Characterising quasi-isometries of the free group

Abstract

We introduce the notion of mixed subtree quasi-isometries, which are self quasi-isometries of regular trees built in a specific inductive way. We then show that any self quasi-isometry of a regular tree is at bounded distance from a mixed-subtree quasi-isometry. Since the free group is quasi-isometric to a regular tree, this provides a way to describe all self quasi-isometries of the free group. In doing this, we also give a way of constructing quasi-isometries of the free group.