This dissertation is devoted to groups generated by bounded automata and geometric objects related to these groups (limit spaces, Schreier graphs, etc.). It is shown that groups generated by bounded automata are contracting. We introduce the notion of a post-critical set of a finite automaton and prove that the limit space of a contracting self-similar group generated by a finite automaton is post-critically finite (finitely-ramified) if and only if the automaton is bounded. We show that the Schreier graphs on levels of automaton groups can be constructed by an iterative procedure of inflation of graphs. This was used to associate a piecewise linear map of the form fK(v) = minA∈KAv, where K is a finite set of nonnegative matrices, with every bounded automaton. We give an effective criterium for the existence of a strictly positive eigenvector of fK. The existence of nonnegative generalized eigenvectors of fK is proved and used to give an algorithmic way for finding the exponents λmax and λmin of the maximal and minimal growth of the components of f(n) K (v). We prove that the growth exponent of diameters of the Schreier graphs is equal to λmax and the orbital contracting coefficient of the group is equal to 1/λmin . We prove that the simple random walks on orbital Schreier graphs are recurrent. A number of examples are presented to illustrate the developed methods with special attention to iterated monodromy groups of quadratic polynomials. We present the first example of a group whose coefficients λmin and λmax have different values.

This dissertation is devoted to groups generated by bounded automata and geometric objects related to these groups (limit spaces, Schreier graphs, etc.). It is shown that groups generated by bounded automata are contracting. We introduce the notion of a post-critical set of a finite automaton and prove that the limit space of a contracting self-similar group generated by a finite automaton is post-critically finite (finitely-ramified) if and only if the automaton is bounded. We show that the Schreier graphs on levels of automaton groups can be constructed by an iterative procedure of inflation of graphs. This was used to associate a piecewise linear map of the form fK(v) = minA[set]KAv, where K is a finite set of nonnegative matrices, with every bounded automaton. We give an effective criterium for the existence of a strictly positive eigenvector of fK. The existence of nonnegative generalized eigenvectors of fK is proved and used to give an algorithmic way for finding the exponents λmax and λmin of the maximal and minimal growth of the components of fK(n)(v). We prove that the growth exponent of diameters of the Schreier graphs is equal to λmax and the orbital contracting coefficient of the group is equal to 1/λmin . We prove that the simple random walks on orbital Schreier graphs are recurrent. A number of examples are presented to illustrate the developed methods with special attention to iterated monodromy groups of quadratic polynomials. We present the first example of a group whose coefficients λmin and λmax have different values.

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Cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude de la topologie à l'infini d'espaces généralisant les graphes de Schreier. Plus précisément, on considère le quotient X/H d'un espace métrique géodésique propre hyperbolique X par un groupe quasi-convexe-cocompact H d'isométries de X. On montre que ce quotient est un espace hyperbolique. Le résultat principal de cette thèse indique que le nombre de bouts de l'espace quotient X/H est déterminé par les classes d'équivalence sur une sphère de rayon explicitement calculable. Dans le cadre de la théorie des groupes, on montre que l'on peut construire explicitement des groupes et des sous-groupes pour lesquels il n'existe pas d'algorithme permettant de déterminer le nombre de bouts relatifs. Si le sous-groupe est quasi-convexe, on donne un algorithme permettant de calculer le nombre de bouts relatifs. / This thesis is devoted to the study of the topology at infinity of spaces generalizing Schreier graphs. More precisely, we consider the quotient X/H of a geodesic proper hyperbolic metric space X by a quasiconvex-cocompact group H of isometries of X. We show that this quotient is a hyperbolic space. The main result of the thesis indicates that the number of ends of the quotient space X/H is determined by equivalence classes on a sphere of computable radius. In the context of group theory, we show that one can construct explicitly groups and subgroups for which there are no algorithm to determine the number of relative ends. If the subgroup is quasiconvex, we give an algorithm to compute the number of relative ends.