Equations in nilpotent groups

The theory of general elliptic boundary value problems for systems of equations is explained in Chapter 1 (see also [R1, Ch.X], and bibliography there).

We consider two algorithmic problems concerning sub-semigroups of Heisenberg groups and, more generally, two-step nilpotent groups. The first problem is Intersection Emptiness, which asks whether a finite number of given finitely generated semigroups have empty intersection. This problem was first studied by Markov in the 1940s. We show that Intersection Emptiness is PTIME decidable in the Heisenberg groups H_n(𝕂) over any algebraic number field 𝕂, as well as in direct products of Heisenberg groups. We also extend our decidability result to arbitrary finitely generated 2-step nilpotent groups. The second problem is Orbit Intersection, which asks whether the orbits of two matrices under multiplication by two semigroups intersect with each other. This problem was first studied by Babai et al. (1996), who showed its decidability within commutative matrix groups. We show that Orbit Intersection is decidable within the Heisenberg group H₃(ℚ).

Brian Hartley asked me whether a free (nilpotent of class 2 and exponent p2)-group of countable rank has a faithful linear representation of finite degree, p here being a prime of course. The answer is yes. The point is that this then yields via work of F. Leinen and M. J. Tomkinson, see [3,3.6] an image of a linear p-group, which is not even finitary linear. The question of which relatively free groups have faithful linear representations dates back at least to work of W. Magnus in the 1930's, see [4, pp. 33, 34 and the final comment on p. 40] for a discussion of this. Our construction, which works more generally, is a further contribution. We write ℜc for the variety of nilpotent groups of class at most c and (ℭ9 for the variety of groups of exponent dividing q.

The article continues the series of papers on the absolute of finitely generated groups. The absolute of a group with a fixed system of generators is defined as the set of ergodic Markov measures for which the system of cotransition probabilities is the same as for the simple (right) random walk generated by the uniform distribution on the generators. The absolute is a new boundary of a group, generated by random walks on the group. We divide the absolute into the Laplacian part and degenerate part and describe the connection between the absolute, homogeneous Markov processes, and the Laplace operator; prove that the Laplacian part is preserved under tak- ing some central extensions of groups; reduce the computation of the Laplacian part of the absolute of a nilpotent group to that of its abelinization; consider a number of fundamental examples (free groups, commutative groups, the discrete Heisenberg group). Keywords: absolute, Laplace operator, dynamic Cayley graph, nilpotent groups, Laplacian part of absolute.

We give an algorithm that decides whether a single equation in a group that is virtually a class $2$ nilpotent group with a virtually cyclic commutator subgroup, such as the Heisenberg group, admits a solution. This generalises the work of Duchin, Liang and Shapiro to finite extensions.

Bestvina, Feighn and Handel proved that every subgroup of the outer automorphism group, of the free group of rank n is either virtually finitely generated abelian or contains a nonabelian free group. In this note we consider the more general situation of the outer automorphism group of a finitely generated free-by-finite group G. We show that is translation discrete and that every subgroup of is either virtually finitely generated abelian or contains a nonabelian free group.

Products of Free Groups in the Unit Group of Integral Group Rings II

Marciniak and Sehgal showed that if u is a non-trivial bicyclic unit of an integral group ring then there is a bicyclic unit v such that u and v generate a non-abelian free group. A similar result does not hold for Bass cyclic units of infinite order based on non-central elements as some of them have finite order modulo the center. We prove a theorem that suggests that this is the only limitation to obtain a non-abelian free group from a given Bass cyclic unit. More precisely, we prove that if u is a Bass cyclic unit of an integral group ring ℤG of a solvable and finite group G, such that u has infinite order modulo the center of U(ℤG) and it is based on an element of prime order, then there is a non-abelian free group generated by a power of u and a power of a unit in ℤG which is either a Bass cyclic unit or a bicyclic unit.

We study the computational complexity of the isomorphism and equivalence problems on systems of equations over a fixed finite group. We show that the equivalence problem is in P if the group is Abelian, and coNP-complete if the group is non-Abelian. We prove that if the group is non-Abelian, then the problem of deciding whether two systems of equations over the group are isomorphic is coNP-hard. If the group is Abelian, then the isomorphism problem is graph isomorphism hard. Moreover, if we impose the restriction that all equations are of bounded length, then we prove that the isomorphism problem for systems of equations over finite Abelian groups is graph isomorphism complete. Finally we prove that the problem of counting the number of isomorphisms of systems of equations is no harder than deciding whether there exist any isomorphisms at all.KeywordsComputational ComplexityAbelian GroupPolynomial TimeRegular SemigroupEquivalence ProblemThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

We show that if the lower central series of the fundamental group of a closed oriented 3-manifold stabilizes then the maximal nilpotent quotient is a cyclic group, a quaternion 2-group cross an odd order cyclic group, or a Heisenberg group. These groups are well known to be precisely the nilpotent fundamental groups of closed oriented 3-manifolds. There are many different approaches to the study of 3-manifolds. There is a flourishing combinatorial school from Dehn, Papakryiakopoulos, Haken and Waldhausen to Gordon and Luecke, which has shown that many 3-manifold questions can be reduced to questions about the fundamental group. A co-equal off-shoot of the combinatorial school folds in dynamics and complex analysis. This is Thurston's program on geometrizing certain characteristic and simple pieces of 3-manifolds by showing that each is modelled locally on one of the eight 3-dimensional geometries (of which only the hyperbolic case is not fully understood). A third perspective on 3-manifolds is through quantuum field theory. The ideas of Witten, Jones, Vassiliev and many others have inspired tremendous activity and, in time, may contribute substantially to the topological understanding of 3-manifolds. This paper takes a fourth perspective by looking at a 3-manifold through nilpotent eyes, observing only the tower of nilpotent quotients of the fundamental group, but never the group itself. This point of view has a long history in the study of link complements and it arises naturally if one studies 3- and 4- dimensional manifolds together. For example, Stallings proved that for a link in S 3 certain nilpotent quotients of the fundamental group of the link complement are invariants of the topological concordance class of the link. These quotients contain the same information as Milnor's ¯ µ-invariants which are generalized linking numbers. For precise references about this area of research and the most recent applications to 4-manifolds see (5). Turaev (11) seems to have been the first to consider nilpotent quotients of closed 3-manifold rather than link complements. Much earlier, the nilpotent fundamental groups of closed 3-manifolds were classified. Thomas (10) showed in particular that statements (1) and (2) in the following Theorem 1 are equivalent.

Results are presented concerning the main problem of algebraic geometry over partially ordered sets from a computational point of view, namely, the solvability problem for systems of equations over a partial order. This problem is solvable in polynomial time if the directed graph corresponding to the partial order is a adjusted interval digraph, and is NP-complete if the base of the directed graph corresponding to the partial order is a cycle of length at least 4. We also present a result characterizing the possibility of transition from infinite systems of equations over partial orders to finite systems. Algebraic systems with this property are called equationally Noetherian. A partially ordered set is equationally Noetherian if and only if any of its upper and lower cones with base are finitely defined.

A study is made of the solvability of boundary value problems for three systems of differential equations of mixed and composite types in many-dimensional domains. Theorems of existence and uniqueness of solutions of these problems are proved.

A group G is S-universal if every countable group can be embedded in a quotient of G.In this paper we give conditions under which HNN groups are S-universal.These are then applied to showing the S-universality of certain classes of Kleinian groups (discontinuous subgroups of PSL^C)).Finally some connections are mentioned between Sg-universality and the theory of ends.Introduction.A group G is So-universal if every countable group can be embedded in a quotient of G. Thus all nonabelian free groups are Suniversal [4], while it is known that all nontrivial free products except the infinite dihedral group [10], and large classes of amalgamated free products are also , [11].Sacerdote and Schupp have extended these to certain HNN and one-relator groups [9].In this paper we give a series of results which complement those of Sacerdote and Schupp but are somewhat less technical and more directly applicable to geometrically and arithmetically defined groups [2], [3].This will be applied in 3 to showing the S?-universality of a class of Kleinian groups.Finally we make some observations on the relationship between SG;-universality and the theory of ends.1. Recall that an HNN group is a group of the form G = </" ...,t",K; rel K, t^tr1 = <P,(A)>where {L,} are subgroups of K, and {<p,} are isomorphisms L, - <p,(jL,) < K. K is called the base, {L, <p(L)} associated subgroups and </" . .., i") the free part.Groups of this type were used by Higman, Neumann and Neumann to show the S-universality of free groups of rank 2 [4].The base K can be embedded isomorphically in G, and a subgroup structure theory for HNN groups, paralleling that for amalgamated free products, has been developedby Karrass and Solitar [5].Now G has a free quotient of rank n if the free part has rank n, and since clearly a group with an S-universal quotient is itself S-universal we getLemma.An HNN group with free part of rank > 1 is SQ-universal.

We give a description of the model-theoretic relation of forking independence in terms of the notion of JSJ decompositions in non-abelian free groups

We know quite a lot about the general structure of ω-stable solvable centerless groups of finite Morley rank. Abelian groups of finite Morley rank are also well-understood. By comparison, nonabelian nilpotent groups are a mystery except for the following general results:• An ω1-categorical torsion-free nonabelian nilpotent group is an algebraic group over an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0 [Z3].• A nilpotent group of finite Morley rank is the central product of a definable subgroup of finite exponent and of a definable divisible subgroup [N3].• A divisible nilpotent group of finite Morley rank is the direct product of its torsion part (which is central) and of a torsion-free subgroup [N3].However, we do not understand nilpotent groups of bounded exponent. It seems that the classification of nilpotent (but nonabelian) p-groups of finite Morley rank is impossible. Even the nilpotent groups of Morley rank 2 contain insurmountable difficulties [C], [T] . At first glance, this may seem to be an obstacle to proving the Cherlin-Zil'ber conjecture (“simple groups of finite Morley rank are algebraic groups”). Our purpose in this article is to show that if such a group is a definable subgroup of a nonnilpotent group, then it is possible to obtain a classification within the boundaries of our present knowledge. In this respect, our article may be considered as a relief to those who are trying to classify simple groups of finite Morley rank.Before explicitly stating our result, we need the following definition.