We show that surface groups are flexibly stable in permutations. Our method is purely geometric and relies on an analysis of branched covers of hyperbolic surfaces. Along the way we establish a quantitative variant of the LERF property for surface groups which may be of independent interest.
Let $Gamma$ be a finite index subgroup of the mapping class group $MCG(Sigma)$ of a closed orientable surface $Sigma$, possibly with punctures. We give a precise condition (in terms of the Nielsen-Thurston decomposition) when an element $ginGamma$ has positive stable commutator length. In addition, we show that in these situations the stable commutator length, if nonzero, is uniformly bounded away from 0. The method works for certain subgroups of infinite index as well and we show $scl$ is uniformly positive on the nontrivial elements of the Torelli group. The proofs use our earlier construction in the paper Constructing group actions on quasi-trees and applications to mapping class groups of group actions on quasi-trees.
Sela proved every torsion-free one-ended hyperbolic group is coHopfian. We prove that there exist torsion-free one-ended hyperbolic groups that are not commensurably coHopfian. In particular, we show that the fundamental group of every simple surface amalgam is not commensurably coHopfian.
We show that any one-relator group $G=F/langlelangle wranglerangle$ with torsion is coherent -- i.e., that every finitely generated subgroup of $G$ is finitely presented -- answering a 1974 question of Baumslag in this case.
Let $M$ be a compact surface without boundary, and $ngeq 2$. We analyse the quotient group $B_n(M)/Gamma_2(P_n(M))$ of the surface braid group $B_{n}(M)$ by the commutator subgroup $Gamma_2(P_n(M))$ of the pure braid group $P_{n}(M)$. If $M$ is different from the $2$-sphere $mathbb{S}^2$, we prove that $B_n(M)/Gamma_2(P_n(M))$ is isomorphic rho $P_n(M)/Gamma_2(P_n(M)) rtimes_{varphi} S_n$, and that $B_n(M)/Gamma_2(P_n(M))$ is a crystallographic group if and only if $M$ is orientable. If $M$ is orientable, we prove a number of results regarding the structure of $B_n(M)/Gamma_2(P_n(M))$. We characterise the finite-order elements of this group, and we determine the conjugacy classes of these elements. We also show that there is a single conjugacy class of finite subgroups of $B_n(M)/Gamma_2(P_n(M))$ isomorphic either to $S_n$ or to certain Frobenius groups. We prove that crystallographic groups whose image by the projection $B_n(M)/Gamma_2(P_n(M))to S_n$ is a Frobenius group are not Bieberbach groups. Finally, we construct a family of Bieberbach subgroups $tilde{G}_{n,g}$ of $B_n(M)/Gamma_2(P_n(M))$ of dimension $2ng$ and whose holonomy group is the finite cyclic group of order $n$, and if $mathcal{X}_{n,g}$ is a flat manifold whose fundamental group is $tilde{G}_{n,g}$, we prove that it is an orientable Kahler manifold that admits Anosov diffeomorphisms.
We prove that finitely generated virtually free groups are stable in permutations. As an application, we show that almost-periodic almost-automorphisms of labelled graphs are close to periodic automorphisms.