Related papers: Residual nilpotence and ordering in one-relator gr…

We study the impact of certain identities and probabilistic identities on the structure of finite groups. More specifically, let $w$ be a nontrivial word in $d$ distinct variables and let $G$ be a finite group for which the word map…

We show that every amenable group with a locally invariant partial order has a left-invariant total order (and is therefore locally indicable). We also show that if a group G admits a left-invariant total order, and H is a locally nilpotent…

The classical abelian invariants of a knot are the Alexander module, which is the first homology group of the the unique infinite cyclic covering space of S^3-K, considered as a module over the (commutative) Laurent polynomial ring, and the…

This is the first in a series of papers studying w-knotted objects (w-knots, w-braids, w-tangles, etc.), which make a class of knotted objects which is {w}ider but {w}eaker than their usual counterparts. The group of w-braids was studied…

Given a group word $w$ and a group $G$, the set of $w$-values in $G$ is denoted by $G_w$ and the verbal subgroup $w(G)$ is the one generated by $G_w$. In the present paper we consider profinite groups admitting a word $w$ such that the…

Let $F$ be a field with at least three elements and $G$ a locally finite group. This paper aims to show that if either $F$ is algebraically closed or the characteristic of $F$ is positive, then an element in the group algebra $FG$ is a…

The Alexander biquandle of a virtual knot or link is a module over a 2-variable Laurent polynomial ring which is an invariant of virtual knots and links. The elementary ideals of this module are then invariants of virtual isotopy which…

Let $k$ be any positive integer and $G$ a compact (Hausdorff) group. Let $\mf{np}_k(G)$ denote the probability that $k+1$ randomly chosen elements $x_1,\dots,x_{k+1}$ satisfy $[x_1,x_2,\dots,x_{k+1}]=1$. We study the following problem: If…

The existence of closed orbits of real algebraic groups on real algebraic varieties is established. As an application, it is shown that if G is a real reductive linear group with Iwasawa decomposition G= KAN, then every unipotent subgroup…

We show that any one-relator group $G=F/\langle\langle w\rangle\rangle$ with torsion is coherent -- i.e., that every finitely generated subgroup of $G$ is finitely presented -- answering a 1974 question of Baumslag in this case.

Given a group $G$, we write $x^G$ for the conjugacy class of $G$ containing the element $x$. A famous theorem of B. H. Neumann states that if $G$ is a group in which all conjugacy classes are finite with bounded size, then the derived group…

Given a finitely generated group G, the set Hom(G,SL_2 C) inherits the structure of an algebraic variety R(G)called the "representation variety" of G. This algebraic variety is an invariant of G. Let G_{pt}=< a, b; a^p= b^t>, where p, t are…

This is a draft of a book submitted for publication by the AMS. Its theme is the remarkable interplay, accelerating in the last few decades, between topology and the theory of orderable groups, with applications in both directions. It…

In the 1920's Artin defined the braid group in an attempt to understand knots in a more algebraic setting. A braid is a certain arrangement of strings in three-dimensional space. It is a celebrated theorem of Alexander that every knot is…

Given a knot and an SL(n,C) representation of its group that is conjugate to its dual, the representation that replaces each matrix with its inverse-transpose, the associated twisted Reidemeister torsion is reciprocal. An example is given…

We prove that a one-relator group $G$ is K\"ahler if and only if either $G$ is finite cyclic or $G$ is isomorphic to the fundamental group of a compact orbifold Riemann surface of genus $g > 0$ with at most one cone point of order $n$: $$<…

We generalise a key result of one-relator group theory, namely Magnus's Freiheitssatz, to partially commutative groups, under sufficiently strong conditions on the relator. The main theorem shows that under our conditions, on an element $r$…

Let $(G_n(x))_{n=0}^\infty$ be a $d$-th order linear recurrence sequence having polynomial characteristic roots, one of which has degree strictly greater than the others. Moreover, let $m\geq 2$ be a given integer. We ask for…

In this paper, we study distribution of the zeros of the Alexander polynomials of knots and links in S^3. We call a knot or link "real stable" (resp. "circular stable") if all the zeros of its Alexander polynomial are real (resp. unit…

Let $\gamma_n=[x_1,\dots,x_n]$ be the $n$th lower central word. Denote by $X_n$ the set of $\gamma_n$-values in a group $G$ and suppose that there is a number $m$ such that $|g^{X_n}|\leq m$ for each $g\in G$. We prove that…