Mark Sapir — Page 3

arXiv2000

On subgroups of R.Thompson's group F and other diagram groups

In this paper, we continue our study of the class of diagram groups. Simply speaking, a diagram is a labelled plane graph bounded by a pair of paths (the top path and the bottom path). To multiply two diagrams, one simply identifies the top path of one diagram with the bottom path of the other diagram, and removes pairs of "reducible" cells. Each diagram group is determined by an alphabet $X$, containing all possible labels of edges, a set of relations ${\cal R}=\{u_i=v_i\mid i=1,2,... \}$, containing all possible labels of cells, and a word $w$ over $X$ -- the label of the top and bottom paths of diagrams. Diagrams can be considered as 2-dimensional words, and diagram groups can be considered as 2-dimensional analogue of free groups. In our previous paper, we showed that the class of diagram groups contains many interesting groups including the famous R. Thompson group $F$ (it corresponds to the simplest set of relations $\{x=x^2 \}$), closed under direct and free products and some other constructions. In this paper we study mainly subgroups of diagram groups. We show that not every subgroup of a diagram group is itself a diagram group (this answers a question from the previous paper). We prove that every nilpotent subgroup of a diagram group is abelian, every abelian subgroup is free, but even the Thompson group contains solvable subgroups of any degree. We also study distortion of subgroups in diagram groups, including the Thompson group. It turnes out that centralizers of elements and abelian subgroups are always undistorted, but the Thompson group contains distorted soluble subgroups.

math.GR↗

arXiv1998

Isoperimetric and isodiametric functions of groups

This is the first of two papers devoted to connections between asymptotic functions of groups and computational complexity. One of the main results of this paper states that if for every $m$ the first $m$ digits of a real number $α\ge 4$ are computable in time $\le C2^{2^{Cm}}$ for some constant $C>0$ then $n^α$ is equivalent (``big O'') to the Dehn function of a finitely presented group. The smallest isodiametric function of this group is $n^{3/4α}$. On the other hand if $n^α$ is equivalent to the Dehn function of a finitely presented group then the first $m$ digits of $α$ are computable in time $\le C2^{2^{2^{Cm}}}$ for some constant $C$. This implies that, say, functions $n^{π+1}$, $n^{e^2}$ and $n^α$ for all rational numbers $α\ge 4$ are equivalent to the Dehn functions of some finitely presented group and that $n^π$ and $n^α$ for all rational numbers $α\ge 3$ are equivalent to the smallest isodiametric functions of finitely presented groups. Moreover we describe all Dehn functions of finitely presented groups $\succ n^4$ as time functions of Turing machines modulo two conjectures: \begin{enumerate} \item Every Dehn function is equivalent to a superadditive function. \item The square root of the time function of a Turing machine is equivalent to the time function of a Turing machine. \end{enumerate}

math.GR↗