No Arabic abstract
Let $Gamma$ be a torsion-free hyperbolic group. We study $Gamma$--limit groups which, unlike the fundamental case in which $Gamma$ is free, may not be finitely presentable or geometrically tractable. We define model $Gamma$--limit groups, which always have good geometric properties (in particular, they are always relatively hyperbolic). Given a strict resolution of an arbitrary $Gamma$--limit group $L$, we canonically construct a strict resolution of a model $Gamma$--limit group, which encodes all homomorphisms $Lto Gamma$ that factor through the given resolution. We propose this as the correct framework in which to study $Gamma$--limit groups algorithmically. We enumerate all $Gamma$--limit groups in this framework.
We show that Out(G) is residually finite if G is a one-ended group that is hyperbolic relative to virtually polycyclic subgroups. More generally, if G is one-ended and hyperbolic relative to proper residually finite subgroups, the group of outer automorphisms preserving the peripheral structure is residually finite. We also show that Out(G) is virtually p-residually finite for every prime p if G is one-ended and toral relatively hyperbolic, or infinitely-ended and virtually p-residually finite.
We study conjugacy classes of solutions to systems of equations and inequations over torsion-free hyperbolic groups, and describe an algorithm to recognize whether or not there are finitely many conjugacy classes of solutions to such a system. The class of immutable subgroups of hyperbolic groups is introduced, which is fundamental to the study of equations in this context. We apply our results to enumerate the immutable subgroups of a torsion-free hyperbolic group.
We introduce an obstruction to the existence of a coarse embedding of a given group or space into a hyperbolic group, or more generally into a hyperbolic graph of bounded degree. The condition we consider is admitting exponentially many fat bigons, and it is preserved by a coarse embedding between graphs with bounded degree. Groups with exponential growth and linear divergence (such as direct products of two groups one of which has exponential growth, solvable groups that are not virtually nilpotent, and uniform higher-rank lattices) have this property and hyperbolic graphs do not, so the former cannot be coarsely embedded into the latter. Other examples include certain lacunary hyperbolic and certain small cancellation groups.
For every group $G$, we introduce the set of hyperbolic structures on $G$, denoted $mathcal{H}(G)$, which consists of equivalence classes of (possibly infinite) generating sets of $G$ such that the corresponding Cayley graph is hyperbolic; two generating sets of $G$ are equivalent if the corresponding word metrics on $G$ are bi-Lipschitz equivalent. Alternatively, one can define hyperbolic structures in terms of cobounded $G$-actions on hyperbolic spaces. We are especially interested in the subset $mathcal{AH}(G)subseteq mathcal{H}(G)$ of acylindrically hyperbolic structures on $G$, i.e., hyperbolic structures corresponding to acylindrical actions. Elements of $mathcal{H}(G)$ can be ordered in a natural way according to the amount of information they provide about the group $G$. The main goal of this paper is to initiate the study of the posets $mathcal{H}(G)$ and $mathcal{AH}(G)$ for various groups $G$. We discuss basic properties of these posets such as cardinality and existence of extremal elements, obtain several results about hyperbolic structures induced from hyperbolically embedded subgroups of $G$, and study to what extent a hyperbolic structure is determined by the set of loxodromic elements and their translation lengths.
We prove that the set of limit groups is recursive, answering a question of Delzant. One ingredient of the proof is the observation that a finitely presented group with local retractions (a la Long and Reid) is coherent and, furthermore, there exists an algorithm that computes presentations for finitely generated subgroups. The other main ingredient is the ability to algorithmically calculate centralizers in relatively hyperbolic groups. Applications include the existence of recognition algorithms for limit groups and free groups.