On the congruence subgroup problem for branch groups

Abstract

We answer a question of Bartholdi, Siegenthaler and Zalesskii, showing that the congruence subgroup problem for branch groups is independent of the branch action on a tree. We prove that the congruence topology of a branch group is determined by the group; specifically, by its structure graph, an object first introduced by Wilson. We also give a more natural definition of this graph.