Small undecidable groups and fixed-size Adian–Rabin families

Marc Kegel, Shana Yunsheng Li, Qiuyu Ren

Kegel, Li and Ren give an effective family of finite presentations with two generators and ten relators for which deciding triviality is impossible. The count is an achieved presentation size, not a minimum.

Sources for this record

What was already known

Gordon’s earlier fixed-size family used thirteen relators.

AI involvement AI-led

The paper credits GPT-5.6 Sol Pro with the main HNN and Tietze construction. Kegel, Li and Ren directed and checked the work; Codex developed the Lean formalization.

The paper credits GPT-5.6 Sol Pro with the central HNN and Tietze route used for this two-generator, ten-relator family. Kegel, Li and Ren directed and checked it.

Importance Notable

Lowers the known relator count for this two-generator undecidable-triviality family to ten.

Limitations

The Lean comparison covers the stated algebraic family, not the paper’s separate four-manifold consequences or minimality.

Technical verification Formal (Lean 4/Mathlib kernel and Comparator + human)

The authors report independent checking of Theorem 1.4's mathematical argument. The cited Lean revision reports a complete proof, a standard-axiom audit and Comparator acceptance for that algebraic theorem.

Independent checking

independent checking and reorganization of the arguments, manual statement checking and final argument review. This assessment concerns Theorem 1.4 within the three-theorem check.

Checker
Marc Kegel, Shana Yunsheng Li and Qiuyu Ren
Scope
Kegel, Li and Ren give an effective family of finite presentations with two generators and ten relators for which deciding triviality is impossible. The count is an achieved presentation size, not a minimum.
Basis
Reported by the linked checker
Evidence source

Formal checking

complete formal proofs, statement comparison, kernel check and axiom audit. This assessment concerns Theorem 1.4 within the three-theorem check.

Checker
Lean 4 kernel, Comparator and the authors' transitive axiom audit
Scope
Kegel, Li and Ren give an effective family of finite presentations with two generators and ten relators for which deciding triviality is impossible. The count is an achieved presentation size, not a minimum.
Basis
Reported by the linked checker
Evidence source

Checking a formal statement does not establish that it matches the original problem.

Human understanding Full

Theorem 1.4: The named authors independently reorganized and checked the argument and explain the HNN and Tietze route in §§1.3–1.5 and the body of their paper.

Correction and publication history