Related papers: An Isoperimetric Function for Bestvina-Brady Group…

For every positive integer $n$, we construct, using algebraic groups, an infinite family of irreducible algebraic varieties $X$,whose automorphism group ${\rm Aut}(X)$ contains the automorphism group ${\rm Aut}(F_n)$ of a free group $F_n$…

The Dehn function of a metric space measures the area necessary in order to fill a closed curve of controlled length by a disc. As a main result, we prove that a length space has curvature bounded above by $\kappa$ in the sense of…

We classify homomorphisms from the braid group on $n$ strands to the pure mapping class group of a nonoriantable surface of genus $g$. For $n\ge 14$ and $g\le 2\lfloor{n/2}\rfloor+1$ every such homomorphism is either cyclic, or it maps…

Let $\sigma$ denote an endomorphism of a smooth algebraic group $G$ over the algebraic closure of a finite field, and assume all iterates of $\sigma$ have finitely many fixed points. Steinberg gave a formula for the number of fixed points…

Given an abstract group $G$, we study the function $ab_n(G) := \sup_{|G:H| \leq n} |H/[H,H]|$. If $G$ has no abelian composition factors, then $ab_n(G)$ is bounded by a polynomial: as a consequence, we find a sharp upper bound for the…

To each finitely generated group $G$, we associate a quasi-isometric invariant called the \emph{Dehn spectrum} of $G$. If $G$ is finitely presented, our invariant is closely related to the Dehn function of $G$, but provides more information…

Let K be a 2-dimensional finite flag complex. We study the CAT(0) dimension of the `Bestvina-Brady group', or `Artin kernel', Gamma_K. We show that Gamma_K has CAT(0) dimension 3 unless K admits a piecewise Euclidean metric of non-positive…

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…

We show that the fundamental groups of any two closed irreducible non-geometric graph-manifolds are quasi-isometric. This answers a question of Kapovich and Leeb. We also classify the quasi-isometry types of fundamental groups of…

We show that the morphisms from the braid group with n strands in the mapping class group of a surface with a possible non empty boundary, assuming that its genus is smaller or equal to n/2 are either cyclic morphisms (their images are…

We construct and study finitely presented groups with quadratic Dehn function (QD-groups) and present the following applications of the method developed in our recent papers. (1) The isomorphism problem is undecidable in the class of…

A new infinite series of rational affine algebraic varieties is constructed whose automorphism group contains the automorphism group ${\rm Aut}(F_n)$ of the free group $F_n$ of rank $n$. The automorphism groups of such varieties are…

We construct easy embeddings of relatively free groups (say the free Burnside group, the free solvable group) into finitely presented groups. We introduce a concept of verbal isoperimetric function of a group variety. We prove that if the…

Gromov proposed an averaged version of the Dehn function and claimed that in many cases it should be subasymptotic to the Dehn function. Using results on random walks in nilpotent groups, we confirm this claim for most nilpotent groups. In…

We introduce two new types of Dehn functions of group presentations which seem more suitable (than the standard Dehn function) for infinite group presentations and prove the fundamental equivalence between the solvability of the word…

We study the Bieri-Neumann-Strebel-Renz invariants and we prove the following criterion: for groups $H$ and $K$ of type $FP_n$ such that $[H,H] \subseteq K \subseteq H$ and a character $\chi : K \to \mathbb{R}$ with $\chi([H,H]) = 0$ we…

Bestvina and Mess [BM] proved a remarkable formula for torsion free hyperbolic groups $$ \dim_L\partial\Gamma=cd_L\Gamma-1 $$ connecting the cohomological dimension of a group $\Gamma$ with the cohomological dimension of its boundary…

We define an action of Artin's braid group on a finite dimensional algebra.

We introduce the notion of a braid group parametrized by a ring, which is defined by generators and relations and based on the geometric idea of painted braids. We show that the parametrized braid group is isomorphic to the semi-direct…

In this paper we compute the automorphism groups $\operatorname{Aut}(\mathbf{P}_n(\Sigma))$ and $\operatorname{Aut}(\mathbf{B}_n(\Sigma))$ of braid groups $\mathbf{P}_n(\Sigma)$ and $\mathbf{B}_n(\Sigma)$ on every orientable surface…