On property (T) for $\mathrm{Aut}(F_n)$ and $\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{Z})$

Abstract

We prove that $\mathrm{Aut}(F_n)$ has Kazhdan's property (T) for every $n \ge 6$. Together with a previous result of Kaluba, Nowak, and Ozawa, this gives the same statement for $n \ge 5$. We also provide explicit lower bounds for the Kazhdan constants of $\mathrm{S}\mathrm{Aut}(F_n)$ (with $n \ge 6$) and of $\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{Z})$ (with $n \ge 3$) with respect to natural generating sets. In the latter case, these bounds improve upon previously known lower bounds whenever $n > 6$.