The universality of Hughes-free division rings

Let $$E*G$$ E ∗ G be a crossed product of a division ring E and a locally indicable group G. Hughes showed that up to $$E*G$$ E ∗ G -isomorphism, there exists at most one Hughes-free division $$E*G$$ E ∗ G -ring. However, the existence of a Hughes-free division $$E*G$$ E ∗ G -ring $${\mathcal {D}}_{E*G}$$ D E ∗ G for an arbitrary locally indicable group G is still an open question. Nevertheless, $${\mathcal {D}}_{E*G}$$ D E ∗ G exists, for example, if G is amenable or G is bi-orderable. In this paper we study, whether $${\mathcal {D}}_{E*G}$$ D E ∗ G is the universal division ring of fractions in some of these cases. In particular, we show that if G is a residually-(locally indicable and amenable) group, then there exists $${\mathcal {D}}_{E[G]}$$ D E [ G ] and it is universal. In Appendix we give a description of $${\mathcal {D}}_{E[G]}$$ D E [ G ] when G is a RFRS group.

Generating infinite monoids of cellular automata

For a group [Formula: see text] and a set [Formula: see text], let [Formula: see text] be the monoid of all cellular automata over [Formula: see text], and let [Formula: see text] be its group of units. By establishing a characterization of surjunctive groups in terms of the monoid [Formula: see text], we prove that the rank of [Formula: see text] (i.e. the smallest cardinality of a generating set) is equal to the rank of [Formula: see text] plus the relative rank of [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text], and that the latter is infinite when [Formula: see text] has an infinite decreasing chain of normal subgroups of finite index, condition which is satisfied, for example, for any infinite residually finite group. Moreover, when [Formula: see text] is a vector space over a field [Formula: see text], we study the monoid [Formula: see text] of all linear cellular automata over [Formula: see text] and its group of units [Formula: see text]. We show that if [Formula: see text] is an indicable group and [Formula: see text] is finite-dimensional, then [Formula: see text] is not finitely generated; however, for any finitely generated indicable group [Formula: see text], the group [Formula: see text] is finitely generated if and only if [Formula: see text] is finite.

INDICABLE GROUPS AND ENDOMORPHIC PRESENTATIONS

In this paper we look at presentations of subgroups of finitely presented groups with infinite cyclic quotients. We prove that if H is a finitely generated normal subgroup of a finitely presented group G with G/H cyclic, then H has ascending finite endomorphic presentation. It follows that any finitely presented indicable group without free semigroups has the structure of a semidirect product H ⋊ ℤ, where H has finite ascending endomorphic presentation.

ON THE LOCAL-INDICABILITY COHEN–LYNDON THEOREM

For a group H and a subset X of H, we let HX denote the set {hxh−1 | h ∈ H, x ∈ X}, and when X is a free-generating set of H, we say that the set HX is a Whitehead subset of H. For a group F and an element r of F, we say that r is Cohen–Lyndon aspherical in F if F{r} is a Whitehead subset of the subgroup of F that is generated by F{r}. In 1963, Cohen and Lyndon (D. E. Cohen and R. C. Lyndon, Free bases for normal subgroups of free groups, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 108 (1963), 526–537) independently showed that in each free group each non-trivial element is Cohen–Lyndon aspherical. Their proof used the celebrated induction method devised by Magnus in 1930 to study one-relator groups. In 1987, Edjvet and Howie (M. Edjvet and J. Howie, A Cohen–Lyndon theorem for free products of locally indicable groups, J. Pure Appl. Algebra45 (1987), 41–44) showed that if A and B are locally indicable groups, then each cyclically reduced element of A*B that does not lie in A ∪ B is Cohen–Lyndon aspherical in A*B. Their proof used the original Cohen–Lyndon theorem. Using Bass–Serre theory, the original Cohen–Lyndon theorem and the Edjvet–Howie theorem, one can deduce the local-indicability Cohen–Lyndon theorem: if F is a locally indicable group and T is an F-tree with trivial edge stabilisers, then each element of F that fixes no vertex of T is Cohen–Lyndon aspherical in F. Conversely, by Bass–Serre theory, the original Cohen–Lyndon theorem and the Edjvet–Howie theorem are immediate consequences of the local-indicability Cohen–Lyndon theorem. In this paper we give a detailed review of a Bass–Serre theoretical form of Howie induction and arrange the arguments of Edjvet and Howie into a Howie-inductive proof of the local-indicability Cohen–Lyndon theorem that uses neither Magnus induction nor the original Cohen–Lyndon theorem. We conclude with a review of some standard applications of Cohen–Lyndon asphericity.