Embeddability of right-angled Artin groups into hierarchically hyperbolic groups

Abstract

For a hierarchically hyperbolic group, we give sufficient conditions ensuring that suitable powers of a finite collection of elements generate a right-angled Artin subgroup; under an additional condition, this subgroup is undistorted. We verify these hypotheses in two natural situations: one modeled on mapping class groups, using structural assumptions on the ambient HHG, and one modeled on RAAGs, requiring the chosen elements to be rigidly fully supported. Our results recover known embedding theorems for mapping class groups and extend the non-annular undistortion theorem of Clay--Leininger--Mangahas, while also recovering the Kim--Koberda extension graph theorem for RAAGs.

V3: Revised Proposition 2.19, corrected its citation, and added a brief proof. V2: Revised the definition of fully supported axial elements and incorporated the referee's comments. Comments are welcome!