Related papers: Scott's formula and Hurwitz groups
A Hurwitz generating triple for a group $G$ is an ordered triple of elements $(x,y,z) \in G^3$ where $x^2=y^3=z^7=xyz=1$ and $\langle x,y,z \rangle = G$. For the finite quasisimple exceptional groups of types $F_4$, $E_6$, $^2E_6$, $E_7$…
We compute the first explicit polynomials with Galois groups $G=P\Gamma L_3(4)$, $PGL_3(4)$, $PSL_3(4)$ and $PSL_5(2)$ over $\mathbb{Q}(t)$. Furthermore we compute the first examples of totally real polynomials with Galois groups…
If $\mathcal S$ is a Beauville surface $({\mathcal C}_1\times{\mathcal C}_2)/G$, then the Hurwitz bound implies that $|G|\le 1764\,\chi({\mathcal S})$, with equality if and only if the Beauville group $G$ acts as a Hurwitz group on both…
The classical Hurwitz numbers count the fixed-length transitive transposition factorizations of a permutation, with a remarkable product formula for the case of minimum length (genus $0$). We study the analogue of these numbers for…
In this paper, we aim to provide an accessible survey to various formulae for calculating single Hurwitz numbers. Single Hurwitz numbers count certain classes of meromorphic functions on complex algebraic curves and have a rich geometric…
We are extending results from \cite{B-Hurwitz} by building a parallel theory of simple Hurwitz numbers for the reflection groups $G(m,1,n)$. We also study analogs of the cut-and-join operators. An algebraic description as well as a…
A necessary condition for uniqueness of factorizations of elements of a finite group $G$ with factors belonging to a union of some conjugacy classes of $G$ is given. This condition is sufficient if the number of factors belonging to each…
For a fixed finite group $G$, we study the fields of definition of geometrically irreducible components of Hurwitz moduli schemes of marked branched $G$-covers of the projective line. The main focus is on determining whether components…
We prove that the universal covering of an alternating group Alt(n) which is Hurwitz is still Hurwitz, with 31 exceptions, 30 of which are detectable by the genus formula.
The complete classification of the finite simple groups that are $(2,3)$-generated is a problem which is still open only for orthogonal groups. Here, we construct $(2, 3)$-generators for the finite odd-dimensional orthogonal groups…
Letting $G=F/R$ be a finitely-presented group, Hopf's formula expresses the second integral homology of $G$ in terms of $F$ and $R$. Expanding on previous work, we explain how to find generators of $H_2(G;\mathbb{F}_p)$. The context of the…
We use algebraic methods to compute the simple Hurwitz numbers for arbitrary source and target Riemann surfaces. For an elliptic curve target, we reproduce the results previously obtained by string theorists. Motivated by the Gromov-Witten…
Every nonabelian finite simple group of rank $n$ over a field of size $q$, with the possible exception of the Ree groups $^2G_2(3^{2e+1})$, has a presentation with a bounded number of generators and relations and total length $O(\log n…
Given a finitely presented group $G$, Hopf's formula expresses the second integral homology of $G$ in terms of generators and relators. We give an algorithm that exploits Hopf's formula to estimate $H_2(G;k)$, with coefficients in a finite…
We complete the classification of the finite special linear groups $\SL_n(q)$ which are $(2,3)$-generated, i.e., which are generated by an involution and an element of order $3$. This also gives the classification of the finite simple…
If $p$ is an odd prime, then we prove that $\e(H_2(G,\mathbb{Z})) \mid p\ \e(G)$ for $p$ groups of class 7. We prove the same for $p$ groups of class at most $p+1$ with $\e(Z(G))=p$. We also prove Schurs conjecture if $\e(G/Z(G))$ is $2,3$…
Hurwitz numbers, which count certain covers of the projective line (or, equivalently, factorizations of permuations into transpositions), have been extensively studied for over a century. The Gromov-Witten potential F of a point, the…
Let G be a unipotent algebraic subgroup of some GL_m(C) defined over Q. We describe an algorithm for finding a finite set of generators of the subgroup G(Z) = G \cap GL_m(Z). This is based on a new proof of the result (in more general form…
We study the structure of the Goulden-Jackson-Vakil formula that relates Hurwitz numbers to some conjectural "intersection numbers" on a conjectural family of varieties $X_{g,n}$ of dimension $4g-3+n$. We give explicit formulas for the…
We define a new Hurwitz problem which is essentially a small core of the simple Hurwitz problem. The corresponding Hurwitz numbers have simpler formulae, satisfy effective recursion relations and determine the simple Hurwitz numbers. We…