On the intersection of subgroups in free groups: Echelon subgroups are inert

Abstract. A subgroup H of a free group F is called inert in F if for every . In this paper we expand the known families of inert subgroups. We show that the inertia property holds for 1-generator endomorphisms. Equivalently, echelon subgroups in free groups are inert. An echelon subgroup is defined through a set of generators that are in echelon form with respect to some ordered basis of the free group, and may be seen as a generalization of a free factor. For example, the fixed subgroups of automorphisms of finitely generated free groups are echelon subgroups. The proofs follow mostly a graph-theoretic or combinatorial approach.