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Lee Mosher
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Although HW has answered your question negatively for greatest lower boundsORIGINAL ANSWER, thereADDRESSING A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT QUESTION: There is a closely related poset for which greatest lower bounds and least upper bounds indeed exist. Instead of an individual free factor $A$, first consider its conjugacy class $[A]$. Then, instead of individual conjugacy classes of free factors $[A]$, consider a "free factor system" (in the language of Bestvina-Feighn-Handel): a finite set $\mathcal{F} = \{[A_1],\ldots,[A_k]\}$ such that there exists a free factorization of the form $F_n = A_1 * \cdots * A_k * B$ where $B$ may or may not be trivial but all the $A_i$'s are nontrivial. The partial ordering $\mathcal{F}\sqsubset \mathcal{F}'$ is defined by requiring that for each $[A] \in \mathcal{F}$ there exists $[A'] \in \mathcal{F}'$ such that $A$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $A'$.

The Kurosh Subgroup Theorem can be translated into the statement that this poset has greatest lower bounds. The greatest lower bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is $$\mathcal{F} "meet" \mathcal{F}' = \{[A \cap A'] \, | \, [A] \in \mathcal{F}, [A'] \in \mathcal{F}', A \cap A' \ne 1\} $$ (I don't know how to get the "meet" operator in this version of TeX).

CORRECTION: You have to allow the "trivial" free factor system in order for this meet to be well-defined, because it is possible that the definition above produces the emptyset. In which case I should have left out the condition "$A \cap A' \ne 1$" in my definition of the meet.

The meet operator can then be extended to an operator on arbitrary sets of free factor systems, and using this one gets least upper bounds too: the least upper bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is the meet of all free factor systems $\mathcal{F}''$ (including the improper free factor system $\{[F]\}$) such that $\mathcal{F} \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$ and $\mathcal{F}' \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$. This $\mathcal{F}''$ is called the ``free factor support'' of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$.

ADDITION, ADDRESSING THE ORIGINAL QUESTION: Now that I've had a chance to think more about the Kurosh subgroup theorem myself, I realize that the answer to the original question is just "yes".

First, for greatest lower bound: the intersection of any collection of free factors of the finite rank free group $F_n$ is a free factor. For two free factors $A,B$ this is a consequence of the Kurosh subgroup theorem which says that the set of nontrivial intersections of $A$ with conjugates of $B$ is a finite set $\{C_1,\ldots,C_K\}$ with the property that there exists a free factorization $A = C_1 * \cdots * C_k * D$ where $D$ may be trivial; so $A \cap B$, if nonempty, is one of the $C$'s, and is therefore a free factor of $A$, and a free factor of a free factor of $F_n$ is a free factor of $F_n$. In general, for any collection of free factors, write them in a sequence, intersect each initial segment of the sequence, and use the fact that in a finite rank free group, a free factor strictly included in another has smaller rank (proved by abelianizing).

Then, for least upper bound: given any collection $\mathcal A$ of free factors, the intersection of all free factors (including the improper free factor $F_n$) containing each element of $\mathcal A$ is the least a free factor containing each element of $\mathcal A$.

Although HW has answered your question negatively for greatest lower bounds, there is a closely related poset for which greatest lower bounds and least upper bounds indeed exist. Instead of an individual free factor $A$, first consider its conjugacy class $[A]$. Then, instead of individual conjugacy classes of free factors $[A]$, consider a "free factor system" (in the language of Bestvina-Feighn-Handel): a finite set $\mathcal{F} = \{[A_1],\ldots,[A_k]\}$ such that there exists a free factorization of the form $F_n = A_1 * \cdots * A_k * B$ where $B$ may or may not be trivial but all the $A_i$'s are nontrivial. The partial ordering $\mathcal{F}\sqsubset \mathcal{F}'$ is defined by requiring that for each $[A] \in \mathcal{F}$ there exists $[A'] \in \mathcal{F}'$ such that $A$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $A'$.

The Kurosh Subgroup Theorem can be translated into the statement that this poset has greatest lower bounds. The greatest lower bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is $$\mathcal{F} "meet" \mathcal{F}' = \{[A \cap A'] \, | \, [A] \in \mathcal{F}, [A'] \in \mathcal{F}', A \cap A' \ne 1\} $$ (I don't know how to get the "meet" operator in this version of TeX).

CORRECTION: You have to allow the "trivial" free factor system in order for this meet to be well-defined, because it is possible that the definition above produces the emptyset. In which case I should have left out the condition "$A \cap A' \ne 1$" in my definition of the meet.

The meet operator can then be extended to an operator on arbitrary sets of free factor systems, and using this one gets least upper bounds too: the least upper bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is the meet of all free factor systems $\mathcal{F}''$ (including the improper free factor system $\{[F]\}$) such that $\mathcal{F} \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$ and $\mathcal{F}' \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$. This $\mathcal{F}''$ is called the ``free factor support'' of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$.

ORIGINAL ANSWER, ADDRESSING A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT QUESTION: There is a closely related poset for which greatest lower bounds and least upper bounds indeed exist. Instead of an individual free factor $A$, first consider its conjugacy class $[A]$. Then, instead of individual conjugacy classes of free factors $[A]$, consider a "free factor system" (in the language of Bestvina-Feighn-Handel): a finite set $\mathcal{F} = \{[A_1],\ldots,[A_k]\}$ such that there exists a free factorization of the form $F_n = A_1 * \cdots * A_k * B$ where $B$ may or may not be trivial but all the $A_i$'s are nontrivial. The partial ordering $\mathcal{F}\sqsubset \mathcal{F}'$ is defined by requiring that for each $[A] \in \mathcal{F}$ there exists $[A'] \in \mathcal{F}'$ such that $A$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $A'$.

The Kurosh Subgroup Theorem can be translated into the statement that this poset has greatest lower bounds. The greatest lower bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is $$\mathcal{F} "meet" \mathcal{F}' = \{[A \cap A'] \, | \, [A] \in \mathcal{F}, [A'] \in \mathcal{F}', A \cap A' \ne 1\} $$ (I don't know how to get the "meet" operator in this version of TeX).

CORRECTION: You have to allow the "trivial" free factor system in order for this meet to be well-defined, because it is possible that the definition above produces the emptyset. In which case I should have left out the condition "$A \cap A' \ne 1$" in my definition of the meet.

The meet operator can then be extended to an operator on arbitrary sets of free factor systems, and using this one gets least upper bounds too: the least upper bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is the meet of all free factor systems $\mathcal{F}''$ (including the improper free factor system $\{[F]\}$) such that $\mathcal{F} \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$ and $\mathcal{F}' \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$. This $\mathcal{F}''$ is called the ``free factor support'' of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$.

ADDITION, ADDRESSING THE ORIGINAL QUESTION: Now that I've had a chance to think more about the Kurosh subgroup theorem myself, I realize that the answer to the original question is just "yes".

First, for greatest lower bound: the intersection of any collection of free factors of the finite rank free group $F_n$ is a free factor. For two free factors $A,B$ this is a consequence of the Kurosh subgroup theorem which says that the set of nontrivial intersections of $A$ with conjugates of $B$ is a finite set $\{C_1,\ldots,C_K\}$ with the property that there exists a free factorization $A = C_1 * \cdots * C_k * D$ where $D$ may be trivial; so $A \cap B$, if nonempty, is one of the $C$'s, and is therefore a free factor of $A$, and a free factor of a free factor of $F_n$ is a free factor of $F_n$. In general, for any collection of free factors, write them in a sequence, intersect each initial segment of the sequence, and use the fact that in a finite rank free group, a free factor strictly included in another has smaller rank (proved by abelianizing).

Then, for least upper bound: given any collection $\mathcal A$ of free factors, the intersection of all free factors (including the improper free factor $F_n$) containing each element of $\mathcal A$ is the least a free factor containing each element of $\mathcal A$.

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Lee Mosher
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Although HW has answered your question negatively for greatest lower bounds, there is a closely related poset for which greatest lower bounds and least upper bounds indeed exist. Instead of an individual free factor $A$, first consider its conjugacy class $[A]$. Then, instead of individual conjugacy classes of free factors $[A]$, consider a "free factor system" (in the language of Bestvina-Feighn-Handel): a finite set $\mathcal{F} = \{[A_1],\ldots,[A_k]\}$ such that there exists a free factorization of the form $F_n = A_1 * \cdots * A_k * B$ where $B$ may or may not be trivial but all the $A_i$'s are nontrivial. The The partial ordering $\mathcal{F}\sqsubset \mathcal{F}'$ is defined by requiring that for each $[A] \in \mathcal{F}$ there exists $[A'] \in \mathcal{F}'$ such that $A$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $A'$.

The Kurosh Subgroup Theorem can be translated into the statement that this poset has greatest lower bounds. The greatest lower bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is $$\mathcal{F} "meet" \mathcal{F}' = \{[A \cap A'] \, | \, [A] \in \mathcal{F}, [A'] \in \mathcal{F}', A \cap A' \ne 1\} $$ (I don't know how to get the "meet" operator in this version of TeX).

CORRECTION: You have to allow the "trivial" free factor system in order for this meet to be well-defined, because it is possible that the definition above produces the emptyset. In which case I should have left out the condition "$A \cap A' \ne 1$" in my definition of the meet.

The meet operator can then be extended to an operator on arbitrary sets of free factor systems, and using this one gets least upper bounds too: the least upper bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is the meet of all free factor systems $\mathcal{F}''$ (including the improper free factor system $\{[F]\}$) such that $\mathcal{F} \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$ and $\mathcal{F}' \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$. This $\mathcal{F}''$ is called the ``free factor support'' of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$.

Although HW has answered your question negatively for greatest lower bounds, there is a closely related poset for which greatest lower bounds and least upper bounds indeed exist. Instead of an individual free factor $A$, first consider its conjugacy class $[A]$. Then, instead of individual conjugacy classes of free factors $[A]$, consider a "free factor system" (in the language of Bestvina-Feighn-Handel): a finite set $\mathcal{F} = \{[A_1],\ldots,[A_k]\}$ such that there exists a free factorization of the form $F_n = A_1 * \cdots * A_k * B$ where $B$ may or may not be trivial but all the $A_i$'s are nontrivial. The partial ordering $\mathcal{F}\sqsubset \mathcal{F}'$ is defined by requiring that for each $[A] \in \mathcal{F}$ there exists $[A'] \in \mathcal{F}'$ such that $A$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $A'$.

The Kurosh Subgroup Theorem can be translated into the statement that this poset has greatest lower bounds. The greatest lower bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is $$\mathcal{F} "meet" \mathcal{F}' = \{[A \cap A'] \, | \, [A] \in \mathcal{F}, [A'] \in \mathcal{F}', A \cap A' \ne 1\} $$ (I don't know how to get the "meet" operator in this version of TeX).

The meet operator can then be extended to an operator on arbitrary sets of free factor systems, and using this one gets least upper bounds too: the least upper bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is the meet of all free factor systems $\mathcal{F}''$ (including the improper free factor system $\{[F]\}$) such that $\mathcal{F} \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$ and $\mathcal{F}' \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$. This $\mathcal{F}''$ is called the ``free factor support'' of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$.

Although HW has answered your question negatively for greatest lower bounds, there is a closely related poset for which greatest lower bounds and least upper bounds indeed exist. Instead of an individual free factor $A$, first consider its conjugacy class $[A]$. Then, instead of individual conjugacy classes of free factors $[A]$, consider a "free factor system" (in the language of Bestvina-Feighn-Handel): a finite set $\mathcal{F} = \{[A_1],\ldots,[A_k]\}$ such that there exists a free factorization of the form $F_n = A_1 * \cdots * A_k * B$ where $B$ may or may not be trivial but all the $A_i$'s are nontrivial. The partial ordering $\mathcal{F}\sqsubset \mathcal{F}'$ is defined by requiring that for each $[A] \in \mathcal{F}$ there exists $[A'] \in \mathcal{F}'$ such that $A$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $A'$.

The Kurosh Subgroup Theorem can be translated into the statement that this poset has greatest lower bounds. The greatest lower bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is $$\mathcal{F} "meet" \mathcal{F}' = \{[A \cap A'] \, | \, [A] \in \mathcal{F}, [A'] \in \mathcal{F}', A \cap A' \ne 1\} $$ (I don't know how to get the "meet" operator in this version of TeX).

CORRECTION: You have to allow the "trivial" free factor system in order for this meet to be well-defined, because it is possible that the definition above produces the emptyset. In which case I should have left out the condition "$A \cap A' \ne 1$" in my definition of the meet.

The meet operator can then be extended to an operator on arbitrary sets of free factor systems, and using this one gets least upper bounds too: the least upper bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is the meet of all free factor systems $\mathcal{F}''$ (including the improper free factor system $\{[F]\}$) such that $\mathcal{F} \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$ and $\mathcal{F}' \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$. This $\mathcal{F}''$ is called the ``free factor support'' of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$.

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Lee Mosher
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Although HW has answered your question negatively for greatest lower bounds, there is a closely related poset for which greatest lower bounds and least upper bounds indeed exist. Instead of an individual free factor $A$, first consider its conjugacy class $[A]$. Then, instead of individual conjugacy classes of free factors $[A]$, consider a "free factor system" (in the language of Bestvina-Feighn-Handel): a finite set $\mathcal{F} = \{[A_1],\ldots,[A_k]\}$ such that there exists a free factorization of the form $F_n = A_1 * \cdots * A_k * B$ where $B$ may or may not be trivial but all the $A_i$'s are nontrivial. The partial ordering $\mathcal{F}\sqsubset \mathcal{F}'$ is defined by requiring that for each $[A] \in \mathcal{F}$ there exists $[A'] \in \mathcal{F}'$ such that $A$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $A'$.

The Kurosh Subgroup Theorem can be translated into the statement that this poset has greatest lower bounds. The greatest lower bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is $$\{[A \cap A'] \, | \, [A] \in \mathcal{F}, [A'] \in \mathcal{F}', A \cap A' \ne 1\} $$$$\mathcal{F} "meet" \mathcal{F}' = \{[A \cap A'] \, | \, [A] \in \mathcal{F}, [A'] \in \mathcal{F}', A \cap A' \ne 1\} $$ (I don't know how to get the "meet" operator in this version of TeX).

The meet operator can then be extended to an operator on arbitrary sets of free factor systems, and using this one gets least upper bounds too: the least upper bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is the meet of all free factor systems $\mathcal{F}''$ (including the improper free factor system $\{[F]\}$) such that $\mathcal{F} \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$ and $\mathcal{F}' \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$. This $\mathcal{F}''$ is called the ``free factor support'' of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$.

Although HW has answered your question negatively for greatest lower bounds, there is a closely related poset for which greatest lower bounds indeed exist. Instead of an individual free factor $A$, first consider its conjugacy class $[A]$. Then, instead of individual conjugacy classes of free factors $[A]$, consider a "free factor system" (in the language of Bestvina-Feighn-Handel): a finite set $\mathcal{F} = \{[A_1],\ldots,[A_k]\}$ such that there exists a free factorization of the form $F_n = A_1 * \cdots * A_k * B$ where $B$ may or may not be trivial but all the $A_i$'s are nontrivial. The partial ordering $\mathcal{F}\sqsubset \mathcal{F}'$ is defined by requiring that for each $[A] \in \mathcal{F}$ there exists $[A'] \in \mathcal{F}'$ such that $A$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $A'$.

The Kurosh Subgroup Theorem can be translated into the statement that this poset has greatest lower bounds. The greatest lower bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is $$\{[A \cap A'] \, | \, [A] \in \mathcal{F}, [A'] \in \mathcal{F}', A \cap A' \ne 1\} $$

Although HW has answered your question negatively for greatest lower bounds, there is a closely related poset for which greatest lower bounds and least upper bounds indeed exist. Instead of an individual free factor $A$, first consider its conjugacy class $[A]$. Then, instead of individual conjugacy classes of free factors $[A]$, consider a "free factor system" (in the language of Bestvina-Feighn-Handel): a finite set $\mathcal{F} = \{[A_1],\ldots,[A_k]\}$ such that there exists a free factorization of the form $F_n = A_1 * \cdots * A_k * B$ where $B$ may or may not be trivial but all the $A_i$'s are nontrivial. The partial ordering $\mathcal{F}\sqsubset \mathcal{F}'$ is defined by requiring that for each $[A] \in \mathcal{F}$ there exists $[A'] \in \mathcal{F}'$ such that $A$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $A'$.

The Kurosh Subgroup Theorem can be translated into the statement that this poset has greatest lower bounds. The greatest lower bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is $$\mathcal{F} "meet" \mathcal{F}' = \{[A \cap A'] \, | \, [A] \in \mathcal{F}, [A'] \in \mathcal{F}', A \cap A' \ne 1\} $$ (I don't know how to get the "meet" operator in this version of TeX).

The meet operator can then be extended to an operator on arbitrary sets of free factor systems, and using this one gets least upper bounds too: the least upper bound of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$ is the meet of all free factor systems $\mathcal{F}''$ (including the improper free factor system $\{[F]\}$) such that $\mathcal{F} \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$ and $\mathcal{F}' \sqsubset \mathcal{F}''$. This $\mathcal{F}''$ is called the ``free factor support'' of $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{F}'$.

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Lee Mosher
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