Related papers: Average-case complexity of the Whitehead problem f…
In this survey, we address the worst-case, average-case, and generic-case time complexity of the word problem and some other algorithmic problems in several classes of groups and show that it is often the case that the average-case…
The worst-case complexity of group-theoretic algorithms has been studied for a long time. Generic-case complexity, or complexity on random inputs, was introduced and studied relatively recently. In this paper, we address the average-case…
The Whitehead minimization problem consists in finding a minimum size element in the automorphic orbit of a word, a cyclic word or a finitely generated subgroup in a finite rank free group. We give the first fully polynomial algorithm to…
Let F_2 denote the free group of rank 2. Our main technical result of independent interest is: for any element u of F_2, there is g in F_2 such that no cyclically reduced image of u under an automorphism of F_2 contains g as a subword. We…
Let $F_n$ be the free group of a finite rank $n$. We study orbits $Orb_{\phi}(u)$, where $u$ is an element of the group $F_n$, under the action of an automorphism $\phi$. If an orbit like that is finite, we determine precisely what its…
The Whitehead Minimization problem is a problem of finding elements of the minimal length in the automorphic orbit of a given element of a free group. The classical algorithm of Whitehead that solves the problem depends exponentially on the…
We prove that Whitehead's algorithm for solving the automorphism problem in a fixed free group $F_k$ has strongly linear time generic-case complexity. This is done by showing that the ``hard'' part of the algorithm terminates in linear time…
In this paper we discuss a genetic version (GWA) of the Whitehead's algorithm, which is one of the basic algorithms in combinatorial group theory. It turns out that GWA is surprisingly fast and outperforms the standard Whitehead's algorithm…
We investigate the average-case complexity of decision problems for finitely generated groups, in particular the word and membership problems. Using our recent results on ``generic-case complexity'' we show that if a finitely generated…
In \cite{KSS06} it was shown that with respect to the simple non-backtracking random walk on the free group $F_N=F(a_1,\dots,a_N)$ the Whitehead algorithm has strongly linear time generic-case complexity and that "generic" elements of $F_N$…
By strengthening known results about primitivity-blocking words in free groups, we prove that for any nontrivial element w of a free group of finite rank, there are words that cannot be subwords of any cyclically reduced automorphic image…
We show that the Word Problem in finitely generated subgroups of $\textsf{GL}_d(\mathbb{Z})$ can be solved in linear average-case complexity. This is done under the bit-complexity model, which accounts for the fact that large integers are…
We show that a finitely generated subgroup of a free group, chosen uniformly at random, is strictly Whitehead minimal with overwhelming probability. Whitehead minimality is one of the key elements of the solution of the orbit problem in…
In this paper we discuss several heuristic strategies which allow one to solve the Whitehead's minimization problem much faster (on most inputs) than the classical Whitehead algorithm. The mere fact that these strategies work in practice…
We study the average case complexity of the uniform membership problem for subgroups of free groups, and we show that it is orders of magnitude smaller than the worst case complexity of the best known algorithms. This applies to subgroups…
In this survey, we describe recent progress on asymptotic properties of various automorphic orbits in free groups. In particular, we address the problem of counting potentially positive elements of a given length. We also discuss complexity…
Average-case analysis computes the complexity of an algorithm averaged over all possible inputs. Compared to worst-case analysis, it is more representative of the typical behavior of an algorithm, but remains largely unexplored in…
The isomorphism problem for infinite finitely presented groups is probably the hardest among standard algorithmic problems in group theory. Classes of groups where it has been completely solved are nilpotent groups, hyperbolic groups, and…
J.H.C. Whitehead's second free-group algorithm determines whether or not two given elements of a free group lie in the same orbit of the automorphism group of the free group. The algorithm involves certain connected graphs, and Whitehead…
We show that the conjugacy problem is solvable in [finitely generated free]-by-cyclic groups, by using a result of O. Maslakova that one can algorithmically find generating sets for the fixed subgroups of free group automorphisms, and one…