arXiv subjects

Laura Ciobanu

Publications and source records attributed to Laura Ciobanu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Concise formulae in groups of non-positive curvature

We show that first-order formulae are concise in acylindrically hyperbolic groups and certain extensions thereof. We study further classes of groups, including Burnside groups, icc groups, groups with the `Big Powers' condition, torus knot groups and more, and prove conciseness for wide classes of formulae. We also explore properties of definable sets in these groups, such as their finiteness, depending on the type of formula considered.

math.GR↗

arXiv2026

Visibly Pushdown Languages in Groups

In this paper we explore the connections between the class of Visibly Pushdown Languages ($\mathbf{VPL}$) and the natural sets of words one can associate to a finitely generated group. We show that the word problem of a finitely generated group is $\mathbf{VPL}$ exactly when the group is finite. We also show that free reduction does not preserve $\mathbf{VPL}$, and that finding solutions to equations in a free group with $\mathbf{VPL}$ constraints (as reduced words) is undecidable. We explore the structure of sets whose full preimage is $\mathbf{VPL}$, showing these are often recognisable sets. We conjecture that, in any group, this class is precisely the recognisable sets.

math.GR↗

arXiv2025

Twisted commutativity and conjugacy ratio in groups

In this paper we introduce and study the degree of twisted commutativity and the twisted conjugacy ratio of a finitely generated group $G$. The degree of twisted commutativity $\mathrm{tdc}_X(\varphi, G)$ generalises the degree of commutativity of $G$, by measuring the density of pairs of elements with trivial twisted commutators in the ball of radius $n$ of $G$, as $n \rightarrow \infty$, where the twisting is done with respect to an endomorphism $\varphi$ of $G$. We compute $\mathrm{tdc}_X(\varphi, G)$ for several classes of groups, including virtually abelian groups, groups of subexponential growth, and free groups. We then study the twisted conjugacy ratio $\mathrm{tcr}_{X}(\varphi, G)$, which is the limit at infinity of the quotient of the twisted conjugacy and standard growth functions. We compute $\mathrm{tcr}_{X}(\varphi, G)$ for virtually abelian groups, and give examples of groups of exponential growth such that $\mathrm{tcr}_{X}(\varphi, G) = 0$.

math.GR↗

arXiv2025

Contracting elements and conjugacy growth in Coxeter groups, graph products, and further groups

In this article we construct contracting elements in the standard Cayley graphs of the so-called periagroups, a family of groups introduced by the second-named author which include Coxeter groups, graph products, and Dyer groups. As a consequence, we deduce that, unless they virtually split as direct products, periagroups are acylindrically hyperbolic and their conjugacy growth series, with respect to standard generating sets, are transcendental.

math.GR↗

arXiv2024

Ordering groups and the Identity Problem

In this paper, the Identity Problem for certain groups, which asks if the subsemigroup generated by a given finite set of elements contains the identity element, is related to problems regarding ordered groups. Notably, the Identity Problem for a torsion-free nilpotent group corresponds to the problem asking if a given finite set of elements extends to the positive cone of a left-order on the group, and thereby also to the Word Problem for a related lattice-ordered group. A new (independent) proof is given showing that the Identity and Subgroup Problems are decidable for every finitely presented nilpotent group, establishing also the decidability of the Word Problem for a family of lattice-ordered groups. A related problem, the Fixed-Target Submonoid Membership Problem, is shown to be undecidable in nilpotent groups. Decidability of the Normal Identity Problem (with `subsemigroup' replaced by `normal subsemigroup') for free nilpotent groups is established using the (known) decidability of the Word Problem for certain lattice-ordered groups. Connections between orderability and the Identity Problem for a class of torsion-free metabelian groups are also explored.

math.GR↗

arXiv2024

Word equations, constraints, and formal languages

In this short survey we describe recent advances on word equations with non-rational constraints in groups and monoids, highlighting the important role that formal languages play in this area.

math.GR↗

arXiv2024

Slice closures of indexed languages and word equations with counting constraints

Indexed languages are a classical notion in formal language theory. As the language equivalent of second-order pushdown automata, they have received considerable attention in higher-order model checking. Unfortunately, counting properties are notoriously difficult to decide for indexed languages: So far, all results about non-regular counting properties show undecidability. In this paper, we initiate the study of slice closures of (Parikh images of) indexed languages. A slice is a set of vectors of natural numbers such that membership of $u,u+v,u+w$ implies membership of $u+v+w$. Our main result is that given an indexed language $L$, one can compute a semilinear representation of the smallest slice containing $L$'s Parikh image. We present two applications. First, one can compute the set of all affine relations satisfied by the Parikh image of an indexed language. In particular, this answers affirmatively a question by Kobayashi: Is it decidable whether in a given indexed language, every word has the same number of $a$'s as $b$'s. As a second application, we show decidability of (systems of) word equations with rational constraints and a class of counting constraints: These allow us to look for solutions where a counting function (defined by an automaton) is not zero. For example, one can decide whether a word equation with rational constraints has a solution where the number of occurrences of $a$ differs between variables $X$ and $Y$.

cs.FL↗

arXiv2024

Conjugacy geodesics and growth in dihedral Artin groups

In this paper we describe conjugacy geodesic representatives in any dihedral Artin group $G(m)$, $m\geq 3$, which we then use to calculate asymptotics for the conjugacy growth of $G(m)$, and show that the conjugacy growth series of $G(m)$ with respect to the `free product' generating set $\{x, y\}$ is transcendental. We prove two additional properties of $G(m)$ that connect to conjugacy, namely that the permutation conjugator length function is constant, and that the falsification by fellow traveler property (FFTP) holds with respect to $\{x, y\}$. These imply that the language of all conjugacy geodesics in $G(m)$ with respect to $\{x, y\}$ is regular.

math.GR↗

arXiv2023

Formal conjugacy growth in graph products II

In this paper we give an algorithm for computing the conjugacy growth series for a right-angled Artin group, based on a natural language of minimal length conjugacy representatives. In addition, we provide a further language of unique conjugacy geodesic representatives of the conjugacy classes for a graph product of groups. The conjugacy representatives and growth series here provide an alternate viewpoint, and are more amenable to computational experiments compared to those in our previous paper. Examples of applications of this algorithm for right-angled Artin groups are provided, as well as computations of conjugacy geodesic growth growth series with respect to the standard generating sets.

math.GR↗

arXiv2023

Effective equation solving, constraints and growth in virtually abelian groups

In this paper we study the satisfiability and solutions of group equations when combinatorial, algebraic and language-theoretic constraints are imposed on the solutions. We show that the solutions to equations with length, lexicographic order, abelianisation or context-free constraints added, can be effectively produced in finitely generated virtually abelian groups. Crucially, we translate each of the constraints above into a rational set in an effective way, and so reduce each problem to solving equations with rational constraints, which is decidable and well understood in virtually abelian groups. A byproduct of our results is that the growth series of a virtually abelian group, with respect to any generating set and any weight, is effectively computable. This series is known to be rational by a result of Benson, but his proof is non-constructive.

math.GR↗

arXiv2023

Languages, groups and equations

The survey provides an overview of the work done in the last 10 years to characterise solutions to equations in groups in terms of formal languages. We begin with the work of Ciobanu, Diekert and Elder, who showed that solutions to systems of equations in free groups in terms of reduced words are expressible as EDT0L languages. We provide a sketch of their algorithm, and describe how the free group results extend to hyperbolic groups. The characterisation of solutions as EDT0L languages is very robust, and many group constructions preserve this, as shown by Levine. The most recent progress in the area has been made for groups without negative curvature, such as virtually abelian, the integral Heisenberg group, or the soluble Baumslag-Solitar groups, where the approaches to describing the solutions are different from the negative curvature groups. In virtually abelian groups the solutions sets are in fact rational, and one can obtain them as $m$-regular sets. In the Heisenberg group producing the solutions to a single equation reduces to understanding the solutions to quadratic Diophantine equations and uses number theoretic techniques. In the Baumslag-Solitar groups the methods are combinatorial, and focus on the interplay of normal forms to solve particular classes of equations. In conclusion, EDT0L languages give an effective and simple combinatorial characterisation of sets of seemingly high complexity in many important classes of groups.

math.GR↗

arXiv2022

Post's correspondence problem for hyperbolic and virtually nilpotent groups

Post's Correspondence Problem (the PCP) is a classical decision problem in theoretical computer science that asks whether for pairs of free monoid morphisms $g, h\colon\Sigma^*\to\Delta^*$ there exists any non-trivial $x\in\Sigma^*$ such that $g(x)=h(x)$. Post's Correspondence Problem for a group $\Gamma$ takes pairs of group homomorphisms $g, h\colon F(\Sigma)\to \Gamma$ instead, and similarly asks whether there exists an $x$ such that $g(x)=h(x)$ holds for non-elementary reasons. The restrictions imposed on $x$ in order to get non-elementary solutions lead to several interpretations of the problem; we consider the natural restriction asking that $x \notin \ker(g) \cap \ker(h)$ and prove that the resulting interpretation of the PCP is undecidable for arbitrary hyperbolic $\Gamma$, but decidable when $\Gamma$ is virtually nilpotent. We also study this problem for group constructions such as subgroups, direct products and finite extensions. This problem is equivalent to an interpretation due to Myasnikov, Nikolev and Ushakov when one map is injective.

math.GR↗

arXiv2022

Rational sets in virtually abelian groups: languages and growth

In this paper we generalise and unify the results and methods used by Benson, Liardet, Evetts, and Evetts & Levine, to show that rational sets in a virtually abelian group G have rational (relative) growth series with respect to any generating set for G. We prove equivalences between the structures used in the literature, and establish the rationality of important classes of sets in G: definable sets, algebraic sets, conjugacy representatives and coset representatives (of any fixed subgroup), among others. Furthermore, we show that any rational set, when written as words over the generating set of G, has several EDT0L representations.

math.GR↗

arXiv2022

Group equations with abelian predicates

In this paper we begin the systematic study of group equations with abelian predicates in the main classes of groups where solving equations is possible. We extend the line of work on word equations with length constraints, and more generally, on extensions of the existential theory of semigroups, to the world of groups. We use interpretability by equations to establish model-theoretic and algebraic conditions which are sufficient to get undecidability. We apply our results to (non-abelian) right-angled Artin groups, and show that the problem of solving equations with abelian predicates is undecidable for these. We obtain the same result for hyperbolic groups whose abelianisation has torsion-free rank at least two. By contrast, we prove that in groups with finite abelianisation, the problem can be reduced to solving equations with recognisable constraints, and so this is decidable in right-angled Coxeter groups, or more generally, graph products of finite groups, as well as hyperbolic groups with finite abelianisation.

math.GR↗

arXiv2021

Three-dimensional maps and subgroup growth

In this paper we derive a generating series for the number of cellular complexes known as pavings or three-dimensional maps, on $n$ darts, thus solving an analogue of Tutte's problem in dimension three. The generating series we derive also counts free subgroups of index $n$ in $Δ^+ = \mathbb{Z}_2*\mathbb{Z}_2*\mathbb{Z}_2$ via a simple bijection between pavings and finite index subgroups which can be deduced from the action of $Δ^+$ on the cosets of a given subgroup. We then show that this generating series is non-holonomic. Furthermore, we provide and study the generating series for isomorphism classes of pavings, which correspond to conjugacy classes of free subgroups of finite index in $Δ^+$. Computational experiments performed with software designed by the authors provide some statistics about the topology and combinatorics of pavings on $n\leq 16$ darts.

math.GR↗

arXiv2021

Variations on the Post Correspondence Problem for free groups

The Post Correspondence Problem is a classical decision problem about equalisers of free monoid homomorphisms. We prove connections between several variations of this classical problem, but in the setting of free groups and free group homomorphisms. Among other results, and working under certain injectivity assumptions, we prove that computing the rank of the equaliser of a pair of free group homomorphisms can be applied to computing a basis of this equaliser, and also to solve the "generalised" Post Correspondence Problem for free groups.

math.GR↗

arXiv2021

Formal conjugacy growth in graph products I

In this paper we give a recursive formula for the conjugacy growth series of a graph product in terms of the conjugacy growth and standard growth series of subgraph products. We also show that the conjugacy and standard growth rates in a graph product are equal provided that this property holds for each vertex group. All results are obtained for the standard generating set consisting of the union of generating sets of the vertex groups.

math.GR↗

arXiv2020

The complexity of solution sets to equations in hyperbolic groups

We show that the full set of solutions to systems of equations and inequations in a hyperbolic group, as shortlex geodesic words (or any regular set of quasigeodesic normal forms), is an EDT0L language whose specification can be computed in NSPACE$(n^2\log n)$ for the torsion-free case and NSPACE$(n^4\log n)$ in the torsion case. Furthermore, in the presence of quasi-isometrically embeddable rational constraints, we show that the full set of solutions to systems of equations in a hyperbolic group remains EDT0L. Our work combines the geometric results of Rips, Sela, Dahmani and Guirardel on the decidability of the existential theory of hyperbolic groups with the work of computer scientists including Plandowski, Jeż, Diekert and others on PSPACE algorithms to solve equations in free monoids and groups using compression, and involves an intricate language-theoretic analysis.

math.GR↗