A group $G$ is invariably generated (IG) if there is a subset $S subseteq G$ such that for every subset $S subseteq G$, obtained from $S$ by replacing each element with a conjugate, $S$ generates $G$. $G$ is finitely invariably generated (FIG) if, in
addition, one can choose such a subset $S$ to be finite. In this note we construct a FIG group $G$ with an index $2$ subgroup $N lhd G$ such that $N$ is not IG. This shows that neither property IG nor FIG is stable under passing to subgroups of finite index, answering questions of Wiegold and Kantor, Lubotzky, Shalev. We also produce the first examples of finitely generated IG groups that are not FIG, answering a question of Cox.
We use basic tools of descriptive set theory to prove that a closed set $mathcal S$ of marked groups has $2^{aleph_0}$ quasi-isometry classes provided every non-empty open subset of $mathcal S$ contains at least two non-quasi-isometric groups. It fol
lows that every perfect set of marked groups having a dense subset of finitely presented groups contains $2^{aleph_0}$ quasi-isometry classes. These results account for most known constructions of continuous families of non-quasi-isometric finitely generated groups. They can also be used to prove the existence of $2^{aleph_0}$ quasi-isometry classes of finitely generated groups having interesting algebraic, geometric, or model-theoretic properties.
We show that the commensurator of any quasiconvex abelian subgroup in a biautomatic group is small, in the sense that it has finite image in the abstract commensurator of the subgroup. Using this criterion we exhibit groups that are CAT(0) but not bi
automatic. These groups also resolve a number of other questions concerning CAT(0) groups.
If $G$ is a group, a virtual retract of $G$ is a subgroup which is a retract of a finite index subgroup. Most of the paper focuses on two group properties: property (LR), that all finitely generated subgroups are virtual retracts, and property (VRC),
that all cyclic subgroups are virtual retracts. We study the permanence of these properties under commensurability, amalgams over retracts, graph products and wreath products. In particular, we show that (VRC) is stable under passing to finite index overgroups, while (LR) is not. The question whether all finitely generated virtually free groups satisfy (LR) motivates the remaining part of the paper, studying virtual free factors of such groups. We give a simple criterion characterizing when a finitely generated subgroup of a virtually free group is a free factor of a finite index subgroup. We apply this criterion to settle a conjecture of Brunner and Burns.
We prove that any word hyperbolic group which is virtually compact special (in the sense of Haglund and Wise) is conjugacy separable. As a consequence we deduce that all word hyperbolic Coxeter groups and many classical small cancellation groups are
conjugacy separable. To get the main result we establish a new criterion for showing that elements of prime order are conjugacy distinguished. This criterion is of independent interest; its proof is based on a combination of discrete and profinite (co)homology theories.
For each natural number $d$ we construct a $3$-generated group $H_d$, which is a subdirect product of free groups, such that the cohomological dimension of $H_d$ is $d$. Given a group $F$ and a normal subgroup $N lhd F$ we prove that any right angled
Artin group containing the special HNN-extension of $F$ with respect to $N$ must also contain $F/N$. We apply this to construct, for every $d in mathbb{N}$, a $4$-generated group $G_d$, embeddable into a right angled Artin group, such that the cohomological dimension of $G_d$ is $2$ but the cohomological dimension of any right angled Artin group, containing $G_d$, is at least $d$. These examples are used to show the non-existence of certain universal right angled Artin groups. We also investigate finitely presented subgroups of direct products of limit groups. In particular we show that for every $nin mathbb{N}$ there exists $delta(n) in mathbb{N}$ such that any $n$-generated finitely presented subgroup of a direct product of finitely many free groups embeds into the $delta(n)$-th direct power of the free group of rank $2$. As another corollary we derive that any $n$-generated finitely presented residually free group embeds into the direct product of at most $delta(n)$ limit groups.
We prove that the outer automorphism group $Out(G)$ is residually finite when the group $G$ is virtually compact special (in the sense of Haglund and Wise) or when $G$ is isomorphic to the fundamental group of some compact $3$-manifold. To prove th
ese results we characterize commensurating endomorphisms of acylindrically hyperbolic groups. An endomorphism $phi$ of a group $G$ is said to be commensurating, if for every $g in G$ some non-zero power of $phi(g)$ is conjugate to a non-zero power of $g$. Given an acylindrically hyperbolic group $G$, we show that any commensurating endomorphism of $G$ is inner modulo a small perturbation. This generalizes a theorem of Minasyan and Osin, which provided a similar statement in the case when $G$ is relatively hyperbolic. We then use this result to study pointwise inner and normal endomorphisms of acylindrically hyperbolic groups.
We provide new examples of acylindrically hyperbolic groups arising from actions on simplicial trees. In particular, we consider amalgamated products and HNN-extensions, 1-relator groups, automorphism groups of polynomial algebras, 3-manifold groups
and graph products. Acylindrical hyperbolicity is then used to obtain some results about the algebraic structure, analytic properties and measure equivalence rigidity of groups from these classes.
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 auto
morphisms 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.
Let G be a finitely generated relatively hyperbolic group. We show that if no peripheral subgroup of G is hyperbolic relative to a collection of proper subgroups, then the fixed subgroup of every automorphism of G is relatively quasiconvex. It follow
s that the fixed subgroup is itself relatively hyperbolic with respect to a natural family of peripheral subgroups. If all peripheral subgroups of G are slender (respectively, slender and coherent), our result implies that the fixed subgroup of every automorphism of G is finitely generated (respectively, finitely presented). In particular, this happens when G is a limit group, and thus for any automorphism phi of G, Fix(phi) is a limit subgroup of G.
