Related papers: Big mapping class groups are not extremely amenabl…

S. Gervais gave a finite presentation for the mapping class group of a surface (math.GT/9811162). We show this presentation without using Wajnryb's simple presentation. We use a complex of curves defined by Harvey, in place of Hatcher and…

For $\Sigma$ an orientable surface of finite topological type having genus at least 3 (possibly closed or possibly with any number of punctures or boundary components), we show that the mapping class group $Mod(\Sigma)$ has no faithful…

We prove that a Hausdorff space $X$ is very $\mathrm I$-favorable if and only if $X$ is the almost limit space of a $\sigma$-complete inverse system consisting of (not necessarily Hausdorff) second countable spaces and surjective d-open…

Theories of classification distinguish classes with some good structure theorem from those for which none is possible. Some classes (dense linear orders, for instance) are non-classifiable in general, but are classifiable when we consider…

We show that smooth hypersurfaces in complex projective spaces with automorphism groups of maximum size are isomorphic to Fermat hypersurfaces, with a few exceptions. For the exceptions, we give explicitly the defining equations and…

We prove that the action of any non-trivial normal subgroup of the mapping class group of a surface of genus $g\geqslant 2$ is almost minimal on the character variety $X(\pi_1\Sigma_g,{\rm SU}_2)$: the orbit of almost every point is dense.

We investigate the problem of when big mapping class groups are generated by involutions. Restricting our attention to the class of self-similar surfaces, which are surfaces with self-similar ends space, as defined by Mann and Rafi, and…

We study equations over torsion-free groups in terms of their `t-shape' (the occurences of the variable t in the equation). A t-shape is good if any equation with that shape has a solution. It is an outstanding conjecture that all t-shapes…

We provide a new characterization of amenability for countable groups, based on frame representations admitting almost invariant vectors. By relaxing the frame inequalities, thereby weakening amenability, we obtain a large class of…

We consider the problem of deciding if a group is the fundamental group of a smooth connected complex quasi-projective (or projective) variety using Alexander-based invariants. In particular, we solve the problem for large families of…

This paper is a continuation of our 2005 paper on complex topology and its implication on invertibility (or non-invertibility). In this paper, we will try to classify the complexity of inversion into 3 different classes. We will use…

Let $E$ be a Banach space, and $\mathcal B(E)$ the algebra of all bounded linear operators on $E$. The question of amenability of $\mathcal B(E)$ goes back to Johnson's seminal memoir \cite{johnson} from 1972. We present the first general…

We prove that pseudo-Anosov mapping classes are generic with respect to certain notions of genericity reflecting that we are dealing with mapping classes.

We give a finite presentation of the mapping class group of an oriented (possibly bounded) surface of genus greater or equal than 1, considering Dehn twists on a very simple set of curves.

We consider finite-sheeted, regular, possibly branched covering spaces of compact surfaces with boundary and the associated liftable and symmetric mapping class groups. In particular, we classify when either of these subgroups coincides…

A longstanding avenue of research in orientable surface topology is to create and enumerate collections of curves in surfaces with certain intersection properties. We look for similar collections of curves in non-orientable surfaces. A…

A topology is defined on the mapping class group of a compact connected orientable surface. It is shown that a notion of "genericity" on subsets of the mapping class group arises from this definition. Many plausible results follow from this…

The work of Mann and Rafi gives a classification surfaces $\Sigma$ when $\textrm{Map}(\Sigma)$ is globally CB, locally CB, and CB generated under the technical assumption of tameness. In this article, we restrict our study to the pure…

This paper has 3 principal goals: (1) to survey what is know about mapping class and Torelli groups of simply connected compact Kaehler manifolds, (2) supplement these results, and (3) present a list of questions and open problems to…

Extended admissible groups belong to a particular class of graphs of groups that admit a decomposition generalizing those of non-geometric 3-manifold groups and Croke-Kleiner admissible groups. In this paper, we study several…