Related papers: The normal closure of a bounding pair map in its m…

In this paper, we construct an infinite presentation of the Torelli subgroup of the mapping class group of a surface whose generators consist of the set of all "separating twists", all "bounding pair maps", and all "commutators of simply…

The normal covering number $\gamma(G)$ of a finite, non-cyclic group $G$ is the least number of proper subgroups such that each element of $G$ lies in some conjugate of one of these subgroups. We prove that there is a positive constant $c$…

We obtain a finite generating set for the level 2 twist subgroup of the mapping class group of a closed non-orientable surface. The generating set consists of crosscap pushing maps along non-separating two-sided simple loops and squares of…

Infinite presentations are given for all of the higher Torelli groups of once-punctured surfaces. In the case of the classical Torelli group, a finite presentation of the corresponding groupoid is also given, and finite presentations of the…

We compare two crossed homomorphisms on a braid group, one defined diagrammatically and the other defined algebraically. We show that these crossed homomorphisms are essentially the same, and compute them in detail for simple braids, namely…

In this chapter, we discuss normal generators for mapping class groups of surfaces. Especially, we focus on the relation between normal generation of a mapping class with its asymptotic translation lengths on the Teichm\"uller space and the…

Using the recently developed theory of finite type invariants of integral homology 3-spheres we study the structure of the Torelli group of a closed surface. Explicitly, we construct (a) natural cocycles of the Torelli group (with…

Let $G$ be a finite group and $N$ a normal subgroup of $G$. We determine the structure of $N$ when the diameter of the graph associated to the $G$-conjugacy classes contained in $N$ is as large as possible, that is, is equal to three.

We first develop a general theory of Johnson filtrations and Johnson homomorphisms for a group $G$ acting on another group $K$ equipped with a filtration indexed by a "good" ordered commutative monoid. Then, specializing it to the case…

Let S be a surface and let Mod(S,K) be the mapping class group of S permuting a Cantor subset K of S. We prove two structure theorems for normal subgroups of Mod(S,K). (Purity:) if S has finite type, every normal subgroup of Mod(S,K) either…

The Torelli group, I(S_g), is the subgroup of the mapping class group consisting of elements that act trivially on the homology of the surface. There are three types of elements that naturally arise in studying I(S_g): bounding pair maps,…

A topological group $G$ is topologically normally generated if there exists $g \in G$ such that the normal closure of $g$ is dense in $G$. Let $S$ be a tame, infinite type surface whose mapping class group $\mathrm{Map}(S)$ is generated by…

In this paper we continue Prasma's homotopical group theory program by considering homotopy normal maps in arbitrary $\infty$-topoi. We show that maps of group objects equipped with normality data, in Prasma's sense, are algebras for a…

For k >= 1, let Torelli_g^1(k) be the k-th term in the Johnson filtration of the mapping class group of a genus g surface with one boundary component. We prove that for all k, there exists some G_k >= 0 such that Torelli_g^1(k) is generated…

We study criteria for deciding when the normal subgroup generated by a single polynomial automorphism of $\mathbb{A}^n$ is as large as possible, namely equal to the normal closure of the special linear group in the special automorphism…

We develop a theory of equivariant group presentations and relate them to the second homology group of a group. Our main application says that the second homology group of the Torelli subgroup of the mapping class group is finitely…

We show that many normal subgroups of the braid group modulo its centre, and of the mapping class group of a sphere with marked points, have the property that their automorphism and abstract commensurator groups are mapping class groups of…

Normal maps between discrete groups $N\rightarrow G$ were characterized [FS] as those which induce a compatible topological group structure on the homotopy quotient $EN\times_N G$. Here we deal with topological group (or loop) maps…

Extending the work of del-Castillo-Negrete, Greene, and Morrison, Physica D {\bf 91}, 1 (1996) and {\bf 100}, 311 (1997) on the standard nontwist map, the breakup of an invariant torus with winding number equal to the inverse golden mean…

We study closures of conjugacy classes in the symmetric matrices of the orthogonal group and we determine which one are normal varieties. In contrast to the result for the symplectic group where all classes have normal closure, there is…