The free splitting complex of a free group II: Loxodromic outer automorphisms

Abstract

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 has a periodic point; and we prove that all three possibilities can occur. We also prove that two loxodromic elements are either co-axial or independent, meaning that their attracting/repelling fixed point pairs on the Gromov boundary of the free splitting complex are either equal or disjoint as sets. Each of the alternatives in these results is also characterized in terms of the attracting/repelling lamination pairs of an outer automorphism. As an application, each attracting lamination determines its corresponding repelling lamination independent of the outer automorphism. As part of this study we describe the structure of the subgroup of $Out(F_n)$ that stabilizes the fixed point pair of a given loxodromic outer automorphism, and we give examples which show that this subgroup need not be virtually cyclic. As an application, the action of $Out(F_n)$ on the free splitting complex is not acylindrical, and its loxodromic elements do not all satisfy the WPD property of Bestvina and Fujiwara.