Submission date: 10 January 2014

Abstract:

We prove that there is no algorithm that can determine whether or not a finitely presented group has a non-trivial finite quotient; indeed, this remains undecidable among the fundamental groups of compact, non-positively curved square complexes. We deduce that many other properties of groups are undecidable. For hyperbolic groups, there cannot exist algorithms to determine largeness, the existence of a linear representation with infinite image (over any infinite field), or the rank of the profinite completion.

Mathematics Subject Classification: 20F10, 20F67, 57M07, (20E18, 20F65)

Keywords and phrases:

Full text arXiv 1401.2273: pdf, ps.