Homogeneity in Coxeter groups and split crystallographic groups

Abstract

We prove that affine Coxeter groups, even hyperbolic Coxeter groups and one-ended hyperbolic Coxeter groups are homogeneous in the sense of model theory. More generally, we prove that many (Gromov) hyperbolic groups generated by torsion elements are homogeneous. In contrast, we construct split crystallographic groups that are not homogeneous, and hyperbolic (in fact, virtually free) Coxeter groups that are not homogeneous (or, to be more precise, not $\mathrm{EAE}$-homogeneous). We also prove that, on the other hand, irreducible split crystallographic groups and torsion-generated hyperbolic groups are almost homogeneous. We also prove that finitely generated abelian-by-finite groups are homogeneous if and only if they are profinitely homogeneous, i.e., any tuple of words from the group is profinitely rigid. We use this to deduce that affine Coxeter groups are profinitely homogeneous, a result of independent interest in the profinite context.