Related papers: The classification of the virtually cyclic subgrou…
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…
We study $K$-theoretical aspects of the braid groups $B\_n(\mathbb{S}^{2})$ on $n$ strings of the $2$-sphere, which by results of the second two authors, are known to satisfy the Farrell-Jones fibred isomorphism conjecture~\cite{JM}. In…
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…
We prove that, for $n\geq 3$, the minimal dimension of a model of the classifying space of the full braid group $B_n$, and of the pure braid group $P_n$, with respect to the family of virtually cyclic groups is $n$.
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)…
In this paper, we classify homomorphisms from the braid group of $n$ strands to the mapping class group of a genus $g$ surface. In particular, we show that when $g<n-2$, all representations are either cyclic or standard. Our result is sharp…
We define virtual braid groups of type B and construct a morphism from such a group to the group of isomorphism classes of some invertible complexes of bimodules up to homotopy.
Let M be a surface, perhaps with boundary, and either compact, or with a finite number of points removed from the interior of the surface. We consider the inclusion i: F\_n(M) --\textgreater{} M^n of the nth configuration space F\_n(M) of M…
In this paper our main result states that there exist exactly three combinatorially distinct centrally-symmetric 12-vertex-triangulations of the product of two 2-spheres with a cyclic symmetry. We also compute the automorphism groups of the…
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…
Let $M$ be a compact surface without boundary, and $n\geq 2$. We analyse the quotient group $B_n(M)/\Gamma_2(P_n(M))$ of the surface braid group $B_{n}(M)$ by the commutator subgroup $\Gamma_2(P_n(M))$ of the pure braid group $P_{n}(M)$. If…
We give a survey of the theory of surface braid groups and the lower algebraic K-theory of their group rings. We recall several definitions and describe various properties of surface braid groups, such as the existence of torsion,…
By exploring simplicial structure of pure virtual braid groups, we give new connections between the homotopy groups of the 3-sphere and the virtual braid groups that are related to the theory of Brunnian virtual braids. The group structure…
Let $n\ge 2$. Let $VB_n$ (resp. $VP_n$) be the virtual braid group (resp. the pure virtual braid group), and let $VT_n$ (resp. $PVT_n$) be the virtual twin group (resp. the pure virtual twin group). Let $\Pi$ be one of the following…
Let X be a 2-sphere with n punctures. We classify all conjugacy classes of Zariski-dense representations $$\rho: \pi_1(X)\to SL_2(\mathbb{C})$$ with finite orbit under the mapping class group of X, such that the local monodromy at one or…
There is a natural action of the braid group on the symmetric matrices with units on the diagonal, appearing in various fields as Singularity Theory, Frobenius Manifolds or Isomonodromic deformations of certain classes of linear…
We give a bound for the virtually cyclic dimension of groups with a normal subgroup of finite index which satisfies that every infinite virtually-cyclic subgroup is contained in a unique maximal such subgroup. As an application we provide a…
We show that the commutator subgroup G' of a classical knot group G need not have subgroups of every finite index, but it will if G' has a surjective homomorphism to the integers and we give an exact criterion for that to happen. We also…
Let VB$_n$ be the virtual braid group on $n$ strands and let $\mathfrak{S}_n$ be the symmetric group on $n$ letters. Let $n,m \in \mathbb{N}$ such that $n \ge 5$, $m \ge 2$ and $n \ge m$. We determine all possible homomorphisms from VB$_n$…
This paper resolves a long-standing open problem by providing a classification of Willmore $2$-spheres in $S^n$. We show that any such $2$-sphere is either totally isotropic--originating from the projection of a special twistor curve in the…