In this paper, we show that the boundary $\partialΣ(W,S)$ of a right-angled Coxeter system $(W,S)$ is minimal if and only if $W_{\tilde{S}}$ is irreducible, where $W_{\tilde{S}}$ is the minimum parabolic subgroup of finite index in $W$. We also provide several applications and remarks. In particular, we obtain that for a right-angled Coxeter system $(W,S)$, the set $\{w^{\infty} | w\in W, o(w)=\infty\}$ is dense in the boundary $\partialΣ(W,S)$.
We investigate the planarity of the boundaries of right-angled Coxeter groups. We show that non-planarity of the defining graph does not necessarily imply non-planarity of every boundary of the associated right-angled Coxeter group, although it does in many cases. Our techniques yield a characterization of the triangle-free defining graphs such that the associated right-angled Coxeter group has boundary a Menger curve.
Let W be a 2-dimensional right-angled Coxeter group. We characterise such W with linear and quadratic divergence, and construct right-angled Coxeter groups with divergence polynomial of arbitrary degree. Our proofs use the structure of walls in the Davis complex.
We show that the Morse boundary of a right-angled Coxeter group may contain embedded circles that do not arise as the boundary of a Morse Fuchsian subgroup visible in the defining graph.
We determine the factorial growth rate of the number of finite index subgroups of right-angled Artin groups as a function of the index. This turns out to depend solely on the independence number of the defining graph. We also make a conjecture for right-angled Coxeter groups and prove that it holds in a limited setting.
In this paper we study the right-angled Coxeter groups that acts geometrically on the Salvetti complex of a certain right-angled Artin group, which we refer to as Croke-Kleiner spaces. We prove that any right-angled Coxeter group that acts geometrically on the Croke-Kleiner spaces acts with $π/2$ angles between reflecting axes, while the quasi-isometric right-angled Artin group can act with angles that are any real number in the range $(0, π/2]$. The contrast between the two examples shows that in this case a right-angled Coxeter group is geometrically more "rigid" than its quasi isometric cou…
We introduce a new quasi-isometry invariant of 2-dimensional right-angled Coxeter groups, the hypergraph index, that partitions these groups into infinitely many quasi-isometry classes, each containing infinitely many groups. Furthermore, the hypergraph index of any right-angled Coxeter group can be directly computed from the group's defining graph. The hypergraph index yields an upper bound for a right-angled Coxeter group's order of thickness, order of algebraic thickness and divergence function. Finally, given an integer n>1, we give examples of right-angled Coxeter groups which are thick o…
We provide geometric conditions on a pair of hyperplanes of a CAT(0) cube complex that imply divergence bounds for the cube complex. As an application, we classify all right-angled Coxeter groups with quadratic divergence and show right-angled Coxeter groups cannot exhibit a divergence function between quadratic and cubic. This generalizes a theorem of Dani-Thomas that addressed the class of 2-dimensional right-angled Coxeter groups. As another application, we provide an inductive graph theoretic criteria on a right-angled Coxeter group's defining graph which allows us to recognize arbitrary i…
Let $Γ$ be a connected, triangle-free, planar graph with at least five vertices that has no separating vertices or edges. If the graph $Γ$ is $\mathcal{CFS}$, we prove that the right-angled Coxeter group $G_Γ$ is virtually a Seifert manifold group or virtually a graph manifold group and we give a complete quasi-isometry classification of these such groups. Otherwise, we prove that $G_Γ$ is hyperbolic relative to a collection of $\mathcal{CFS}$ right-angled Coxeter subgroups of $G_Γ$. Consequently, the divergence of $G_Γ$ is linear, or quadratic, or exponential. We also generalize right-angled …
We give explicit necessary and sufficient conditions for the abstract commensurability of certain families of 1-ended, hyperbolic groups, namely right-angled Coxeter groups defined by generalized theta-graphs and cycles of generalized theta-graphs, and geometric amalgams of free groups whose JSJ graphs are trees of diameter at most 4. We also show that if a geometric amalgam of free groups has JSJ graph a tree, then it is commensurable to a right-angled Coxeter group, and give an example of a geometric amalgam of free groups which is not quasi-isometric (hence not commensurable) to any group w…
We completely classify the possible divergence functions for right-angled Coxeter groups (RACGs). In particular, we show that the divergence of any such group is either polynomial, exponential or infinite. We prove that a RACG is strongly thick of order k if and only if its divergence function is a polynomial of degree k+1. Moreover, we show that the exact divergence function of a RACG can easily be computed from its defining graph by an invariant we call the hypergraph index.
We consider the question of determining whether a given group (especially one generated by involutions) is a right-angled Coxeter group. We describe a group invariant, the involution graph, and we characterize the involution graphs of right-angled Coxeter groups. We use this characterization to describe a process for constructing candidate right-angled Coxeter presentations for a given group or proving that one cannot exist. We provide some first applications. In addition, we provide an elementary proof of rigidity of the defining graph for a right-angled Coxeter group. We also recover a resul…
This paper introduces a new class of right-angled Coxeter groups with totally disconnected Morse boundaries. We construct this class recursively by examining how the Morse boundary of a right-angled Coxeter group changes if we glue a graph to its defining graph. More generally, we present a method to construct amalgamated free products of CAT(0) groups with totally disconnected Morse boundaries that act geometrically on CAT(0) spaces that have a treelike block decomposition.
We prove the strong Atiyah conjecture for right-angled Artin groups and right-angled Coxeter groups. More generally, we prove it for groups which are certain finite extensions or elementary amenable extensions of such groups.
We associate cube complexes called completions to each subgroup of a right-angled Coxeter group (RACG). A completion characterizes many properties of the subgroup such as whether it is quasiconvex, normal, finite-index or torsion-free. We use completions to show that reflection subgroups are quasiconvex, as are one-ended Coxeter subgroups of a 2-dimensional RACG. We provide an algorithm that determines whether a given one-ended, 2-dimensional RACG is isomorphic to some finite-index subgroup of another given RACG. In addition, we answer several algorithmic questions regarding quasiconvex subgro…
We show that the Aut-invariant word norm on right angled Artin and right angled Coxeter groups is unbounded (except in few special cases). To prove unboundedness we exhibit certain characteristic subgroups. This allows us to find unbounded quasimorphisms which are Lipschitz with respect to the Aut-invariant word norm.
Let $W$ be a right-angled Coxeter group corresponding to a finite non-discrete graph $\mathcal{G}$ with at least $3$ vertices. Our main theorem says that $\mathcal{G}^c$ is connected if and only if for any infinite index quasiconvex subgroup $H$ of $W$ and any finite subset $\{ γ_1, \ldots , γ_n \} \subset W \setminus H$ there is a surjection $f$ from $W$ to a finite alternating group such that $f (γ_i) \notin f (H)$. A corollary is that a right-angled Artin group splits as a direct product of cyclic groups and groups with many alternating quotients in the above sense. Similarly, finitely gene…
We establish quasi-isometric rigidity for a class of right-angled Coxeter groups. Let $Γ_1,Γ_2$ be joins of finite generalized thick $m$-gons with $m\geq 3$. We show that the corresponding right-angled Coxeter groups are quasi-isometric if and only if $Γ_1,Γ_2$ are isomorphic. We also give a construction of commensurable right-angled Coxeter groups.
Using a variant of an unpublished argument due to Agol, we show that an irreducible right-angled Coxeter group on ${n \geq 3}$ vertices embeds as a thin subgroup of a uniform arithmetic lattice in an indefinite orthogonal group $\mathrm{O}(p, q)$ for some $p, q \geq 1$ satisfying $p+q=n$.
We investigate the combinatorial and geometric properties of automorphism groups of universal right-angled Coxeter groups, which are the automorphism groups of free products of copies of Z_2. It is currently an open question as to whether or not these automorphism groups have non-positive curvature. Analogous to Outer Space as a model for Out(F_n), we prove that the natural combinatorial and topological model for their outer automorphism groups can \emph{not} be given an equivariant CAT(0) metric. This is particularly interesting as there are very few non-trivial examples of proving that a mod…
In this article, we study the manifold structure and the relatively hyperbolic structure of right-angled Coxeter groups with planar nerves. We then apply our results to the quasi-isometry problem for this class of right-angled Coxeter groups.
It is an open question whether right-angled Coxeter groups have unique group-equivariant visual boundaries. Croke and Kleiner present a right-angled Artin group with more than one visual boundary. In this paper we present a right-angled Coxeter group with non-unique equivariant visual boundary. The main theorem is that if right-angled Coxeter groups act geometrically on a Croke-Kleiner spaces, then the local angles in those spaces all have to be right angles. We present a specific right-angled Coxeter group with non-unique equivariant visual boundary. However, we conjecture that the right an- …
We show that right-angled Coxeter groups are relatively hyperbolic in the sense defined by Farb, relative to a natural collection of rank-2 parabolic subgroups.
For any right-angled Coxeter group $Γ$ on $k$ generators, we construct proper actions of $Γ$ on $\mathrm{O}(p,q+1)$ by right and left multiplication, and on the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{o}(p,q+1)$ by affine transformations, for some $p,q\in\mathbb N$ with $p+q+1=k$. As a consequence, any virtually special group admits proper affine actions on some $\mathbb R^n$: this includes e.g. surface groups, hyperbolic 3-manifold groups, examples of word hyperbolic groups of arbitrarily large virtual cohomological dimension, etc. We also study some examples in cohomological dimension two and four, for which…
In this paper, we investigate a relation between finite graphs, simplicial flag complexes and right-angled Coxeter groups, and we provide a class of reconstructible finite graphs. We show that if $Γ$ is a finite graph which is the 1-skeleton of some simplicial flag complex $L$ which is a homology manifold of dimension $n \ge 1$, then the graph $Γ$ is reconstructible.
We show that any split extension of a right-angled Coxeter group $W_Γ$ by a generating automorphism of finite order acts faithfully and geometrically on a $\mathrm{CAT}(0)$ metric space.
We establish a spectral gap for stable commutator length (scl) of integral chains in right-angled Artin groups (RAAGs). We show that this gap is not uniform, i.e. there are RAAGs and integral chains with scl arbitrarily close to zero. We determine the size of this gap up to a multiplicative constant in terms of the opposite path length of the defining graph. This result is in stark contrast with the known uniform gap 1/2 for elements in RAAGs. We prove an analogous result for right-angled Coxeter groups. In a second part of this paper we relate certain integral chains in RAAGs to the fractiona…
We give a criterion for a finitely generated odd-angled Coxeter group to have a proper finite index subgroup generated by reflections. The answer is given in terms of the least prime divisors of the exponents of the Coxeter relations.
This is a survey of some aspects of the large-scale geometry of right-angled Coxeter groups. The emphasis is on recent results on their negative curvature properties, boundaries, and their quasi-isometry and commensurability classification.
If $(W,S)$ is a right-angled Coxeter system and $W$ has no $\mathbb Z^3$ subgroups, then it is shown that the absence of an elementary separation property in the presentation diagram for $(W,S)$ implies all CAT(0) spaces acted on geometrically by $W$ have locally connected CAT(0) boundary. It was previously known that if the presentation diagram of a general right-angled Coxeter system satisfied the separation property then all CAT(0) spaces acted on geometrically by $W$ have non-locally connected boundary. In particular, this gives a complete classification of the right-angled Coxeter groups …
The objective of this paper is to detect which combinatorial properties of a regular graph can completely determine the geodesic growth of the right-angled Coxeter or Artin group this graph defines, and to provide the first examples of right-angled and even Coxeter groups with the same geodesic growth series.
We show that certain right-angled Coxeter groups have finite index subgroups that quotient to $\mathbb Z$ with finitely generated kernels. The proof uses Bestvina-Brady Morse theory facilitated by combinatorial arguments. We describe a variety of examples where the plan succeeds or fails. Among the successful examples are the right-angled reflection groups in $\mathbb H^4$ with fundamental domain the $120$-cell or the $24$-cell.
In this paper, we prove that all finitely generated malnormal subgroups of one-ended right-angled Coxeter groups are strongly quasiconvex and they are in particular quasiconvex when the ambient groups are hyperbolic. The key idea is to prove all infinite proper malnormal subgroups of one-ended right-angled Coxeter groups are join-free and then prove the strong quasiconvexity and the virtual freeness of these subgroups. We also study the subgroup divergence of join-free subgroups in right-angled Coxeter groups and compare them with the analogous subgroups in right-angled Artin groups. We charac…
The main theme of this paper is higher virtual algebraic fibering properties of right-angled Coxeter groups (RACGs), with a special focus on those whose defining flag complex is a finite building. We prove for particular classes of finite buildings that their random induced subcomplexes have a number of strong properties, most prominently that they are highly connected. From this we are able to deduce that the commutator subgroup of a RACG, with defining flag complex a finite building of a certain type, admits an epimorphism to $\mathbb{Z}$ whose kernel has strong topological finiteness proper…
We prove the inequality $$ \as A\ast_CB\le\max\{\as A,\as B,\as C+1\} $$ and we apply this inequality to show that the asymptotic dimension of any right-angled Coxeter group does not exceed the dimension of its Davis' complex.
We construct and study polyhedral product models for classifying spaces of right-angled Artin and Coxeter groups, general graph product groups and their commutator subgroups. By way of application, we give a criterion of freeness for the commutator subgroup of a graph product group, and provide an explicit minimal set of generators for the commutator subgroup of a right-angled Coxeter group.
We show that every graph product of finitely generated abelian groups acts properly and cocompactly on a CAT(0) cubical complex. The complex generalizes (up to subdivision) the Salvetti complex of a right-angled Artin group and the Coxeter complex of a right-angled Coxeter group. In the right-angled Artin group case it is related to the embedding into a right-angled Coxeter group described by Davis and Januszkiewicz. We compare the approaches and also adapt the argument that the action extends to finite index supergroup that is a graph product of finite groups.
The lower central series of the rgiht-angled Coxeter group $RC_\mathcal K$ and the corresponding graded Lie algebra $L(RC_\mathcal K)$ associated with the lower central series of a right-angled Coxeter group are studied. Relations are obtained in the graded components of the Lie algebra $L(RC_\mathcal K)$. A basis of the fourth graded component $L(RC_\mathcal K)$ for groups with at most $4$ generators was described.
We study the lower central series of a right-angled Coxeter group $RC_K$ and the associated Lie algebra $L(RC_K)$. The latter is related to the graph Lie algebra $L_K$. We give an explicit combinatorial description of the first three consecutive factors of the lower central series of the group $RC_K$.
We show that graph products of finite abelian groups are elementarily equivalent if and only if they are $\exists\forall$-equivalent if and only if they are isomorphic. In particular, two right-angled Coxeter groups are elementarily equivalent if and only if they are isomorphic.
We study Morse subgroups and Morse boundaries of random right-angled Coxeter groups in the Erdős--Rényi model. We show that at densities below $\left(\sqrt{\frac{1}{2}}-ε\right)\sqrt{\frac{\log{n}}{n}}$ random right-angled Coxeter groups almost surely have Morse hyperbolic surface subgroups. This implies their Morse boundaries contain embedded circles and they cannot be quasi-isometric to a right-angled Artin group. Further, at densities above $\left(\sqrt{\frac{1}{2}}+ε\right)\sqrt{\frac{\log{n}}{n}}$ we show that, almost surely, the hyperbolic Morse special subgroups of a random right-angled…
Much is known about random right-angled Coxeter groups (i.e., right-angled Coxeter groups whose defining graphs are random graphs under the Erdös-Rényi model). In this paper, we extend this model to study random general Coxeter groups and give some results about random Coxeter groups, including some information about the homology of the nerve of a random Coxeter group and results about when random Coxeter groups are $δ$-hyperbolic and when they have the FC-type property.
We prove that for any infinite right-angled Coxeter or Artin group, its spherical and geodesic growth rates (with respect to the standard generating set) either take values in the set of Perron numbers, or equal $1$. Also, we compute the average number of geodesics representing an element of given word length in such groups.
We generalise the notion of a separating intersection of links (SIL) to give necessary and sufficient criteria on the defining graph $Γ$ of a right-angled Coxeter group $W_Γ$ so that its outer automorphism group is large: that is, it contains a finite index subgroup that admits the free group $F_2$ as a quotient. When $Out(W_Γ)$ is not large, we show it is virtually abelian. We also show that the same dichotomy holds for the outer automorphism groups of graph products of finite abelian groups. As a consequence, these groups have property (T) if and only if they are finite, or equivalently $Γ$ …
We give a criterion of the existence of a presentation with a single relation for the commutator subgroup $RC_{\mathscr{K}}'$ of a right-angled Coxeter group $RC_{\mathscr{K}}$. Namely, we prove that $RC_{\mathscr{K}}'$ is a one-relator group if and only if $\mathscr{K}$ is either a $p$-cycle with $p\geqslant4$ or has the form ($p$-cycle)$*Δ^q$ with $p\geqslant4$ and $g\geqslant0$, where $Δ^q$ is a $q$-simplex.
In the spirit of peripheral subgroups in relatively hyperbolic groups, we exhibit a simple class of quasi-isometrically rigid subgroups in graph products of finite groups, which we call eccentric subgroups. As an application, we prove that, if two right-angled Coxeter groups $C(Γ_1)$ and $C(Γ_2)$ are quasi-isometric, then for any minsquare subgraph $Λ_1 \leq Γ_1$ there exists a minsquare subgraph $Λ_2 \leq Γ_2$ such that the right-angled Coxeter groups $C(Λ_1)$ and $C(Λ_2)$ are quasi-isometric as well. Various examples of non-quasi-isometric groups are deduced. Our arguments are based on a stu…
To a Coxeter group $W$ one associates a quandle $X_W$ from which one constructs a group $\mathrm{Ad}(X_W)$. This group turns out to be an intermediate object between $W$ and the associated Artin group. By using a result of Akita, we prove that $\mathrm{Ad}(X_W)$ is given by a pullback involving $W$, and by using this pullback, we show that the classifying space of $\mathrm{Ad}(X_W)$ is given by a space called a polyhedral product whenever $W$ is right-angled. Two applications of this description of the classifying space are given.
In this article, given two finite simplicial graphs $Γ_1$ and $Γ_2$, we state and prove a complete description of the possible morphisms $C(Γ_1) \to C(Γ_2)$ between the right-angled Coxeter groups $C(Γ_1)$ and $C(Γ_2)$. As an application, assuming that $Γ_2$ is triangle-free, we show that, if $C(Γ_1)$ is isomorphic to a subgroup of $C(Γ_2)$, then the ball of radius $8|Γ_1||Γ_2|$ in $C(Γ_2)$ contains the basis of a subgroup isomorphic to $C(Γ_1)$. This provides an algorithm determining whether or not, among two given two-dimensional right-angled Coxeter groups, one is isomorphic to a subgroup o…
