Let n be greater than or equal to 3. We prove that the quaternion group of order 8 is realised as a subgroup of the sphere braid group B\_n(S^2) if and only if n is even. If n is divisible by 4 then the commutator subgroup of B\_n(S^2) contains such a subgroup. Further, for all n greater than or equal to 3, B\_n(S^2) contains a subgroup isomorphic to the dicyclic group of order 4n.
A square complex is a 2-complex formed by gluing squares together. This article is concerned with the fundamental group $Γ$ of certain square complexes of nonpositive curvature, related to quaternion algebras. The abelian subgroup structure of $Γ$ is studied in some detail.
We give a complete classification of homomorphisms from the commutator subgroup of the braid group on $n$ strands to the braid group on $n$ strands when $n$ is at least 7. In particular, we show that each nontrivial homomorphism extends to an automorphism of the braid group on $n$ strands. This answers four questions of Vladimir Lin. Our main new tool is the theory of totally symmetric sets.
We prove that the smallest non-trivial quotients of the commutator subgroups of the braid groups are the alternating groups, proving a conjecture of Chudnovsky-Kordek-Li-Partin. Furthermore, we show that any minimal quotient map is the standard projection, composed with an automorphism of the alternating group.
In this paper, we give a proof of the result of Brandenbursky and Kȩdra which says that the commutator subgroup of the infinite braid group admits stably unbounded norms. Moreover, we observe the norms which we constructed are equivalent to the biinvariant word norm studied by Brandenbursky and Kȩdra.
We show that any two elements of the pure braid group either commute or generate a free group, settling a question of Luis Paris. Our proof involves the theory of 3-manifolds and the theory of group actions on trees.
Let $WB_n$ be the welded (or loop) braid group on n strands, $n \geq 3$. We investigate commutator subgroup of $WB_n$. We prove that the commutator subgroup $WB_n'$ is finitely generated and Hopfian. We show that $WB_n'$ is perfect if and only if $n \geq 5$. We also compute finite presentation for $FWB_n'$, the commutator subgroup of the flat welded braid group $FWB_n$. Along the way, we investigate adorability of these groups.
For $n$ at least 7 and $n$ equal to 5, we give generating sets of size 2 for the commutator subgroup of the braid group on $n$ strands. These generating sets are of the smallest possible cardinality. For $n$ equal to 4 or 6, we give generating sets of size three. We also prove that the commutator subgroup of the braid group on 4 strands cannot be generated by fewer than three elements.
Let M be a compact, connected surface, possibly with a finite set of points removed from its interior. Let d,n be positive integers, and let N be a d-fold covering space of M. We show that the covering map induces an embedding of the n-th braid group B_n(M) of M in the (dn)-th braid group B_{dn}(N) of N, and give several applications of this result. First, we classify the finite subgroups of the n-th braid group of the real projective plane, from which we deduce an alternative proof of the classification of the finite subgroups of the mapping class group of the n-punctured real projective plan…
The integral Burau representation provides a map from the braid group into a group of integral matrices. This allows for a definition of congruence subgroups of the braid group as the preimage of the usual principal congruence subgroups of integral matrices. We explore the structure these congruence subgroups by examining some of the quotients that may arise in the series induced by divisibility of levels. We build on the work of Stylianakis on symmetric quotients of congruence subgroups, which itself generalizes the quotient of the braid group by the pure braid group. We accomplish this by ut…
In this paper we find a finite set of generators and defining relations for the singular pure braid group $SP_n$, $n \geq 3$, that is a subgroup of the singular braid group $SG_n$. Using this presentation, we prove that the center of $SG_n$ (which is equal to the center of $SP_n$ for $n \geq 3$) is a direct factor in $SP_n$ but it is not a direct factor in $SP_n$. We introduce subgroups of camomile type and prove that the singular pure braid group $SP_n$, $n \geq 5$, is a subgroup of camomile type in $SG_n$. Also we construct the fundamental singquandle using a representation of the singular b…
We classify the (finite and infinite) virtually cyclic subgroups of the pure braid groups $P_{n}(RP^2)$ of the projective plane. The maximal finite subgroups of $P_{n}(RP^2)$ are isomorphic to the quaternion group of order 8 if $n=3$, and to $\Z_{4}$ if $n\geq 4$. Further, for all $n\geq 3$, up to isomorphism, the following groups are the infinite virtually cyclic subgroups of $P_{n}(RP^2)$: $\Z$, $\Z_{2} \times \Z$ and the amalgamated product $\Z_{4} \ast_{\Z_{2}} \Z_{4}$.
The singular braids with $n$ strands, $n \geq 3$, were introduced independently by Baez and Birman. It is known that the monoid formed by the singular braids is embedded in a group that is known as singular braid group, denoted by $SG_n$. There has been another generalization of braid groups, denoted by $GVB_n$, $n \geq 3$, which was introduced by Fang as a group of symmetries behind quantum quasi-shuffle structures. The group $GVB_n$ simultaneously generalizes the classical braid group, as well as the virtual braid group on $n$ strands. We investigate the commutator subgroups $SG_n'$ and $GVB…
We prove that an arbitrary right-angled Artin group $G$ admits a quasi-isometric group embedding into a right-angled Artin group defined by the opposite graph of a tree. Consequently, $G$ admits quasi-isometric group embeddings into a pure braid group and into the area-preserving diffeomorphism groups of the 2--disk and the 2--sphere, answering questions due to Crisp--Wiest and M. Kapovich. Another corollary is that a pure braid group contains a closed hyperbolic manifold group as a quasi-isometrically embedded subgroup up to dimension eight. Finally, we show that the isomorphism problem, conj…
Let $n\geq 3$. In this paper we deal with the conjugacy problem in the Artin braid group quotient $B_n/[P_n,P_n]$. To solve it we use systems of equations over the integers arising from the action of $B_n/[P_n,P_n]$ over the abelianization of the pure Artin braid group $P_n/[P_n,P_n]$. Using this technique we also realize explicitly infinite virtually cyclic subgroups in $B_n/[P_n,P_n]$.
We show that many normal subgroups of the braid group modulo its centre, and of the mapping class group of a sphere with marked points, have the property that their automorphism and abstract commensurator groups are mapping class groups of such spheres. As one application, we establish the automorphism groups of each term in the lower central series and derived series of the pure braid group. We also obtain new proofs of results of Dyer-Grossman and Orevkov, showing that the automorphism groups of the braid group and of its commutator subgroup are isomorphic. We then calculate the automorphism…
According to the Tits conjecture proved by Crisp and Paris, [CP], the subgroups of the braid group generated by proper powers of the Artin elements are presented by the commutators of generators which are powers of commuting elements. Hence they are naturally presented as right-angled Artin groups. The case of subgroups generated by powers of the band generators is more involved. We show that the groups are right-angled Artin groups again, if all generators are proper powers with exponent at least 3. We also give a presentation in cases at the other extreme, when all generators occur with expo…
In this paper, we investigate some applications of commutator subgroups to homotopy groups and geometric groups. In particular, we show that the intersection subgroups of some canonical subgroups in certain link groups modulo their symmetric commutator subgroups are isomorphic to the (higher) homotopy groups. This gives a connection between links and homotopy groups. Similar results hold for braid and surface groups.
We show that a large class of right-angled Artin groups (in particular, those with planar complementary defining graph) can be embedded quasi-isometrically in pure braid groups and in the group of area preserving diffeomorphisms of the disk fixing the boundary (with respect to the $L^2$-norm metric); this extends results of Benaim and Gambaudo who gave quasi-isometric embeddings of $F\_n$ and $\Z^n$ for all $n>0$. As a consequence we are also able to embed a variety of Gromov hyperbolic groups quasi-isometrically in pure braid groups and in the diffeomorphism group of the disk. Examples includ…
Let $VB_n$, resp. $WB_n$ denote the virtual, resp. welded, braid group on $n$ strands. We study their commutator subgroups $VB_n' = [VB_n, VB_n]$ and, $WB_n' = [WB_n, WB_n]$ respectively. We obtain a set of generators and defining relations for these commutator subgroups. In particular, we prove that $VB_n'$ is finitely generated if and only if $n \geq 4$, and $WB_n'$ is finitely generated for $n \geq 3$. Also we prove that $VB_3'/VB_3'' =\mathbb{Z}_3 \oplus \mathbb{Z}_3 \oplus\mathbb{Z}_3 \oplus \mathbb{Z}^{\infty}$, $VB_4' / VB_4'' = \mathbb{Z}_3 \oplus \mathbb{Z}_3 \oplus \mathbb{Z}_3$, $WB…
Let n\geq 3. We classify the finite groups which are realised as subgroups of the sphere braid group B_n(S^2). Such groups must be of cohomological period 2 or 4. Depending on the value of n, we show that the following are the maximal finite subgroups of B_n(S^2): Z_{2(n-1)}; the dicyclic groups of order 4n and 4(n-2); the binary tetrahedral group T_1; the binary octahedral group O_1; and the binary icosahedral group I. We give geometric as well as some explicit algebraic constructions of these groups in B_n(S^2), and determine the number of conjugacy classes of such finite subgroups. We also …
We study the problem of determining the isomorphism classes of the virtually cyclic subgroups of the n-string braid groups B_n(S^2) of the 2-sphere S^2. If n is odd, or if n is even and sufficiently large, we obtain the complete classification. For small even values of n, the classification is complete up to an explicit finite number of open cases. In order to prove our main theorem, we obtain a number of other results of independent interest, notably the characterisation of the centralisers and normalisers of the finite cyclic and dicyclic subgroups of B_n(S^2), a result concerning conjugate …
The final result of this article gives the order of the extension $$\xymatrix{1\ar[r] & P/[P,P] \ar^{j}[r] & B/[P,P] \ar^-{p}[r] & W \ar[r] & 1}$$ as an element of the cohomology group $H^2(W,P/[P,P])$ (where $B$ and $P$ stands for the braid group and the pure braid group associated to the complex reflection group $W$). To obtain this result, we describe the abelianization of the stabilizer $N_H$ of a hyperplane $H$. Contrary to the case of Coxeter groups, $N_H$ is not in general a reflection subgroup of the complex reflection group $W$. So the first step is to refine Stanley-Springer's theore…
Let n be greater than or equal to 3. We study the quotient group B\_n/[P n,P\_n] of the Artin braid group B\_n by the commutator subgroup of its pure Artin braid group P\_n. We show that B\_n/[P n,P\_n] is a crystallographic group, and in the case n=3, we analyse explicitly some of its subgroups. We also prove that B\_n/[P n,P\_n] possesses torsion, and we show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the conjugacy classes of the finite-order elements of B\_n/[P n,P\_n] with the conjugacy classes of the elements of odd order of the symmetric group S\_n, and that the isomorphism class …
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.
We show that two knots have matching Vassiliev invariants of order less than n if and only if they are equivalent modulo the nth group of the lower central series of some pure braid group, thus characterizing Vassiliev's knot invariants in terms of the structure of the braid groups. We also prove some results about knots modulo the nth derived subgroups of the pure braid groups, and about knots modulo braid subgroups in general.
By evaluating the Burau representation at t=-1, we obtain a symplectic representation of the braid group. We define the congruence subgroups of the braid group to be the preimages of the principal congruence subgroups of the symplectic group. Our main result is that the level four congruence subgroup of the braid group is equal to the group generated by squares of Dehn twists and is also equal to the group generated by squares of pure braids. We also compute the image of the point pushing subgroup under the symplectic representation.
Classifying spaces for families of virtually abelian subgroups of surface braid groups
Universidad de Sevilla(塞维利亚大学);Instituto de Matemáticas (IMUS), Universidad de Sevilla(塞维利亚大学数学研究所);Instituto de Matemáticas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México(墨西哥国立自治大学数学研究所)
We define the braid groups of a two-dimensional orbifold and introduce conventions for drawing braid pictures. We use these to realize the Artin groups associated to the spherical Coxeter diagrams A_n, B_n=C_n and D_n and the affine diagrams tilde{A}_n, tilde{B}_n, tilde{C}_n and tilde{D}_n as subgroups of the braid groups of various simple orbifolds. The cases D_n, tilde{B}_n, tilde{C}_n and tilde{D}_n are new. In each case the Artin group is a normal subgroup with abelian quotient; in all cases except tilde{A}_n the quotient is finite. We illustrate the value of our braid calculus by perform…
In the study of the relation between the mapping class group M of a surface and the theory of finite-type invariants of homology 3-spheres, three subgroups of the mapping class group play a large role. They are the Torelli group, the Johnson subgroup K and a new subgroup L, which contains K, defined by a choice of a Lagrangian subgroup of the homology of the surface. In this work we determine the quotient L/K, in terms of the precise description of M/K given by Johnson and Morita. We also study the lower central series of L and K, using some natural imbeddings of the pure braid group in L and …
A toric braid is a braid whose closure is a torus link in $\mathbb{R}^3$. Manturov generalized toric braids that is called quasitoric braids and showed that the subset of quasitoric braids in the classical braid group is a subgroup of the braid group. We call this subgroup the quasitoric braid group. In this paper, we give two minimal generating sets for the quasitoric braid group and determine its abelianization. The minimalities of these two generating sets are obtained from a lower bound by the number of generators for the abelianization.
Let $SB_n$ be the singular braid group generated by braid generators $σ_i$ and singular braid generators $τ_i$, $1 \leq i \leq n-1$. Let $ST_n$ denote the group that is the kernel of the homomorphism that maps, for each $i$, $σ_i$ to the cyclic permutation $(i, i+1)$ and $τ_i$ to $1$. In this paper we investigate the group $ST_3$. We obtain a presentation for $ST_3$. We prove that $ST_3$ is isomorphic to the singular pure braid group $SP_3$ on $3$ strands. We also prove that the group $ST_3$ is semi-direct product of a subgroup $H$ and an infinite cyclic group, where the subgroup $H$ is an HNN…
In this article, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for embedding a finite index subgroup of Artin's braid group into the mapping class group of a connected orientable surface.
In this paper, we investigate the structure of the automorphism groups of pure braid groups. We prove that, for $n>3$, $\Aut(P_n)$ is generated by the subgroup $\Aut_c(P_n)$ of central automorphisms of $P_n$, the subgroup $\Aut(B_n)$ of restrictions of automorphisms of $B_n$ on $P_n$ and one extra automorphism $w_n$. We also investigate the lifting and extension problem for automorphisms of some well-known exact sequences arising from braid groups, and prove that that answers are negative in most cases. Specifically, we prove that no non-trivial central automorphism of $P_n$ can be extended to…
The n-strand braid group can be defined as the fundamental group of the configuration space of n unlabeled points in a closed disk based at a configuration where all n points lie in the boundary of the disk. Using this definition, the subset of braids that have a representative where a specified subset of these points remain pointwise fixed forms a subgroup isomorphic to a braid group with fewer strands. In this article, we generalize this phenomenon by introducing the notion of boundary braids. A boundary braid is a braid that has a representative where some specified subset of the points rem…
We derive a lower bound on the size of finite non-cyclic quotients of the braid group that is superexponential in the number of strands. We also derive a similar lower bound for nontrivial finite quotients of the commutator subgroup of the braid group.
Let $G$ be a non-elementary discrete subgroup of $\mathrm{Sp}(2,1)$. We show that if the sum of diagonal entries of each element of $G$ is a complex number, then $G$ is conjugate to a subgroup of $\mathrm{U}(2,1)$.
Given a system of equations in a "random" finitely generated subgroup of the braid group, we show how to find a small ordered list of elements in the subgroup, which contains a solution to the equations with a significant probability. Moreover, with a significant probability, the solution will be the first in the list. This gives a probabilistic solution to: The conjugacy problem, the group membership problem, the shortest representation of an element, and other combinatorial group-theoretic problems in random subgroups of the braid group. We use a memory-based extension of the standard length…
In previous work, joint with Bux, Fluch, Marschler and Witzel, we proved that the braided Thompson groups are of type $\textrm{F}_\infty$. The proof utilized certain contractible cube complexes, which in this paper we prove are CAT(0). We then use this fact to compute the geometric invariants $Σ^m(F_{\textrm{br}})$ of the pure braided Thompson group $F_{\textrm{br}}$. Only the first invariant $Σ^1(F_{\textrm{br}})$ was previously known. A consequence of our computation is that as soon as a subgroup of $F_{\textrm{br}}$ containing the commutator subgroup $[F_{\textrm{br}},F_{\textrm{br}}]$ is f…
The crossing matrix of a braid on $N$ strands is the $N\times N$ integer matrix with zero diagonal whose $i,j$ entry is the algebraic number (positive minus negative) of crossings by strand $i$ over strand $j$ . When restricted to the subgroup of pure braids, this defines a homomorphism onto the additive subgroup of $N\times N$ symmetric integer matrices with zero diagonal--in fact, it represents the abelianization of this subgroup. As a function on the whole $N$-braid group, it is a derivation defined by the action of the symmetric group on square matrices. The set of all crossing matrices ca…
Let $n, k \geq 3$. In this paper, we analyse the quotient group $B\_n/Γ\_k(P\_n)$ of the Artin braid group $B\_n$ by the subgroup $Γ\_k(P\_n)$ belonging to the lower central series of the Artin pure braid group $P\_n$. We prove that it is an almost-crystallographic group. We then focus more specifically on the case $k=3$. If $n \geq 5$, and if $τ\in N$ is such that $gcd(τ, 6) = 1$, we show that $B\_n/Γ\_3 (P\_n)$ possesses torsion $τ$ if and only if $S\_n$ does, and we prove that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the conjugacy classes of elements of order $τ$ in $B\_n/Γ\_3 (P\_n)$ w…
Ng and Schauenburg proved that the kernel of a $(2+1)$-dimensional topological quantum field theory representation of $\mathrm{SL}(2, \mathbb{Z})$ is a congruence subgroup. Motivated by their result, we explore when the kernel of an irreducible representation of the braid group $B_3$ with finite image enjoys a congruence subgroup property. In particular, we show that in dimensions two and three, when the projective order of the image of the braid generator $σ_1$ is between 2 and 5 the kernel projects onto a congruence subgroup of $\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$ and compute its level. However, we …
Drinfel'd used associators to construct families of universal representations of braid groups. We consider semi-associators (i.e., we drop the pentagonal axiom and impose a normalization in degree one). We show that the process may be reversed, to obtain semi-associators from universal representations of 3-braids. We view braid groups as subgroups of braid-permutation groups. We construct a family of universal representations of braid-permutation groups, without using associators. All representations in the family are faithful, defined over $\bbQ$ by simple explicit formulae. We show that they…
In this paper, we generalize the tools that were introduced in [Dar19b] in order to study the Andreadakis problem for subgroups of IAn. In particular, we study the behaviour of the Andreadakis problem when we add inner automorphisms to a subgroup of IAn. We notably use this to show that the Andreadakis equality holds for the pure braid group on n strands modulo its center acting on the free group on n-1 generators , that is, for the (pure, based) mapping class group of the n-punctured sphere acting on its fundamental group.