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Daniel J. Woodhouse

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel J. Woodhouse.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2024

Asymptotic cones of snowflake groups and the strong shortcut property

We exhibit an infinite family of snowflake groups all of whose asymptotic cones are simply connected. Our groups have neither polynomial growth nor quadratic Dehn function, the two usual sources of this phenomenon. We further show that each of our groups has an asymptotic cone containing an isometrically embedded circle or, equivalently, has a Cayley graph that is not strongly shortcut. These are the first examples of groups whose asymptotic cones contain `metrically nontrivial' loops but no topologically nontrivial ones.

math.GR↗
arXiv2022

Two generalisations of Leighton's Theorem

Leighton's graph covering theorem says that two finite graphs with a common cover have a common finite cover. We present a new proof of this using groupoids, and use this as a model to prove two generalisations of the theorem. The first generalisation, which we refer to as the symmetry-restricted version, restricts how balls of a given size in the universal cover can map down to the two finite graphs when factoring through the common finite cover - this answers a question of Neumann. Secondly, we consider covers of graphs of spaces (or of more general objects), which leads to an even more general version of Leighton's Theorem. We also compute upper bounds for the sizes of the finite covers obtained in Leighton's Theorem and its generalisations. An appendix by Gardam and Woodhouse provides an alternative proof of the symmetry-restricted version, that uses Haar measure instead of groupoids.

math.GR↗
arXiv2022

Leighton's Theorem and Regular Cube Complexes

Leighton's graph covering theorem states that two finite graphs with common universal cover have a common finite cover. We generalize this to a large family of non-positively curved special cube complexes that form a natural generalization of regular graphs. This family includes both hyperbolic and non-hyperbolic CAT(0) cube complexes.

math.GR↗
arXiv2021

Quasi-isometric rigidity for graphs of virtually free groups with two-ended edge groups

We study the quasi-isometric rigidity of a large family of finitely generated groups that split as graphs of groups with virtually free vertex groups and two-ended edge groups. Let $G$ be a group that is one-ended, hyperbolic relative to virtually abelian subgroups, and has JSJ decomposition over two-ended subgroups containing only virtually free vertex groups that aren't quadratically hanging. Our main result is that any group quasi-isometric to $G$ is abstractly commensurable to $G$. In particular, our result applies to certain "generic" HNN extensions of a free group over cyclic subgroups.

math.GR↗
arXiv2021

Action rigidity for free products of hyperbolic manifold groups

Two groups have a common model geometry if they act properly and cocompactly by isometries on the same proper geodesic metric space. The Milnor-Schwarz lemma implies that groups with a common model geometry are quasi-isometric; however, the converse is false in general. We consider free products of uniform lattices in isometry groups of rank-1 symmetric spaces and prove, within each quasi-isometry class, residually finite groups that have a common model geometry are abstractly commensurable. Our result gives the first examples of hyperbolic groups that are quasi-isometric but do not virtually have a common model geometry. Indeed, each quasi-isometry class contains infinitely many abstract commensurability classes. We prove that two free products of closed hyperbolic surface groups have a common model geometry if and only if the groups are isomorphic. This result combined with a commensurability classification of Whyte yields the first examples of torsion-free abstractly commensurable hyperbolic groups that do not have a common model geometry. An important component of the proof is a generalization of Leighton's graph covering theorem. The main theorem depends on residual finiteness, and we show that finite extensions of uniform lattices in rank-1 symmetric spaces that are not residually finite would give counterexamples.

math.GT↗
arXiv2020

Hyperbolic groups that are not commensurably coHopfian

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.

math.GR↗
arXiv2018

Residually Finite Tubular Groups

A tubular group $G$ is a finite graph of groups with $\mathbb{Z}^2$ vertex groups and $\mathbb{Z}$ edge groups. We characterize residually finite tubular groups: $G$ is residually finite if and only if its edge groups are separable. Methods are provided to determine if $G$ is residually finite. When $G$ has a single vertex group an algorithm is given to determine residual finiteness.

math.GR↗
arXiv2018

Revisiting Leighton's Theorem with the Haar Measure

Leighton's graph covering theorem states that a pair of finite graphs with isomorphic universal covers have a common finite cover. We provide a new proof of Leighton's theorem that allows generalizations; we prove the corresponding result for graphs with fins. As a corollary we obtain pattern rigidity for free groups with line patterns, building on the work of Cashen-Macura and Hagen-Touikan. To illustrate the potential for future applications, we give a quasi-isometric rigidity result for a family of cyclic doubles of free groups.

math.GR↗
arXiv2018

The geometry of one-relator groups satisfying a polynomial isoperimetric inequality

For every pair of positive integers $p > q$ we construct a one-relator group $R_{p,q}$ whose Dehn function is $\simeq n^{2 α}$ where $α= \log_2(2p / q)$. The group $R_{p,q}$ has no subgroup isomorphic to a Baumslag-Solitar group $BS(m,n)$ with $m \neq \pm n$, but is not automatic, not CAT(0), and cannot act freely on a CAT(0) cube complex. This answers a long-standing question on the automaticity of one-relator groups and gives counterexamples to a conjecture of Wise.

math.GR↗
arXiv2017

A Cubical Flat Torus Theorem and the Bounded Packing Property

We prove the bounded packing property for any abelian subgroup of a group acting properly and cocompactly on a CAT(0) cube complex. A main ingredient of the proof is a cubical flat torus theorem. This ingredient is also used to show that central HNN extensions of maximal free-abelian subgroups of compact special groups are virtually special, and to produce various examples of groups that are not cocompactly cubulated.

math.GR↗
arXiv2017

A Generalized Axis Theorem for Cube Complexes

We consider a finitely generated virtually abelian group $G$ acting properly and without inversions on a CAT(0) cube complex $X$. We prove that $G$ stabilizes a finite dimensional CAT(0) subcomplex $Y \subseteq X$ that is isometrically embedded in the combinatorial metric. Moreover, we show that $Y$ is a product of finitely many quasilines. The result represents a higher dimensional generalization of Haglund's axis theorem.

math.GR↗
arXiv2016

Classifying Virtually Special Tubular Groups

A group is tubular if it acts on a tree with $\mathbb{Z}^2$ vertex stabilizers and $\mathbb{Z}$ edge stabilizers. We prove that a tubular group is virtually special if and only if it acts freely on a locally finite CAT(0) cube complex. Furthermore, we prove that if a tubular group acts freely on a finite dimensional CAT(0) cube complex, then it virtually acts freely on a three dimensional CAT(0) cube complex.

math.GR↗
arXiv2016

Classifying Finite Dimensional Cubulations of Tubular Groups

A tubular group is a group that acts on a tree with $\mathbb{Z}^2$ vertex stabilizers and $\mathbb{Z}$ edge stabilizers. This paper develops further a criterion of Wise and determines when a tubular group acts freely on a finite dimensional CAT(0) cube complex. As a consequence we offer a unified explanation of the failure of separability by revisiting the non-separable 3-manifold group of Burns, Karrass and Solitar and relating it to the work of Rubinstein and Wang. We also prove that if an immersed wall yields an infinite dimensional cubulation then the corresponding subgroup is quadratically distorted.

math.GR↗