This work is the first step towards a description of the Gromov boundary of the free
factor graph of a free product, with applications to subgroup classification for outer
automorphisms.
We extend the theory of algebraic laminations dual to trees, as developed by
Coulbois, Hilion, Lustig and Reynolds, to the context of free products; this also gives
us an opportunity to give a unified account of this theory. We first show that any
–tree
with dense orbits in the boundary of the corresponding outer space can be
reconstructed as a quotient of the boundary of the group by its dual lamination. We
then describe the dual lamination in terms of a band complex on compact
–trees
(generalizing Coulbois, Hilion and Lustig’s compact heart), and we analyze this band
complex using versions of the Rips machine and of the Rauzy–Veech induction. An
important output of the theory is that the above map from the boundary of the group to
the
–tree
is 2-to-1 almost everywhere.
A key point for our intended application is a unique duality result for arational
trees. It says that if two trees have a leaf in common in their dual laminations, and if
one of the trees is arational and relatively free, then they are equivariantly
homeomorphic.
This statement is an analogue of a result in the free group saying that if two trees
are dual to a common current and one of the trees is free arational, then the two
trees are equivariantly homeomorphic. However, we notice that in the setting of free
products, the continuity of the pairing between trees and currents fails. For
this reason, in all this paper, we work with laminations rather than with
currents.
Keywords
automorphisms of free products, algebraic laminations,
group actions on trees, arational trees, geodesic currents,
band complexes, Rips machine