Related papers: Burnside groups and $n$-moves for links
For each link type $K$ in the 3-sphere, we show that there is a polynomial $p_K$ such that any two diagrams of $K$ with $c_1$ and $c_2$ crossings differ by at most $p_K(c_1) + p_K(c_2)$ Reidemeister moves. As a consequence, the problem of…
There exists a large class of groups of operators acting on Hilbert spaces, where commutativity of group elements can be expressed in the geometric language of symplectic polar spaces embedded in the projective spaces PG($n, p$), $n$ being…
Let $p$ be a prime number and suppose that every maximal subgroup of a finite group is either $p$-nilpotent or has prime index. Such group need not be $p$-solvable, and we study its structure by proving that only one nonabelian simple group…
Let $A(p,n,k)$ be the number of $p$-tuples of commuting permutations of $n$ elements whose permutation action results in exactly $k$ orbits or connected components. We formulate the conjecture that, for every fixed $p$ and $n$, the…
This is a survey of two papers joint with A. Borisov and a paper joint with I. Spakulova. It is based on my lectures at the conference "Groups St. Andrews 2009", Bath (August 2009). We prove that almost all 1-related groups with at least 3…
The work of Chatzidakis and Hrushovski on the model theory of difference fields in characteristic zero showed that groups defined by difference equations have a very restricted structure. Recent work of Chatzidakis, Hrushovski and Peterzil…
We prove that deciding if a diagram of the unknot can be untangled using at most $k$ Riedemeister moves (where $k$ is part of the input) is NP-hard. We also prove that several natural questions regarding links in the $3$-sphere are NP-hard,…
We consider a finite group $G$ with a normal subgroup $N$ so that all elements of $G \setminus N$ have prime power order. We prove that if there is a prime $p$ so that all the elements in $G \setminus N$ have $p$-power order, then either…
We consider the class of groups called identity excluding which has the property that any non-trivial irreducible unitary representation restricted to a dense subgroup does not weakly contain the trivial representation. For adapted and…
We give upper bounds for triples of subsets of a finite group such that the triples of elements that multiply to 1 form a perfect matching. Our bounds are the first to give exponential savings in powers of an arbitrary finite group.…
Let $\mathbb{A}[n]$ be the group of $n$-torsion points of a commutative algebraic group $\mathbb{A}$ defined over a number field $F$. For a prime ideal $\mathfrak{p}$, we let $N_{\mathfrak{p}}(\mathbb{A}[n])$ be the number of…
We show that if $K$ is a nontrivial knot then the proportion of satellites of $K$ among all of the prime non-split links of $n$ or fewer crossings does not converge to $0$ as $n$ approaches infinity. This implies in particular that the…
Two string links are equivalent up to $2n$-moves and link-homotopy if and only if their all Milnor link-homotopy invariants are congruent modulo $n$. Moreover, the set of the equivalence classes forms a finite group generated by elements of…
We give a new, elementary proof of what we believe is the simplest known example of a ``natural'' problem in computational 3-dimensional topology that is $\mathsf{NP}$-hard -- namely, the \emph{Trivial Sublink Problem}: given a diagram $L$…
An equation to compute the dp-rank of any abelian group is given. It is also shown that its dp-rank, or more generally that of any one-based group, agrees with its Vapnik-Chervonenkis density. Furthermore, strong abelian groups are…
We show that two knots have matching Vassiliev invariants of order less than n if and only if they are equivalent modulo the nth group of the lower central series of some pure braid group, thus characterizing Vassiliev's knot invariants in…
Let M be a topological manifold modelled on topological vector spaces, which is the union of an ascending sequence of such manifolds M_n. We formulate a mild condition ensuring that the k-th homotopy group of M is the direct limit of the…
Let p be a prime number. We show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the set of strongly nilpotent braces and the set of nilpotent pre-Lie rings of cardinality $p^{n}$, for sufficiently large p. Moreover, there is an injective…
We provide a complete classification of paradoxical closed-loop $n$-linkages, where $n\geq6$, of mobility $n-4$ or higher, containing revolute, prismatic or helical joints. We also explicitly write down strong necessary conditions for…
Using as the working hypothesis of an evaluation of the difference between primes $p_{n+1} - p_n = O(\sqrt{p_n})$ we represent in detail the proofs of Legendre's and Oppermann's conjectures.