups $Cb_4^+$ and $P_4$ we prove that these groups are not isomorphic, despite the fact…

We prove that most Artin groups of large and hyperbolic type are Hopfian, meaning that every self-epimorphism is an isomorphism. The class covered by our result is generic, in the sense of Goldsborough-Vaskou. Moreover, assuming the…

We show that the automorphism group of affine n-space $A^n$ determines $A^n$ up to isomorphism: If $X$ is a connected affine variety such that $Aut(X)$ is isomorphic to $Aut(A^n)$ as ind-groups, then $X$ is isomorphic to $A^n$ as a variety.…

For $n\geq 3$, let $G$ be a nontrivial finite subgroup of $\mathrm{Aut}(F_n)$ with $|G|$ not a power of $2$. We prove that the normal closure $N(G)$ is $\mathrm{SAut}(F_n)$ if $G\subset\mathrm{SAut}(F_n)$ and $N(G)$ is $\mathrm{Aut}(F_n)$…