nLab automorphism of free group

It appears that the group Aut(F n)Aut(F_n) of automorphisms of the free group F nF_n on nn letters and especially the group Out(F n)Out(F_n) of outer automorphisms of the free group on nn letters appear often at sometimes unexpected places in geometry, theory of operads, deformation theory, study of moduli spaces etc. Some of the occurences are expressed in terms of Kontsevich’s graph homology, ribbon diagrams and alike.

Some of the authors who wrote extensively on related issues include Karen Vogtmann (homepage). Cf. also articles by Leila Schneps etc.

Created on November 17, 2010 at 16:37:13. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.