We consider spaces of plane curves in the setting of algebraic geometry and of singularity theory. On one hand there are the complete linear systems, on the other we consider unfolding spaces of bivariate polynomials of Brieskorn-Pham type. For suitable open subspaces we can define the bifurcation braid monodromy taking values in the Zariski resp. Artin braid group. In both cases we give the generators of the image. These results are compared with the corresponding geometric monodromy. It takes values in the mapping class group of braided surfaces. Our final result gives a precise statement about the interdependence of the two monodromy maps. Our study concludes with some implication with regard to the unfaithfulness of the geometric monodromy and the - yet unexploited - knotted geometric monodromy, which takes the ambient space into account.
In this paper we construct effective invariants for braid monodromy of affine curves. We also prove that, for some curves, braid monodromy determines their topology. We apply this result to find a pair of curves with conjugate equations in a number field but which do not admit any orientation-preserving homeomorphism.
We generalize the Moishezon Teicher algorithm that was suggested for the computation of the braid monodromy of an almost real curve. The new algorithm suits a larger family of curves, and enables the computation of braid monodromy not only of caspidal curves, but of general algebraic curves, with some non simple singularities. Moreover, it works also when in the fiber the curve admits any number of imaginary points. We also provide two examples of how to use the generalized algorithm.
We investigate the local contribution of the braid monodromy factorization in the context of the links obtained by the closure of these braids. We consider plane curves which are arrangements of lines and conics as well as some algebraic surfaces, where some of the former occur as local configurations in degenerated and regenerated surfaces in the latter. In particular we focus on degenerations which involve intersection points of multiplicity two and three. We demonstrate when the same links arise even when the local arrangements are different.
In this work we describe a method to reconstruct the braid monodromy of the preimage of a curve by a Kummer cover. This method is interesting, since it combines two techniques, namely, the reconstruction of a highly non-generic braid monodromy with a systematic method to go from a non-generic to a generic braid monodromy. This "generification" method is independent from Kummer covers and can be applied in more general circumstances since non generic braid monodromies appear more naturally and are oftentimes much easier to compute. Explicit examples are computed using these techniques.
We describe various properties of Hirzebruch surfaces and related constructions: degenerations, braid monodromy, Galois covers and their Chern classes.
We study the discriminant of a degree 4 extension given by a deformed bidouble cover, i.e., by equations z^2= u + a w, w^2= v + bz. We first show that the discriminant surface is a quartic which is cuspidal on a twisted cubic, i.e.,is the discriminant of the general equation of degree 3. We then take a(u,v), b(u,v) and get a 3-cuspidal affine quartic curve whose braid monodromy we compute. This calculation of the local braid monodromy is a step towards the determination of global braid monodromies, e.g. for the (a,b,c) surfaces previously considered by the authors. In the revision we fill a ga…
This paper is the first in a series of three papers concerning the surface T times T. In this paper we study the degeneration of T times T and the regeneration of its degenerated object. We study the braid monodromy and its regeneration.
We establish a braid monodromy representation of functions satisfying an algebraic equation containing three terms (trinomial equation). We follow global analytic continuation of the roots to a trinomial algebraic equation that are expressed by Mellin-Barnes integral representations. We depict braids that arise from the monodromy around all branching points. The global braid monodromy is described in terms of rational twists of strands that yield a classical Artin braid representation of algebraic functions. As a corollary, we get a precise description of the Galois group of a trinomial algebr…
In this article, we compute the braid monodromy of two algebraic curves defined over R. These two curves are of complex level not bigger than 6, and they are unions of lines and conics. We use two different techniques for computing their braid monodromies. These results will be applied to computations of fundamental groups of their complements in C^2 and C PP^2.
In this manuscript we prove that if two cuspidal plane curves have equivalent braid monodromy factorizations, then they are smoothly isotopic in the plane. As a consequence of this and the Chisini conjecture, we obtain that if two discriminant curves (or branch curves in other terminology) of generic projections (to the plane) of surfaces of general type imbedded in a projective space by means of a multiple canonical class have equivalent braid monodromy factorizations, then the surfaces are diffeomorphic (if we consider them as real 4-folds).
We introduce braid monodromy for the discriminant hypersurface in versal unfoldings of hypersurface singularities. Our objective is then to compute this invariant for singularities of Brieskorn Pham type: First we consider the unfolding by linear monomials in some detail and relate it to the versal unfolding. Next we present the A_n case in our framework. The two main chapters then provide the result in case of two variables and the inductive step to all higher dimensions. We finish with a presentation of the fundamental group of the discriminant complement.
We define a monodromy homomorphism for irreducible families of regular elliptic fibrations which takes values in the mapping class group of a punctured sphere. We compute the monodromy for elliptic fibrations only which contain no singular fibres of types other than I_1 and I*_0. There are maximal groups, which can be the monodromy groups of algebraic, resp. differentiable families of elliptic surfaces, and we give an algebraic criterion for the equality of both groups which we can check to apply in case the number of I_1 fibres is at most 6.
We combine the newly discovered technique, which computes explicit formulas for the image of an algebraic curve under rational transformation, with techniques that enable to compute braid monodromies of such curves. We use this combination in order to study properties of the braid monodromy of the image of curves under a given rational transformation. A description of the general method is given along with full classification of the images of two intersecting lines under degree 2 rational transformation. We also establish a connection between degree 2 rational transformations and the local bra…
The braid monodromy factorization of the branch curve of a surface of general type is known to be an invariant that completely determines the diffeomorphism type of the surface. Calculating this factorization is of high technical complexity; computing the braid monodromy factorization of branch curves of surfaces uncovers new facts and invariants of the surfaces. Since finding the branch curve of a surface is very difficult, we degenerate the surface into a union of planes. Thus, we can find the braid monodromy of the branch curve of the degenerated surface, which is a union of lines. The rege…
This paper is the second in a series. The first one describes pillow degenerations of a $K3$ surface with genus $g$. In this paper we study the $(2,2)$-pillow degeneration of a non-prime $K3$ surface and the braid monodromy of the branch curve of the surface with respect to a generic projection onto $\C¶^2$. In future papers we study the fundamental group of the complement of the branch curve and the fundamental group of the Galois cover of the surface with respect to this generic projection.
We prove that there is an infinite sequence of pairs of plane cuspidal curves $C_{m,1}$ and $C_{m,2}$, such that the pairs $(\Bbb CP^2, C_{m,1})$ and $(\Bbb CP^2, C_{m,2})$ are diffeomorphic, but $C_{m,1}$ and $C_{m,2}$ have non-equivalent braid monodromy factorizations. These curves give rise to the negative solutions of "Dif=Def" and "Dif=Iso" problems for plane irreducible cuspidal curves. In our examples, $C_{m,1}$ and $C_{m,2}$ are complex conjugated.
To a plane algebraic curve of degree n, Moishezon associated a braid monodromy homomorphism from a finitely generated free group to Artin's braid group B_n. Using Hansen's polynomial covering space theory, we give a new interpretation of this construction. Next, we provide an explicit description of the braid monodromy of an arrangement of complex affine hyperplanes, by means of an associated ``braided wiring diagram.'' The ensuing presentation of the fundamental group of the complement is shown to be Tietze-I equivalent to the Randell-Arvola presentation. Work of Libgober then implies that th…
We introduce and develop a language of semigroups over the braid groups for a study of braid monodromy factorizations (bmf's) of plane algebraic curves and other related objects. As an application we give a new proof of Orevkov's theorem on realization of a bmf over a disc by algebraic curves and show that the complexity of such a realization can not be bounded in terms of the types of the factors of the bmf. Besides, we prove that the type of a bmf is distinguishing Hurwitz curves with singularities of inseparable types up to $H$-isotopy and $J$-holomorphic cuspidal curves in $\C P^2$ up to s…
In this paper we give an algorithm for solving a main case of the conjugacy problem in the braid groups. We also prove that half-twists satisfy a special root property which allows us to reduce the solution for the conjugacy problem in half-twists into the free group. Using this algorithm one is able to check conjugacy of a given braid to one of E. Artin's generators in any power, and compute its root. Moreover, the braid element which conjugates a given half-twist to one of E. Artin's generators in any power can be restored. The result is applicable to calculations of braid monodromy of branc…
We study the bifurcation values of real polynomial maps $f: \bR^{2n} \to \bR^2$ which reflect the lack of asymptotic regularity at infinity. We formulate real counterparts of some structure results which have been previously proved in case of complex polynomials by Kushnirenko, Némethi and Zaharia and other authors, emphasizing the typical real phenomena that occur.
Let $\mathcal{C}_d\subset \mathbb{C}^{d+1}$ be the space of non-singular, univariate polynomials of degree $d$. The Viète map $\mathscr{V} : \mathcal{C}_d \rightarrow Sym_d(\mathbb{C})$ sends a polynomial to its unordered set of roots. It is a classical fact that the induced map $\mathscr{V}_*$ at the level of fundamental groups realises an isomorphism between $π_1(\mathcal{C}_d)$ and the Artin braid group $B_d$. For fewnomials, or equivalently for the intersection $\mathcal{C}$ of $\mathcal{C}_d$ with a collection of coordinate hyperplanes in $\mathbb{C}^{d+1}$, the image of the map $\mathscr…
Let G be a finite group. By Riemann's Existence Theorem, braid orbits of generating systems of G with product 1 correspond to irreducible families of covers of the Riemann sphere with monodromy group G. Thus many problems on algebraic curves require the computation of braid orbits. In this paper we describe an implementation of this computation. We discuss several applications, including the classification of irreducible families of indecomposable rational functions with exceptional monodromy group.
Every compact symplectic 4-manifold can be realized as a branched cover of the complex projective plane branched along a symplectic curve with cusp and node singularities; the covering map is induced by a triple of sections of a "very ample" line bundle. In this paper, we give an explicit formula describing the behavior of the braid monodromy invariants of the branch curve upon degree doubling of the linear system (from a very ample bundle $L^k$ to $L^{2k}$). As a consequence, we derive a similar degree doubling formula for the mapping class group monodromy of Donaldson's symplectic Lefschetz …
Bidouble covers $π: S \mapsto Q$ of the quadric Q are parametrized by connected families depending on four positive integers a,b,c,d. In the special case where b=d we call them abc-surfaces. Such a Galois covering $π$ admits a small perturbation yielding a general 4-tuple covering of Q with branch curve $\De$, and a natural Lefschetz fibration obtained from a small perturbation of the composition of $ π$ with the first projection. We prove a more general result implying that the braid monodromy factorization corresponding to $\De$ determines the three integers a,b,c in the case of abc-surfaces…
Braid groups are an important and flexible tool used in several areas of science, such as Knot Theory (Alexander's theorem), Mathematical Physics (Yang-Baxter's equation) and Algebraic Geometry (monodromy invariants). In this note we will focus on their algebraic-geometric aspects, explaining how the representation theory of higher genus braid groups can be used to produce interesting examples of projective surfaces defined over the field of complex numbers.
We develop a new algebraic theory of positive braids and conjugacy classes in the braid group $B_3$. We use our theory to establish a complete classification of isotopy classes of degree three symplectic curves in $\mathbb{CP}^2$ with only $A_n$-singularities for $n\geq 1$ (an $A_n$-singularity is locally modelled by the equation $z^2 = w^n$) independent of Gromov's theory of pseudoholomorphic curves. We show that if $C$ and $C'$ are degree three symplectic curves in $\mathbb{CP}^2$ with the same numbers of $A_n$-singularities for each $n\geq 1$, then $C$ is isotopic to $C'$. Furthermore, our …
Given a singular surface X, one can extract information on it by investigating the fundamental group $π_1(X - Sing_X)$. However, calculation of this group is non-trivial, but it can be simplified if a certain invariant of the branch curve of X - called the braid monodromy factorization - is known. This paper shows, taking the Cayley cubic as an example, how this fundamental group can be computed by using braid monodromy techniques and their liftings. This is one of the first examples that uses these techniques to calculate this sort of fundamental group.
We relate the existence of some surfaces of general type and maximal Albanese dimension to the existence of some monodromy representations of the braid group $\mathsf{B}_2(C_2)$ in the symmetric group $\mathsf{S}_n$. Furthermore, we compute the number of such representations up to $n=9$, and we analyze the cases $n \in \{2, \, 3, \, 4\}$. For $n=2, \, 3$ we recover some surfaces with $p_g=q=2$ recently studied (with different methods) by the author and his collaborators, whereas for $n=4$ we obtain some conjecturally new examples.
Given a projective surface and a generic projection to the plane, the braid monodromy factorization (and thus, the braid monodromy type) of the complement of its branch curve is one of the most important topological invariants, stable on deformations. From this factorization, one can compute the fundamental group of the complement of the branch curve, either in C^2 or in CP^2. In this article, we show that these groups, for the Hirzebruch surface F_{1,(a,b)}, are almost-solvable. That is - they are an extension of a solvable group, which strengthen the conjecture on degeneratable surfaces.
We take the fundamental group of the complement of the branch curve of a generic projection induced from canonical embedding of a surface. This group is stable on connected components of moduli spaces of surfaces. Since for many classes of surfaces it is expected that the fundamental group has a polycyclic structure, we define a new invariant that comes from this structure. We compute this invariant for a few examples. Braid monodromy factorizations related to curves is a first step in computing the fundamental group of the complement of the curve, and thus we also indicate the possibility of …
The pure braid group Γof a quadruply-punctured Riemann sphere acts on the SL(2,C)-moduli M of the representation variety of such sphere. The points in M are classified into Γ-orbits. We show that, in this case, the monodromy groups of many explicit solutions to the Riemann-Hilbert problem are subgroups of SU(2). Most of these solutions are examples of representations that have dense images in SU(2), but with finite Γ-orbits in M. These examples relate to explicit immersions of constant mean curvature surfaces.
Purpose of the Conference article, intended for a wider audience, is to introduce concepts and techniques used by Bronislaw Wajnryb and the author in order to show the diffeomorphism of certain elementary algebraic surfaces, called ABC surfaces, which are not deformation equivalent. In the first part are recalled the concepts of connected sum, surgeries, Poincare' group, Braids, Riemann surfaces and Dehn's Mapping class group. Then the topics become more advanced, including Lefschetz fibrations, ABC surfaces, symplectic fibrations and braid monodromy.
Every smooth minimal complex algebraic surface of general type, $X$, may be mapped into a moduli space, $\MM_{c_1^2(X), c_2(X)}$, of minimal surfaces of general type, all of which have the same Chern numbers. Using the braid group and braid monodromy,we construct infinitely many new examples of pairs of minimal surfaces of general type which have the same Chern numbers and non-isomorphic fundamental groups. Unlike previous examples, our results include $X$ for which $|π_1(X)|$ is arbitrarily large. Moreover, the surfaces are of positive signature. This supports our goal of using the braid grou…
We prove similar theorems concerning the structure of bundles involving complements of fiber-type hyperplane arrangements and orbit configuration spaces. These results facilitate analysis of the fundamental groups of these spaces, which may be viewed as generalizations of the Artin pure braid group. In particular, we resolve two disparate conjectures. We show that the Whitehead group of the fundamental group of the complement of a fiber-type arrangement is trivial, as conjectured by Aravinda, Farrell, and Rouchon. For the orbit configuration space corresponding to the natural action of a finit…
Motivated by the problem of Hurwitz equivalence of $Δ^2$ factorization in the braid group, we address the problem of Hurwitz equivalence in the symmetric group, obtained by projecting the $Δ^2$ factorizations into $S_n$. We get $1_{S_n}$ factorizations with transposition factors. Looking at the transpositions as the edges in a graph, we show that two factorizations are Hurwitz equivalent if and only if their graphs have the same weighted connected components. The main result of this paper will help us to compute the "Braid Monodromy Type" invariant. The graph structure gives a weaker but very …
We study the global analytic properties of the solutions of a particular family of Painleve' VI equations with the parameters $β=γ=0$, $δ={1\over2}$ and $α$ arbitrary. We introduce a class of solutions having critical behaviour of algebraic type, and completely compute the structure of the analytic continuation of these solutions in terms of an auxiliary reflection group in the three dimensional space. The analytic continuation is given in terms of an action of the braid group on the triples of generators of the reflection group. This result is used to classify all the algebraic solutions of o…
Enhanced gauge symmetry appears in Type II string theory (as well as F- and M-theory) compactified on Calabi--Yau manifolds containing exceptional divisors meeting in Dynkin configurations. It is shown that in many such cases, at enhanced symmetry points in moduli a braid group acts on the derived category of sheaves of the variety. This braid group covers the Weyl group of the enhanced symmetry algebra, which itself acts on the deformation space of the variety in a compatible fashion. Extensions of this result are given for nontrivial $B$-fields on K3 surfaces, explaining physical restriction…
Let A be an arrangement of complex hyperplanes. The fundamental group of the complement of A is determined by a braid monodromy homomorphism from a finitely generated free group to the pure braid group. Using the Gassner representation of the pure braid group, we find an explicit presentation for the Alexander invariant of A. From this presentation, we obtain combinatorial lower bounds for the ranks of the Chen groups of A. We also provide a combinatorial criterion for when these lower bounds are attained.
We study algebraic isomonodromic deformations of flat logarithmic connections on the Riemann sphere with $n\geq 4$ poles, for arbitrary rank. We introduce a natural property of algebraizability for the germ of universal deformation of such a connection. We relate this property to a peculiarity of the corresponding monodromy representation: to yield a finite braid group orbit on the appropriate character variety. Under reasonable assumptions on the deformed connection, we may actually establish an equivalence between both properties. We apply this result in the rank two case to relate finite br…
We prove structure theorems for the moduli stack of elliptic curves equipped with $G$-structures, where $G$ is a finite 2-generated metabelian group. In particular, we show that if $G$ has exponent $e$, then there is a subgroup $H\le GL_2(\mathbb{Z}/e)$ such that $G$-structures on elliptic curves $E$ are equivalent to "congruence structures of level $H$". Our methods are almost entirely group theoretic. Let $\widehat{M}$ denote the free profinite metabelian group of rank 2, then along the way we prove a decomposition of $Out(\widehat{M})$ as an internal semi-direct product of the subgroup of "…
Graber, Harris and Starr proved, when n >= 2d, the irreducibility of the Hurwitz space H^0_{d,n}(Y) which parametrizes degree d coverings of a smooth, projective curve Y of positive genus, simply branched in n points, with full monodromy group S_d (math.AG/0205056). We sharpen this result and prove that H^0_{d,n}(Y) is irreducible if n >= max{2,2d-4} and in the case of elliptic Y if n >= max{2,2d-6}. We extend the result to coverings simply branched in all but one point of the discriminant. Fixing the ramification multiplicities over the special point we prove that the corresponding Hurwitz sp…
This paper is the second in a series of three papers concerning the surface T times T, where T is a complex torus. We compute the fundamental group of the branch curve of the surface in C^2, using the van Kampen Theorem and the braid monodromy factorization of the curve.
A formula for factorizations of the full twist in the braid group $Br_{2m}$ depending on any four factorizations of the full twist in $Br_{m}$ is given. Applying this formula, a symplectic 4-manifold $X$ and two isotopic generic coverings $f_i :X\to \mathbb C\mathbb P^2$, branched, respectively, along cuspidal Hurwitz curves $\bar H_i\subset \mathbb C\mathbb P^2$ (without negative nodes) having different braid monodromy factorization types, are constructed. The class of the fundamental groups of the complements of the affine plane Hurwitz curves is described in terms of generators and defining…
In this paper, complement-equivalent arithmetic Zariski pairs will be exhibited answering in the negative a question by Eyral-Oka on these curves and their groups. A complement-equivalent arithmetic Zariski pair is a pair of complex projective plane curves having Galois-conjugate equations in some number field whose complements are homeomorphic, but whose embeddings in $\mathbb{P}^2$ are not. Most of the known invariants used to detect Zariski pairs depend on the étale fundamental group. In the case of Galois-conjugate curves, their étale fundamental groups coincide. Braid monodromy factorizat…
