Related papers: The generalized Lefschetz number and loop braid gr…

We prove two general factorization theorems for fixed-point invariants of fibrations: one for the Lefschetz number and one for the Reidemeister trace. These theorems imply the familiar multiplicativity results for the Lefschetz and Nielsen…

We characterise the set of fixed points of a class of holomorphic maps on complex manifolds with a prescribed homology. Our main tool is the Lefschetz number and the action of maps on the first homology group.

One of the most interesting questions about a group is if its word problem can be solved and how. The word problem in the braid group is of particular interest to topologists, algebraists and geometers, and is the target of intensive…

We show that representations of the loop braid group arise from Aharonov-Bohm like effects in finite 2-group (3+1)-dimensional topological higher gauge theory. For this we introduce a minimal categorification of biracks, which we call…

We present explicit algorithms for simplifying the topology of indefinite fibrations on 4-manifolds, which include broken Lefschetz fibrations and indefinite Morse 2-functions. The algorithms consist of sequences of moves, which modify…

We study simple branched coverings of degree d of the 2- and 3- dimensional sphere branched over oriented links. We demonstrate how to use braid charts to develop embeddings of these into $S^k \times D^2$ for $k=2,3 when $d=2,3$. This is an…

In topologically ordered quantum states of matter in 2+1D (space-time dimensions), the braiding statistics of anyonic quasiparticle excitations is a fundamental characterizing property which is directly related to global transformations of…

We consider subgroups of the braid groups which are generated by $k$-th powers of the standard generators and prove that any infinite intersection (with even $k$) is trivial. This is motivated by some conjectures of Squier concerning the…

We obtain infinitely many (non-conjugate) representations of 3-manifold fundamental groups into a lattice in the holomorphic isometry group of complex hyperbolic space. The lattice is an orbifold fundamental group of a branched covering of…

We introduce hyperelliptic simplified (more generally, directed) broken Lefschetz fibrations, which is a generalization of hyperelliptic Lefschetz fibrations. We construct involutions on the total spaces of such fibrations of genus $g\geq…

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…

Every smooth minimal complex algebraic surface of general type, $X$, may be mapped into a moduli space, $\MM_{c_1^2(X), c_2(X)}$, of minimal surfaces of general type, all of which have the same Chern numbers. Using the braid group and braid…

Let G be a finite group. By Riemann's Existence Theorem, braid orbits of generating systems of G with product 1 correspond to irreducible families of covers of the Riemann sphere with monodromy group G. Thus many problems on algebraic…

We generalize the Moishezon Teicher algorithm that was suggested for the computation of the braid monodromy of an almost real curve. The new algorithm suits a larger family of curves, and enables the computation of braid monodromy not only…

Empirical properties of generating systems for complex reflection groups and their braid groups have been observed by Orlik-Solomon and Brou\'e-Malle-Rouquier, using Shephard-Todd classification. We give a general existence result for…

Shapes of four dimensional spaces can be studied effectively via maps to standard surfaces. We explain, and illustrate by quintessential examples, how to simplify such generic maps on 4-manifolds topologically, in order to derive simple…

The classical matrix tree theorem relates the number of spanning trees of a connected graph with the product of the nonzero eigenvalues of its Laplacian matrix. The class of regular matroids generalizes that of graphical matroids, and a…

Burau representation of the Artin braid group remains as one of the very important representations for the braid group. Partly, because of its connections to the Alexander polynomial which is one of the first and most useful invariants for…

This note studies the Burnside problem for homeomorphism groups of compact connected manifolds. For surfaces, we prove that the identity component of the homeomorphism group is torsion-free precisely when the surface is not the sphere,…

This paper is concerned with detecting when a closed braid and its axis are 'mutually braided' in the sense of Rudolph. It deals with closed braids which are fibred links, the simplest case being closed braids which present the unknot. The…