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Karen Vogtmann

Publications and source records attributed to Karen Vogtmann.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2011

Abelian covers of graphs and maps between outer automorphism groups of free groups

We explore the existence of homomorphisms between outer automorphism groups of free groups Out(F_n) \to Out(F_m). We prove that if n > 8 is even and n \neq m \leq 2n, or n is odd and n \neq m \leq 2n - 2, then all such homomorphisms have finite image; in fact they factor through det: Out(F_n) \to Z/2. In contrast, if m = r^n(n - 1) + 1 with r coprime to (n - 1), then there exists an embedding Out(F_n) \to Out(F_m). In order to prove this last statement, we determine when the action of Out(F_n) by homotopy equivalences on a graph of genus n can be lifted to an action on a normal covering with abelian Galois group.

math.GR↗
arXiv2010

Actions of automorphism groups of free groups on homology spheres and acyclic manifolds

For n at least 3, let SAut(F_n) denote the unique subgroup of index two in the automorphism group of a free group. The standard linear action of SL(n,Z) on R^n induces non-trivial actions of SAut(F_n) on R^n and on S^{n-1}. We prove that SAut(F_n) admits no non-trivial actions by homeomorphisms on acyclic manifolds or spheres of smaller dimension. Indeed, SAut(F_n) cannot act non-trivially on any generalized Z_2-homology sphere of dimension less than n-1, nor on any Z_2-acyclic Z_2-homology manifold of dimension less than n. It follows that SL(n,Z) cannot act non-trivially on such spaces either. When n is even, we obtain similar results with Z_3 coefficients.

math.GR↗
arXiv2010

Subgroups and quotient groups of automorphism groups of RAAGs

We study subgroups and quotients of outer automorphism groups of right-angled Artin groups (RAAGs). We prove that for all RAAGS, the outer automorphism group is residually finite and, for a large class of RAAGs, it satisfies the Tits alternative. We also investigate which of these automorphism groups contain non-abelian solvable subgroups.

math.GR↗
arXiv2008

Automorphisms of higher-dimensional right-angled Artin groups

We study the algebraic structure of the automorphism group of a general right-angled Artin group. We show that this group is virtually torsion-free and has finite virtual cohomological dimension. This generalizes results proved by the authors and John Crisp (arXiv:math/0610980) for two-dimensional right-angled Artin groups.

math.GR↗
arXiv2007

A presentation for Aut(F_n)

We study the action of the group Aut(F_n) of automorphisms of a finitely generated free group on the degree 2 subcomplex of the spine of Auter space. Hatcher and Vogtmann showed that this subcomplex is simply connected, and we use the method described by K. S. Brown to deduce a new presentation of Aut(F_n).

math.GR↗
arXiv2007

Morita classes in the homology of Aut(F_n) vanish after one stabilization

There is a series of cycles in the rational homology of the groups Out(F_n), first discovered by S. Morita, which have an elementary description in terms of finite graphs. The first two of these give nontrivial homology classes, and it is conjectured that they are all nontrivial. These cycles have natural lifts to the homology of Aut(F_n), which is stably trivial by a recent result of Galatius. We show that in fact a single application of the stabilization map from Aut(F_n) to Aut(F_(n+1)) kills the Morita classes, so that they disappear immediately after they appear.

math.AT↗
arXiv2007

Automorphisms of two-dimensional right-angled Artin groups

We study the outer automorphism group of a right-angled Artin group A_G in the case where the defining graph G is connected and triangle-free. We give an algebraic description of Out(A_G) in terms of maximal join subgraphs in G and prove that the Tits' alternative holds for Out(A_G). We construct an analogue of outer space for Out(A_G) and prove that it is finite dimensional, contractible, and has a proper action of Out(A_G). We show that Out(A_G) has finite virtual cohomological dimension, give upper and lower bounds on this dimension and construct a spine for outer space realizing the most general upper bound.

math.GR↗
arXiv2005

Automorphism groups of free groups, surface groups and free abelian groups

The group of 2-by-2 matrices with integer entries and determinant $\pm > 1$ can be identified either with the group of outer automorphisms of a rank two free group or with the group of isotopy classes of homeomorphisms of a 2-dimensional torus. Thus this group is the beginning of three natural sequences of groups, namely the general linear groups ${\rm{GL}}(n,\Z)$, the groups of outer automorphisms of free groups of rank $n\geq 2$, and the mapping class groups of closed orientable surfaces of genus $g\geq 1$. Much of the work on mapping class groups and automorphisms of free groups is motivated by the idea that these sequences of groups are strongly analogous. In this article we highlight a few of the most striking similarities and differences between these series of groups and present a list of open problems motivated by this philosophy.

math.GR↗
arXiv2004

Homology stability for outer automorphism groups of free groups

We prove that the quotient map from Aut(F_n) to Out(F_n) induces an isomorphism on homology in dimension i for n at least 2i+4. This corrects an earlier proof by the first author and significantly improves the stability range. In the course of the proof, we also prove homology stability for a sequence of groups which are natural analogs of mapping class groups of surfaces with punctures. In particular, this leads to a slight improvement on the known stability range for Aut(F_n), showing that its i-th homology is independent of n for n at least 2i+2.

math.GT↗
arXiv2004

Morita classes in the homology of automorphism groups of free groups

Using Kontsevich's identification of the homology of the Lie algebra l_infty with the cohomology of Out(F_r), Morita defined a sequence of 4k-dimensional classes mu_k in the unstable rational homology of Out(F_{2k+2}). He showed by a computer calculation that the first of these is non-trivial, so coincides with the unique non-trivial rational homology class for Out(F_4). Using the "forested graph complex" introduced in [Algebr. Geom. Topol. 3 (2003) 1167--1224], we reinterpret and generalize Morita's cycles, obtaining an unstable cycle for every connected odd-valent graph. (Morita has independently found similar generalizations of these cycles.) The description of Morita's original cycles becomes quite simple in this interpretation, and we are able to show that the second Morita cycle also gives a nontrivial homology class. Finally, we view things from the point of view of a different chain complex, one which is associated to Bestvina and Feighn's bordification of outer space. We construct cycles which appear to be the same as the Morita cycles constructed in the first part of the paper. In this setting, a further generalization becomes apparent, giving cycles for objects more general than odd-valent graphs. Some of these cycles lie in the stable range. We also observe that these cycles lift to cycles for Aut(F_r).

math.QA↗
arXiv2004

Cut vertices in commutative graphs

The homology of Kontsevich's commutative graph complex parameterizes finite type invariants of odd dimensional manifolds. This {\it graph homology} is also the twisted homology of Outer Space modulo its boundary, so gives a nice point of contact between geometric group theory and quantum topology. In this paper we give two different proofs (one algebraic, one geometric) that the commutative graph complex is quasi-isomorphic to the quotient complex obtained by modding out by graphs with cut vertices. This quotient complex has the advantage of being smaller and hence more practical for computations. In addition, it supports a Lie bialgebra structure coming from a bracket and cobracket we defined in a previous paper. As an application, we compute the rational homology groups of the commutative graph complex up to rank 7.

math.QA↗
arXiv2003

On a theorem of Kontsevich

In two seminal papers M. Kontsevich introduced graph homology as a tool to compute the homology of three infinite dimensional Lie algebras, associated to the three operads `commutative,' `associative' and `Lie.' We generalize his theorem to all cyclic operads, in the process giving a more careful treatment of the construction than in Kontsevich's original papers. We also give a more explicit treatment of the isomorphisms of graph homologies with the homology of moduli space and Out(F_r) outlined by Kontsevich. In [`Infinitesimal operations on chain complexes of graphs', Mathematische Annalen, 327 (2003) 545-573] we defined a Lie bracket and cobracket on the commutative graph complex, which was extended in [James Conant, `Fusion and fission in graph complexes', Pac. J. 209 (2003), 219-230] to the case of all cyclic operads. These operations form a Lie bi-algebra on a natural subcomplex. We show that in the associative and Lie cases the subcomplex on which the bi-algebra structure exists carries all of the homology, and we explain why the subcomplex in the commutative case does not.

math.QA↗
arXiv2003

Infinitesimal Operations on Complexes of Graphs

In two seminal papers Kontsevich used a construction called_graph homology_ as a bridge between certain infinite dimensional Lie algebras and various topological objects, including moduli spaces of curves, the group of outer automorphisms of a free group, and invariants of odd dimensional manifolds. In this paper, we show that Kontsevich's graph complexes, which include graph complexes studied earlier by Culler and Vogtmann and by Penner, have a rich algebraic structure. We define a Lie bracket and cobracket on graph complexes, and in fact show that they are Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras, and therefore Gerstenhaber algebras. We also find natural subcomplexes on which the bracket and cobracket are compatible as a Lie bialgebra. Kontsevich's graph complex construction was generalized to the context of operads by Ginzburg and Kapranov, with later generalizations by Getzler-Kapranov and Markl. In [CoV], we show that Kontsevich's results in fact extend to general cyclic operads. For some operads, including the examples associated to moduli space and outer automorphism groups of free groups, the subcomplex on which we have a Lie bi-algebra structure is quasi-isomorphic to the entire connected graph complex. In the present paper we show that all of the new algebraic operations canonically vanish when the homology functor is applied, and we expect that the resulting constraints will be useful in studying the homology of the mapping class group, finite type manifold invariants and the homology of Out(F_n).

math.QA↗
arXiv2002

Homomorphisms from automorphism groups of free groups

The automorphism group of a finitely generated free group is the normal closure of a single element of order 2. If $m$ is less than $n$ then a homomorphism $Aut(F_n)\to Aut(F_m)$ can have cardinality at most 2. More generally, this is true of homomorphisms from $\Aut(F_n)$ to any group that does not contain an isomorphic copy of the symmetric group $S_{n+1}$. Strong constraints are also obtained on maps to groups that do not contain a copy of $W_n= (\Bbb Z/2)^n\rtimes S_n$, or of $\Bbb Z^{n-1}$. These results place constraints on how $\Aut(F_n)$ can act. For example, if $n\ge 3$ then any action of $\Aut(F_n)$ on the circle (by homeomorphisms) factors through $\text{\rm{det}}:Aut(F_n) \to \Bbb Z_2$ .

math.GR↗