Related papers: Fast algorithmic Nielsen-Thurston classification o…
We show that reducible braids which are, in a Garside-theoretical sense, as simple as possible within their conjugacy class, are also as simple as possible in a geometric sense. More precisely, if a braid belongs to a certain subset of its…
We prove the existence of an algorithm which solves the reducibility problem in braid groups and runs in quadratic time with respect to the braid length for any fixed braid index.
We give an algorithm to decide whether a given braid with four strings is a product of three factors which are conjugates of standard generators of the braid group. The algorithm is of polynomial time. It is based on the Garside theory. We…
We present an algorithm for solving the conjugacy search problem in the four strand braid group. The computational complexity is cubic with respect to the braid length.
We propose an algorithm for deciding whether a given braid is pseudo-Anosov, reducible, or periodic. The algorithm is based on Garside's weighted decomposition and is polynomial-time in the word-length of an input braid. Moreover, a…
Garside-theoretical solutions to the conjugacy problem in braid groups depend on the determination of a characteristic subset of the conjugacy class of any given braid, e.g. the sliding circuit set. It is conjectured that, among rigid…
In this article, we propose two algorithms for determining the Nielsen-Thurston classification of a mapping class $\psi$ on a surface $S$. We start with a finite generating set $X$ for the mapping class group and a word $\psi$ in $\langle X…
In this paper we study the reduction curves of a braid, and how they can be used to decompose the braid into simpler ones in a precise way, which does not correspond exactly to the decomposition given by Thurston theory. Then we study how a…
A new presentation of the $n$-string braid group $B_n$ is studied. Using it, a new solution to the word problem in $B_n$ is obtained which retains most of the desirable features of the Garside-Thurston solution, and at the same time makes…
We suggest a new algorithm for finding a canonical representative of a given braid, and also for the harder problem of finding a $\sigma_1$-consistent representative. We conjecture that the algorithm is quadratic-time. We present numerical…
We give an algorithm to decide if a given braid is a product of two factors which are conjugates of given powers of standard generators of the braid group. The same problem is solved in a certain class of Garside groups including Artin-Tits…
Random braids that are formed by multiplying randomly chosen permutation braids are studied by analyzing their behavior under Garside's weighted decomposition and cycling. Using this analysis, we propose a polynomial-time algorithm to the…
Benardete, Gutierrez and Nitecki showed an important result which relates the geometrical properties of a braid, as a homeomorphism of the punctured disk, to its algebraic Garside-theoretical properties. Namely, they showed that if a braid…
Let $D_n$ denote the $n$-punctured disk in the complex plane, where the punctures are on the real axis. An $n$-braid $\alpha$ is said to be \emph{reducible} if there exists an essential curve system $\C$ in $D_n$, called a \emph{reduction…
We define a measure of "complexity" of a braid which is natural with respect to both an algebraic and a geometric point of view. Algebraically, we modify the standard notion of the length of a braid by introducing generators $\Delta\_{ij}$,…
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…
We consider the topological complexity of subgroups of Artin's braid group consisting of braids whose associated permutations lie in some specified subgroup of the symmetric group. We give upper and lower bounds for the topological…
We establish relations between both the classical and the dual Garside structures of the braid group and the Burau representation. Using the classical structure, we formulate a non-vanishing criterion for the Burau representation of the…
In this paper we investigate the decidability and complexity of problems related to braid composition. While all known problems for a class of braids with three strands, $B_3$, have polynomial time solutions we prove that a very natural…
In this note we solve the twisted conjugacy problem for braid groups, i.e. we propose an algorithm which, given two braids $u,v\in B_n$ and an automorphism $\phi \in Aut (B_n)$, decides whether $v=(\phi (x))^{-1}ux$ for some $x\in B_n$. As…