Related papers: The Recognition Theorem for Out(F_n)
A fully irreducible outer automorphism phi of the free group F_n of rank n has an expansion factor which often differs from the expansion factor of the inverse of phi. Nevertheless, we prove that the ratio between the logarithms of the…
We study the loxodromic elements for the action of $Out(F_n)$ on the free splitting complex of the rank $n$ free group $F_n$. We prove that each outer automorphism is either loxodromic, or has bounded orbits without any periodic point, or…
Every irreducible outer automorphism of the free group of rank r is topologically represented by an irreducible train track map $f$ on some graph $\Gamma$ of rank r. Moreover, $f$ can always be written as a composition of folds and a graph…
We study the existence of homomorphisms between Out(F_n) and Out(F_m) for n > 5 and m < n(n-1)/2, and conclude that if m is not equal to n then each such homomorphism factors through the finite group of order 2. In particular this provides…
For a finitely generated free group F_n, of rank at least 2, any finite subgroup of Out(F_n) can be realized as a group of automorphisms of a graph with fundamental group F_n. This result, known as Out(F_n) realization, was proved by…
Every rotationless outer automorphism of a finite rank free group is represented by a particularly useful relative train track map called a CT. The main result of this paper is that the constructions of CTs can be made algorithmic. A key…
The main theorem of this document emulates, in the context of Out(F_r) theory, a mapping class group theorem (by H. Masur and J. Smillie) that determines precisely which index lists arise from pseudo-Anosov mapping classes. Since the ideal…
Let $\phi$ be an automorphism of a free group $F_n$ of rank $n$, and let $M_{\phi}=F_n \rtimes_{\phi} \mathbb{Z}$ be the corresponding mapping torus of $\phi$. We study the group $Out(M_{\phi})$ under certain technical conditions on $\phi$.…
We give a complete classification to when a finite group of outer automorphisms preserves a bi-order on a non-abelian free group and bi-orderable surface groups. We also give another new criterion for an outer automorphism of $F_n$ induced…
Stallings remarked that an outer automorphism of a free group may be thought of as a subdivision of a graph followed by a sequence of folds. In this thesis, we prove that automorphisms of fundamental groups of graphs of groups satisfying…
In the 1970s Stallings showed that one could learn a great deal about free groups and their automorphisms by viewing the free groups as fundamental groups of graphs and modeling their automorphisms as homotopy equivalences of graphs.…
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…
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…
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…
Let $\phi \in \mbox{Out}(F_n)$ be a free group outer automorphism that can be represented by an expanding, irreducible train-track map. The automorphism $\phi$ determines a free-by-cyclic group $\Gamma=F_n \rtimes_\phi \mathbb Z,$ and a…
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 $A_1,...,A_k$ be a system of free factors of $F_n$. The group of relative automorphisms $Aut(F_n;A_1,...,A_k)$ is the group given by the automorphisms of $F_n$ that restricted to each $A_i$ are conjugations by elements in $F_n$. The…
We compute the homology groups $H_*(\operatorname{Out}(F_7);\mathbb Q)$ of the outer automorphism group of the free group of rank $7$. We produce in this manner the first rational homology classes of $\operatorname{Out}(F_n)$ that are…
In this article, we study the outer automorphism group of a group G decomposed as a finite graph of group with finite edge groups and finitely generated vertex groups with at most one end. We show that Out(G) is essentially obtained by…
This paper, which is the second 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 exponentially…