Related papers: Orbit-blocking words and the average-case complexi…

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…

We show that the following problems are decidable in a rank 2 free group F_2: does a given finitely generated subgroup H contain primitive elements? and does H meet the orbit of a given word u under the action of G, the group of…

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…

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…

Let $F_n$ be a free group of rank $n$. In this paper we discuss three algorithmic problems related to automorphisms of $F_2$. A word $u$ of $F_n$ is called positive if $u$ does not have negative exponents. A word $u$ in $F_n$ is called…

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 u be a cyclic word in a free group F_n of finite rank n that has the minimum length over all cyclic words in its automorphic orbit, and let N(u) be the cardinality of the set {v: |v|=|u| and v= \phi(u) for some \phi \in \text {Aut}F_n}.…

Let F_2 be a free group of rank 2. We prove that there is an algorithm that decides whether or not, for given two elements u, v of F_2, u and v are translation equivalent in F_2, that is, whether or not u and v have the property that the…

We generalize the combinatorial approaches of Rapaport and Higgins--Lyndon to the Whitehead algorithm. We show that for every automorphism $\varphi$ of a free group $F$ and every word $u\in F$ there exists a finite multiset of words…

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…

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 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…

Let $F$ be a free group of finite rank. We say that the monomorphism problem in $F$ is decidable if for any two elements $u$ and $v$ in $F$, there is an algorithm that determines whether there exists a monomorphism of $F$ that sends $u$ to…

We prove that for any automorphism $\alpha$ of a free group F of finite rank, one can efficiently compute a basis of the fixed point subgroup Fix(\alpha).

We give an algorithm which computes the fixed subgroup and the stable image for any endomorphism of the free group of rank two $F_2$, answering for $F_2$ a question posed by Stallings in 1984 and a question of Ventura.

Let u be a cyclic word in a free group F_n of finite rank n that has the minimum length over all cyclic words in its automorphic orbit, and let N(u) be the cardinality of the set {v: |v|=|u| and v=\phi(u) for some \phi \in AutF_n}. In this…

We associate a finite directed graph with each equivalence class of words in $F_2$ under $\operatorname*{Aut} F_2$, and we completely classify these graphs, giving a structural classification of the automorphic conjugacy classes of $F_2$.…

For any choice of a basis $\cal A$ the free group $F_N$ of finite rank $N \geq 2$ can be canonically identified with the set $F(\cal A)$ of reduced words in $\cal A\cup \cal A^{-1}$. However, such a word $w \in F(\cal A)$ admits a second…

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…

In analogy with the free factors of a free group we define special factors of Generalized Baumslag-Solitar (GBS) groups as non-cyclic subgroups which appear in splittings over infinite cyclic groups. We give an algorithm which, given a GBS…