What is the probability of 2 random matrices generate a free group?

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Let A,B $\in GL(2,Z)$, then what is the probability of $<A,B>\cong F_2$?

By probability, I mean the haar measure on $GL(2,Z)^2$. I already know what if we replace $\mathbb{Z}$ with $\mathbb{C}$, then the answer is almost from here: Almost all subgroups of a Lie group are free (D.B.A. Epstein)

But $ GL(2,\mathbb{Z})$ is not connected, so the argument in the proof doesn't apply.

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Since the only units in $\mathbb{Z}$ are $\pm 1$ we can just deal with "random elements" $SL(2, \mathbb{Z})$.

The Modular group is known to be a free product ([1], [2]) $SL(2, \mathbb{Z})\simeq \mathbb{Z}_2 \ast \mathbb{Z}_3 $. In fact the Hecke groups satisfy $ H_q \simeq \mathbb{Z}_2 \ast \mathbb{Z}_q$

We can talk about random elements of this tree. They are unlikely to satisfy any relation except possibly that one is a power of another.


See also Calkin-Wilk Tree and Stern-Brocot Tree.

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