Homomorphisms from Automorphism Groups of Free Groups

The automorphism group of a finitely generated free group isthe normal closure of a single element of order 2. If m <n, then a homomorphism Aut(F_n)Aut(F_m) can have image of cardinalityat most 2. More generally, this is true of homomorphisms fromAut(F_n) to any group that does not contain an isomorphic imageof the symmetric group S_n+1. Strong restrictions are also obtainedon maps to groups that do not contain a copy of W_n = (Z/2)ⁿ S_n, or of Z^n–1. These results place constraints on howAut(F_n) can act. For example, if n 3, any action of Aut(F_n)on the circle (by homeomorphisms) factors through det : Aut(F_n)Z₂.2000 Mathematics Subject Classification 20F65, 20F28 (primary).