Let $S$ be a closed, connected, orientable surface of genus at least 3, $\mathcal{C}(S)$ be the complex of curves on $S$ and $Mod_S^*$ be the extended mapping class group of $S$. We prove that a simplicial map, $λ: \mathcal{C}(S) \to \mathcal{C}(S)$, preserves nondisjointness (i.e. if $α$ and $β$ are two vertices in $\mathcal{C}(S)$ and $i(α, β) \neq 0$, then $i(λ(α), λ(β)) \neq 0$) iff it is induced by a homeomorphism of $S$. As a corollary, we prove that if $K$ is a finite index subgroup of $Mod_S^*$ and $f: K \to Mod_S^*$ is an injective homomorphism, then $f$ is induced by a homeomorphism of $S$ and $f$ has a unique extension to an automorphism of $Mod_S^*$.
Let R be a compact, connected, orientable surface of genus g with p boundary components. Let C(R) be the complex of curves on R and Mod_R^* be the extended mapping class group of R. Suppose that either g = 2 and p > 1 or g > 2 and p >= 0. We prove that a simplicial map lambda from C(R) to C(R) is superinjective if and only if it is induced by a homeomorphism of R. As a corollary, we prove that if K is a finite index subgroup of Mod_R^* and f is an injective homomorphism from K to Mod_R^*, then f is induced by a homeomorphism of R and f has a unique extension to an automorphism of Mod_R^*. This…
We study injective homomorphisms between big mapping class groups of infinite-type surfaces. First, we construct (uncountably many) examples of surfaces without boundary whose (pure) mapping class groups are not co-Hopfian; these are the first examples of injective endomorphisms of mapping class groups (of surfaces with empty boundary) that fail to be surjective. We then prove that, subject to some topological conditions on the domain surface, any continuous injective homomorphism between (arbitrary) big mapping class groups that sends Dehn twists to Dehn twists is induced by homeomorphism. Fi…
Let $R$ be a compact, connected, orientable surface of genus $g$, $Mod_R^*$ be the extended mapping class group of $R$, $\mathcal{C}(R)$ be the complex of curves on $R$, and $\mathcal{N}(R)$ be the complex of nonseparating curves on $R$. We prove that if $g \geq 2$ and $R$ has at most $g-1$ boundary components, then a simplicial map $λ: \mathcal{N}(R) \to \mathcal{N}(R)$ is superinjective if and only if it is induced by a homeomorphism of $R$. We prove that if $g \geq 2$ and $R$ is not a closed surface of genus two then $Aut(\mathcal{N}(R))= Mod_R^*$, and if $R$ is a closed surface of genus tw…
We show that for all but finitely many compact orientable surfaces, any superinjective map from the complex of separating curves into the Torelli complex is induced by an element of the extended mapping class group. As an application, we prove that any injective homomorphism from a finite index subgroup of the Johnson kernel into the Torelli group for such a surface is induced by an element of the extended mapping class group.
We show that for most pairs of surfaces, there exists a finite subgraph of the flip graph of the first surface so that any injective homomorphism of this finite subgraph into the flip graph of the second surface can be extended uniquely to an injective homomorphism between the two flip graphs. Combined with a result of Aramayona-Koberda-Parlier, this implies that any such injective homomorphism of this finite set is induced by an embedding of the surfaces. We also include images of several flip graphs in an appendix.
Let $N$ be a compact, connected, non-orientable surface of genus $ρ$ with $n$ boundary components, with $ρ\ge 5$ and $n \ge 0$, and let $\mathcal{M} (N)$ be the mapping class group of $N$. We show that, if $\mathcal{G}$ is a finite index subgroup of $\mathcal{M} (N)$ and $φ: \mathcal{G} \to \mathcal{M} (N)$ is an injective homomorphism, then there exists $f_0 \in \mathcal{M} (N)$ such that $φ(g) = f_0 g f_0^{-1}$ for all $g \in \mathcal{G}$. We deduce that the abstract commensurator of $\mathcal{M} (N)$ coincides with $\mathcal{M} (N)$.
The question of whether a representation of Artin's pure braid group is faithful is translated to certain properties of the Lie algebra arising from the descending central series of the pure braid group, and thus the Vassiliev invariants of pure braids via work of T. Kohno \cite{kohno1,kohno2}. The main result is a Lie algebraic condition which guarantees that a homomorphism out of the classical pure braid group is faithful. However, it is unclear whether the methods here can be applied to any open cases such as the Gassner representation.
Kawauchi defined a group structure on the set of homology $S^1$$\times$$S^2$'s under an equivalence relation called $\widetilde{H}$-cobordism. This group receives a homomorphism from the knot concordance group, given by the operation of zero-surgery. It is natural to ask whether the zero-surgery homomorphism is injective. We show that this question has a negative answer in the smooth category. Indeed, using knot concordance invariants derived from knot Floer homology we show that the kernel of the zero-surgery homomorphism contains a $\mathbb{Z}^\infty$-subgroup.
We study those Artin groups which, modulo their centers, are finite index subgroups of the mapping class group of a sphere with at least 5 punctures. In particular, we show that any injective homomorphism between these groups is parameterized by a homeomorphism of a punctured sphere together with a map to the integers. We also give a generating set for the automorphism group of the pure braid group on at least 4 strands. The technique, following Ivanov, is to prove that every superinjective map of the complex of curves of a sphere with at least 5 punctures is induced by a homeomorphism.
In the study of homology cobordisms, knot concordance and link concordance, the following technical problem arises frequently: let $π$ be a group and let $M \to N$ be a homomorphism between projective $\Z[π]$-modules such that $\Z_p \otimes_{\Z[π]} M\to \Z_p \otimes_{\Z[π]} N$ is injective; for which other right $\Z[π]$-modules $V$ is the induced map $V \otimes_{\Z[π]} M\to V\otimes_{\Z[π]}N$ also injective? Our main theorem gives a new criterion which combines and generalizes many previous results.
In this paper we prove that the zeroth Milnor-Thurston homology group coincides with singular homology for Peano Continua. More- over, we show that the canonical homomorphism between these ho- mology theories may not be injective. However, it is proved that it is injective when a space has Borel path-components.
For all n > 0 there is a homomorphism from the smooth concordance group of knots in dimension 2n + 1 to an algebraically defined group called the rational algebraic concordance group. This algebraic concordance group splits as a direct sum of groups indexed by polynomials. For n > 1 the homomorphism is injective. This leads to what is called a primary decomposition theorem for knot concordance. In the classical dimension, the kernel of this homomorphism includes the smooth concordance group of topologically slice knots, and Jae Choon Cha has begun studying possible primary decompositions of th…
We ask if any finite type generalized braid group is a subgroup of some classical Artin braid group. We define a natural map from a given finite type generalized braid group to a classical braid group and ask if this map is an injective homomorphism. We prove that this map is a homomorphism for the braid groups of type A_n, B_n, I_2(k). The injectivity question of this homomorphism (in these particular cases) is not yet settled. If this map is an injective homomorphism then several results will follow. For example it will follow that the Whitehead group, projective class group and the lower K-…
There is a well known injective homomorphism $ϕ:{\mathcal {B}}_n \rightarrow {\rm Aut}(F_n)$ from the classical braid group ${\mathcal {B}}_n$ into the automorphism group of the free group $F_n$, first described by Artin. This homomorphism induces an action of ${\mathcal {B}}_n$ on $F_n$ that can be recovered by considering the braid group as the mapping class group of $H_n$ (an upper half plane with $n$ punctures) acting naturally on the fundamental group of $H_n$. Kauffman introduced virtual links as an extension of the classical notion of a link in ${\mathbb {R}}^3$. As in the classical cas…
Let $M$ be the circle or a compact interval, and let $α=k+τ\ge1$ be a real number such that $k=\lfloor α\rfloor$. We write $\mathrm{Diff}_+^α(M)$ for the group of $C^k$ diffeomorphisms of $M$ whose $k^{th}$ derivatives are Hölder continuous with exponent $τ$. If $α\ge1$, we prove that there exists a finitely generated subgroup $G_α\le\mathrm{Diff}_+^α(M)$ with the property that $G_α$ admits no injective homomorphisms into $\mathrm{Diff}_+^β(M)$ for all $β>α$. If $α>1$, we also show the dual result: there exists a finitely generated group $H_α\le\bigcap_{β<α}\mathrm{Diff}_+^β(M)$ with the prope…
An arbitrary homomorphism between groups is nonincreasing for stable commutator length, and there are infinitely many (injective) homomorphisms between free groups which strictly decrease the stable commutator length of some elements. However, we show in this paper that a random homomorphism between free groups is almost surely an isometry for stable commutator length for every element; in particular, the unit ball in the scl norm of a free group admits an enormous number of exotic isometries. Using similar methods, we show that a random fatgraph in a free group is extremal (i.e. is an absolut…
Let g and n be integers at least two, and let G be the pure braid group with n strands on a closed orientable surface of genus g. We describe any injective homomorphism from a finite index subgroup of G into G. As a consequence, we show that any finite index subgroup of G is co-Hopfian.
Any endomorphism of a finitely generated free group naturally descends to an injective endomorphism of its stable quotient. In this paper, we prove a geometric incarnation of this phenomenon: namely, that every expanding irreducible train track map inducing an endomorphism of the fundamental group gives rise to an expanding irreducible train track representative of the injective endomorphism of the stable quotient. As an application, we prove that the property of having fully irreducible monodromy for a splitting of a hyperbolic free-by-cyclic group depends only on the component of the BNS-inv…
Based on hyperbolic geometric considerations, Roger and Yang introduced an extension of the Kauffman bracket skein algebra that includes arcs. In particular, their skein algebra is a deformation quantization of a certain commutative curve algebra, and there is a Poisson algebra homomorphism between the curve algebra and the algebra of smooth functions on decorated Teichmuller space. In this paper, we consider surfaces with punctures which is not the 3-holed sphere and which have an ideal triangulation without self-folded edges or triangles. For those surfaces, we prove that Roger and Yang's Po…
We apply the method of Arzhantseva-Ol'shanskii to prove that for an exponentially generic (in the sense of Ol'shanskii) class of one-relator groups the isomorphism problem is solvable in at most exponential time. This is obtained as a corollary of our more general result that for any fixed integers $m>1, n>0$ there is an exponentially generic class of $m$-generator $n$-relator groups where every group has only one Nielsen equivalence class of $m$-tuples generating non-free subgroups. This means that a group $G$ in this class has has only one non-free $m$-generated subgroup, namely $G$ itself. …
Let $M$ be complete nonpositively curved Riemannian manifold of finite volume whose fundamental group $Γ$ does not contain a finite index subgroup which is a product of infinite groups. We show that the universal cover $\tilde M$ is a higher rank symmetric space iff $H^2_b(M;\R)\to H^2(M;\R)$ is injective (and otherwise the kernel is infinite-dimensional). This is the converse of a theorem of Burger-Monod. The proof uses the celebrated Rank Rigidity Theorem, as well as a new construction of quasi-homomorphisms on groups that act on CAT(0) spaces and contain rank 1 elements.
