# Volume 13, Issue 2

### 1. Finitely generated subgroups of free groups as formal languages and their cogrowth

For finitely generated subgroups $H$ of a free group $F_m$ of finite rank $m$, we study the language $L_H$ of reduced words that represent $H$ which is a regular language. Using the (extended) core of Schreier graph of $H$, we construct the minimal deterministic finite automaton that recognizes $L_H$. Then we characterize the f.g. subgroups $H$ for which $L_H$ is irreducible and for such groups explicitly construct ergodic automaton that recognizes $L_H$. This construction gives us an efficient way to compute the cogrowth series $L_H(z)$ of $H$ and entropy of $L_H$. Several examples illustrate the method and a comparison is made with the method of calculation of $L_H(z)$ based on the use of Nielsen system of generators of $H$.

### 2. A fibering theorem for 3-manifolds

We generalize a result of Moon on the fibering of certain 3-manifolds over the circle. Our main theorem is the following: Let $M$ be a closed 3-manifold. Suppose that $G=\pi_1(M)$ contains a finitely generated group $U$ of infinite index in $G$ which contains a non-trivial subnormal subgroup $N\neq \mathbb{Z}$ of $G$, and suppose that $N$ has a composition series of length $n$ in which at least $n-1$ terms are finitely generated. Suppose that $N$ intersects nontrivially the fundamental groups of the splitting tori given by the Geometrization Theorem and that the intersections of $N$ with the fundamental groups of the geometric pieces are non-trivial and not isomorphic to $\mathbb{Z}$. Then, $M$ has a finite cover which is a bundle over $\mathbb{S}$ with fiber a compact surface $F$ such that $\pi_1(F)$ and $U$ are commensurable.

### 3. The Axiomatics of Free Group Rings

In [FGRS1,FGRS2] the relationship between the universal and elementary theory of a group ring $R[G]$ and the corresponding universal and elementary theory of the associated group $G$ and ring $R$ was examined. Here we assume that $R$ is a commutative ring with identity $1 \ne 0$. Of course, these are relative to an appropriate logical language $L_0,L_1,L_2$ for groups, rings and group rings respectively. Axiom systems for these were provided in [FGRS1]. In [FGRS1] it was proved that if $R[G]$ is elementarily equivalent to $S[H]$ with respect to $L_{2}$, then simultaneously the group $G$ is elementarily equivalent to the group $H$ with respect to $L_{0}$, and the ring $R$ is elementarily equivalent to the ring $S$ with respect to $L_{1}$. We then let $F$ be a rank $2$ free group and $\mathbb{Z}$ be the ring of integers. Examining the universal theory of the free group ring ${\mathbb Z}[F]$ the hazy conjecture was made that the universal sentences true in ${\mathbb Z}[F]$ are precisely the universal sentences true in $F$ modified appropriately for group ring theory and the converse that the universal sentences true in $F$ are the universal sentences true in ${\mathbb Z}[F]$ modified appropriately for group theory. In this paper we show this conjecture to be true in terms of axiom systems for ${\mathbb Z}[F]$.