Then o(st) = o(s)e(t) as long as st 40, Then if o : Sq ¢ + U(Sg.¢) is the standard map from Sq p to its universal group, the map oot: See + US e) is a prehomomorphism, Since 5, - is strongly E*-unitary, ¢ is idempotent pure, Take (0.9.8) € Soe. Io ou(e.g. 2) = 1, then this implies that (Q(a).9.Q(3)) is a nonzero idempotent, that is, Q(a) = Q(3) and g = 1. Hence cither a = 3 or both a and 3 are paths of length zero (ie vertices). It is not possible for a and 3 to be different paths of length zero, because (a, 9,5) € Sg.p and g = 1 implies that d(a) = d(3). Hence oo ¢ is am idempotent pure prehomomorphism and thus Sof is strongly E*-unitary. Now we prove the “only if” part. Suppose that Sg.e is strongly E*-anitary. ‘Then, in particular, it is E*unitary. By [EP13]. Proposition 54, this implies that (G.E.) is pseudo-free. o Example 3.4. (The Odometer) Take a natural number m > 2 and consider the graph with m edges and one vertex Ry. That is, RL = {0,1,2,...n—1}, and Rl, = {2}. We write the group Z of integers nmultiplicatively. with generator z, so that Z = {z™ | m € Z}. For 2 E Ri, lot r+ ifefn-1 a= . 0 ifx=n-1 This formula dofines a self-similar group (Z, Aq.) with cocyele et.) = { We claim that (Z, Fa.) is pseude-free. Suppose that » € Fj. 2" ¢ Z, 2"v = v and e(2™.v) = 1. We suppose that m > 0. Since (2",v) = 1, we must have that |v] > log,(m). Furthermore, since 2" = y, we must have that |p| is a multiple of log.,(m), which is impossible, The case of m <0 is similar, Henee, we must have that m = 0, and 80 (Z. Req, ¢) is pseudo-free. By Theorem 3.3, Sz, is strongly E*-unitary, and so the identity map @ : Sx, \{0} + U(Sz.n,) is idempotent pure. We describe the universal group U(Sz,)- Qne can always assume that the universal group is generated by the image of a. Recall that ifrfm-1 ifr-=n—1" Sim = {(a.2",8)|n€ Za, € Rp}. olli.29.0)), FE RL, Z:=o((B,2!.0)) it