Let W be a right-angled Coxeter group. We characterize the centralizer of the Coxeter element of a finite special subgroup of W. As an application, we give a solution to the generalized word problem for Inn(W ) in Aut(W ). Mathematics Subject Classification: 20F10, 20F28, 20F55

If W is a right-angled Coxeter group, then the group Aut(W ) of automorphisms of W acts on the set of conjugacy classes of involutions in W. Following Tits [16], the kernel of this action is denoted by Aut◦(W ). Since W is a CAT(0) group [12], the index of Aut◦(W ) in Aut(W ) is finite and there is a series 1 Inn(W ) Aut◦(W ) Aut(W ) of normal subgroups of Aut(W ). A presentation for Aut◦(W ) was given by Mühlherr in [13]. Our approach is to consider a generating set A obtained as a slight modification of Mühlherr’s. We introduce an effective algorithm for deciding whether a word in the free group F (A) represents an inner automorphism of W under the natural mapping F (A) −→ Aut◦(W ). In other words, we prove the following. Theorem The generalized word problem for Inn(W ) in Aut◦(W ) is solvable.

We show if M is a closed, connected, orientable, hyperbolic 3-manifold with Heegaard genus g then g >= 1/2 cosh(r) where r denotes the radius of any isometrically embedded ball in M. Assuming an unpublished result of Pitts and Rubinstein improves this to g >= 1/2 cosh(r) + 1/2. We also give an upper bound on the volume in terms of the flip distance of a Heegaard splitting, and describe isoperimetric surfaces in hyperbolic balls.

We show there is an upper bound on the diameter of a closed, hyperbolic 3-manifold in terms of the length of any presentation of its fundamental group.