Immersed cycles and the JSJ decomposition

Abstract

We present an algorithm to construct the JSJ decomposition of one-ended hyperbolic groups which are fundamental groups of graphs of free groups with cyclic edge groups. Our algorithm runs in double exponential time, and is the first algorithm on JSJ decompositions to have an explicit time bound. Our methods are combinatorial/geometric and rely on analysing properties of immersed cycles in certain CAT(0) square complexes.