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3 votes
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Which elements in $\mathrm{Aut}(\widehat{F_2})$ preserve the procyclic subgroup generated by the commutator $c=[a,b]$?

Let $F_2$ denote the free group over two generators $a,b$, and we denote $c=[a,b]$ as the commutator. It is well-known that any automorphism $\psi$ of $F_2$ preserves the conjugacy class of the ...
YC Su's user avatar
  • 605
3 votes
1 answer
222 views

A question about coprime automorphisms of profinite groups

Let $p$ a prime. A finite group is a $p'$-group if its order is prime to $p$. Let $A$ be a finite $p'$-group of automorphisms of a finite $p$-group $G$. Suppose that $A$ is a non-cyclic abelian group. ...
Nobody's user avatar
  • 863
1 vote
0 answers
126 views

$p'$-automorphisms of pro-$p$ groups

Let $p$ be a prime and $G$ be a finitely generated pro-$p$ group admitting a continuous automorphism $\phi$ of finite order relatively prime to $p$. Let $\Phi(G)$ denote the Frattini subgroup of $G$. ...
stupid boy's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
203 views

Finite quotients of $p$-adic congruence subgroups of $\operatorname{SL}_2$

$\DeclareMathOperator\SL{SL}$Let $p$ be an odd prime and let $ \SL^1_2(\mathbb{Z}_p)$ denote the kernel of the natrual surjective morphism $\SL_2(\mathbb{Z}_p)\rightarrow \SL_2(\mathbb{Z}_p/p\mathbb{...
Nobody's user avatar
  • 863
7 votes
0 answers
118 views

Endo reversible words

Let $w$ be a word in free group $F$ on finitely many generators. We will look at $w$ as word map on groups. It is clear that there exists an endomorphism $\phi$ of $F$ such that $\phi(w) = w^{-1}$ if ...
Shri's user avatar
  • 355
1 vote
1 answer
102 views

Infinite pro-$p$ group of finite solvable length and finite coclass

I was reading about infinite pro-$p$ groups of finite coclass from the book "The Structure of Groups of Prime Power Order" by Leedham-Green and McKay. I asked this question in math....
usermath's user avatar
  • 243
4 votes
1 answer
238 views

No lifts in an exact sequence of profinite groups?

In pg. 24 of his book on Galois cohomology, Serre gives the following exercise: "Give an example of an extension $1 \to P \to E \to G \to 1$ of profinite groups with the following properties: (i) $...
user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
130 views

subgroups of $\mathrm{Sp}_{2g}(\mathbb{Z}_2)$ whose mod-2 image is the symmetric group

Let $G \subseteq \mathrm{Sp}_{2g}(\mathbb{Z}_2)$ be a closed subgroup of the symplectic group over the $2$-adic integers whose image under the mod-$2$ homomorphism $\pi : \mathrm{Sp}_{2g}(\mathbb{Z}_2)...
Jeff Yelton's user avatar
  • 1,298
5 votes
0 answers
444 views

Subgroups and quotients of an abelian pro-finite group

It is well known that every subgroup $H$ of a finite abelian group $G$ is isomorphic to a quotient of $G$. I'm wondering whether there is a counterpart for profinite groups. For example is it true ...
user106317's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
678 views

Finite Homomorphic images of infinite products of finite solvable groups

I conjecture that: Every Finite Homomorphic image of an infinite (with arbitrary cardinality) product of finite solvable groups is solvable -- or at least Not a simple (non-abelian) group. I can ...
Nazih Nahlus's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
282 views

Finite groups: equations with many solutions

Let $\omega$ be a word in the free group on generators $x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_n,g_1,g_2,\ldots,g_k$, where $n>0$ and $k\geq 0$. For any finite group $G$ and elements $g_1,g_2,\ldots g_k$ in $G$ we ...
Adam Przeździecki's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
349 views

Is the Frattini subgroup of a free profinite group trivial?

Let $\widehat{F_2}$ be the free profinite group of rank 2. Is its Frattini subgroup $\Phi(\widehat{F_2})$ trivial? I know that the Frattini subgroup of a pro-$p$ group is open. On the other hand, the ...
Will Chen's user avatar
  • 10.7k
2 votes
0 answers
124 views

Salvaging Howson's theorem for free profinite groups

This is an attempt to find a correct version of Do free profinite groups satisfy Howson's theorem? Let $F$ be a free profinite group, and let $A,B \leq F$ be closed finitely generated subgroups ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
2 votes
1 answer
437 views

Finite quotients of an infinite product of finite groups

Let $G$ be a finite group. Consider the direct product $\Gamma=\prod_{i=1}^{\infty}G$ of (countably) infinitely many copies of $G$. For every finite set of numbers $\{i_1,\ldots,i_n\}$ we have the ...
Ehud Meir's user avatar
  • 5,039
0 votes
0 answers
142 views

Subgroups of powers of the alternating group on 5 elements

Definition: Let $G$ be a group, and let $H \leq G$ be a subgroup. We say that $H$ is big in $G$ if for every intermediate subgroup $H \leq L \leq G$ there exists some $x \in L$ such that $\langle H \...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
0 votes
0 answers
40 views

Is there a better rank bound for fibered products?

Let $G$ be a profinite group of rank $d \geq 2015$, which is a fibered product of two groups of rank at most $2$. That is, there exist closed normal subgroups $N_1, N_2 \lhd_c G$ with $N_1 \cap N_2 = \...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
4 votes
0 answers
135 views

Improvements of the Reidemeister-Schreier index formula for particular classes of groups

I have a couple of questions regarding possible improvements of the Reidemeister-Schreier index formula: let $G$ be a $d$-generated group and let $H$ be a subgroup of $G$, then $$d(H) \le (d-1) \...
Matteo Vannacci's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
189 views

Measuring products of finitely generated subgroups of free groups

Let $F$ be a finitely generated free group, $H_1, \dots, H_n$ finitely generated subgroups of infinite index in $F$, and $\epsilon > 0$. Must there be an epimorphism to a finite group $\phi \colon ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
10 votes
2 answers
383 views

Can a positive measure subset of a free group be nowhere dense?

Let $F$ be a finitely generated free group and let $S \subseteq F$ be a subset for which there is some $\epsilon > 0$ such that for any epimorphism to a finite group $\phi \colon F \to G$ we have ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
5 votes
0 answers
189 views

Is there a nontrivial profinite word which is trivial in any group with at most d generators?

Let $F$ be a free profinite group of rank $\aleph_0$, and let $d \in \mathbb{N}$. Let $N_d \lhd_c F$ be the intersection of all open normal subgroups $L \lhd_o F$ for which $F/L$ can be generated by ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
0 votes
0 answers
192 views

Thin profinite groups - nonabelian analogues of p-adic integers

Let $p$ be a prime number, $S = C_p$ a cyclic group of order $p$, $G = \mathbb{Z}_p$ the profinite additive group of $p$-adic integers. It is well known that all the closed nontrivial subgroups of $G$ ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
2 votes
1 answer
306 views

An epimorphism into a profinite group

Let $p$ be an odd prime number, $G$ a finitely generated nonabelian profinite group, $L \lhd_o G$ a pro-$p$ group with $[G : L] = 2$. Suppose that there is a continuous surjection from $G$ onto a free ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
1 vote
0 answers
134 views

Dense free subgroups

Let $F$ be a free pro-$p$ group (for a prime number $p$) on a finite set $X$, $\Phi$ the abstract subgroup generated by $X$, $\{1\} \neq N \lhd_c F$. Is it possible that $\Phi \cap N = \{1\}$?
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
1 vote
0 answers
166 views

Lower central series in a free pro-p group

Let $F$ be a nonabelian finitely generated free pro-$p$ group, $H \leq_c F$ of infinite index. Denote by $\{F_n\}_{n \in \mathbb{N}}$ the lower central series of $F$, and set $r_n = [F : F_nH]$. Is ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
1 vote
0 answers
82 views

A bound on the size of the center

Let $p$ be a prime number, $F$ a free pro-$p$ group, $H \leq_c F$ of infinite index. Can it be that $$\sup_{N \lhd_o F} |Z((F/N)/C_{F/N}(HN/N))| < \infty ?$$
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
2 votes
1 answer
286 views

Making a profinite group free

Let $F$ be a free profinite group, $G$ a profinite group. Suppose that the free profinite product $F \amalg G$ is a free profinite group. Must $G$ be a free profinite group? For abstract groups the ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
4 votes
1 answer
455 views

Generators of Sylow subgroups

Is there a function $f : \mathbb{N} \rightarrow \mathbb{N}$ such that for each finite supersolvable group $G$, and a Sylow subgroup $S \leq G$ we have $d(S) \leq f(d(G))$? Here $d(H)$ denotes the ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
5 votes
0 answers
406 views

Profinite groups, completions, and Schreier's formula

Let $G$ be a finitely generated profinite group, and $H \leq_o G$. We say that $H$ satisfies Schreier's formula in $G$ if $d(H) - 1 = (d(G)-1)[G:H]$. We say that $G$ satisfies Schreier's formula if ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
4 votes
2 answers
659 views

Profinite completions

I call a profinite group $G$ Noetherian, if evrey ascending chain of closed subgroups is eventually stable. A standart argument shows that every closed subgroup of a Noetherian profinite group is ...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
2 votes
0 answers
144 views

Coprime automorphisms of finitely generated pro-$p$ groups

Let $P$ be a finitely generated pro-$p$ group and let $G$ be a semidirect product $P \rtimes A$, where $A$ is a finite group of order coprime to $p$ that acts faithfully on $P$. Then one can show ...
Colin Reid's user avatar
  • 4,728
4 votes
0 answers
370 views

Automorphisms of profinite groups

Let $d,n \in \mathbb{N}$, and $p$ a prime number. Let $F$ be a free pro-$p$ group on $d$ generators. Is there an automorphism of $F$ of order $n$?
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
5 votes
1 answer
452 views

Normal Subgroup Growth

Let $F$ be a free group on $d$ generators. Denote by $F_{k}$ the $k$-th term in $F$'s derived series. Put $G = F/F_k$. What is the normal subgroup growth of $G$? Explicitly, for each natural number $...
Pablo's user avatar
  • 11.3k
10 votes
1 answer
672 views

Homomorphic images of a Cartesian product of finite groups

What can be said about the class of groups which can be represented as a homomorphic image of an (infinite) Cartesian product (=unrestricted direct product) of finite groups? What would be simple ...
Pasha Zusmanovich's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
641 views

Is a profinite group with a finite number of simple quotients and Jordan-Hölder factors finitely generated?

Assume $G$ is a profinite group such that the Jordan-Hölder factors appearing in the finite quotients vary in a finite number of isomorphism classes of simple groups. Assume also $G$ to have a finite ...
Maurizio Monge's user avatar