The Ribes-Zalesskiĭ product theorem via foldings and extensions
Published: Sep 8, 2025
Last Updated: Sep 8, 2025
Authors:Zhaoshen Zhai
Abstract
We present an exposition of the Auinger-Steinberg proof of the Ribes-Zalesski\u{i} product theorem for pro-V topologies, where V is a pseudovariety of groups closed under extensions with abelian kernel. This proof is self-contained and is accessible to those acquainted with coverings of graphs, and as such, it provides an easy entry point to various other deep theorems for which the product theorem is formally equivalent to.