Related papers: Exceptional Discrete Mapping Class Group Orbits in…

Special generic maps are higher dimensional versions of Morse functions with exactly two singular points, characterizing spheres topologically except 4-dimensional cases and 4-dimensional standard spheres. The class of such maps also…

Let $M$ be a simply connected spin manifold of dimension at least six which admits a metric of positive scalar curvature. We show that the observer moduli space of positive scalar curvature metrics on $M$ has non-trivial higher homotopy…

We present a rigidity theorem for the action of the mapping class group $\pi_0(\mathrm{Diff}(M))$ on the space $\mathcal{R}^+(M)$ of metrics of positive scalar curvature for high dimensional manifolds $M$. This result is applicable to a…

Let $\Gamma$ be a finite group acting linearly on $\C^n$, freely outside the origin, and let $N$ be the number of conjugacy classes of $\Gamma$ minus one. A construction of Kronheimer of moduli spaces $X_\zeta$ of translation-invariant…

Moduli spaces of points on $n$-spheres carry natural actions of braid groups. For $n=0$, $1$, and $3$, we prove that these symmetries extend to actions of mapping class groups of positive genus surfaces, by establishing exceptional…

Let $X=S\times E \times B$ be the metric product of a symmetric space $S$ of noncompact type, a Euclidean space $E$ and a product $B$ of Euclidean buildings. Let $\Gamma$ be a discrete group acting isometrically and cocompactly on $X$. We…

Let $\Gamma$ be a subgroup of $PSL(2,R)$ generated by three parabolic transformations. The main goal of this paper is to present an algorithm to determine whether or not $\Gamma$ is discrete. Historically discreteness algorithms have been…

In this note, we study deformations of discrete and Zariski dense subgroups of SU(2, 1) in quaternionic hyperbolic space. Specifi- cally we consider two examples coming from representations of 3-manifold groups (the figure eight knot and…

We show that there exist flat surface bundles with closed leaves having non-trivial normal bundles. This leads us to compute the Abelianisation of surface diffeomorphism groups with marked points. We also extend a formula of Tsuboi that…

Let $S$ be a closed surface of genus $g$ greater than zero. In the present paper we study the topological-dynamical action of the mapping class group on the $\Bbb T^n$-character variety giving necessary and sufficient conditions for…

We study the topological structure of the symmetry group of the standard model, $G_{SM}=U(1)\times SU(2)\times SU(3)$. Locally, $G_{SM}\cong S^1\times (S^3)^2\times S^5$. For SU(3), which is an $S^3$ bundle over $S^5$ (and therefore a local…

We organize fundamental properties of quasi-Hamiltonian spaces on which a finite group acts, and we apply them to the theory of moduli spaces of flat connections on an oriented compact surface with boundary.

The odd character variety of a Riemann surface is a moduli space of SO(3) representations of the fundamental group which can be interpreted as the moduli space of stable holomorphic rank 2 bundles of odd degree and fixed determinant. This…

For a 4-manifold $M$ and a knot $k\colon\mathbb{S}^1\hookrightarrow\partial M$ with dual sphere $G\colon\mathbb{S}^2\hookrightarrow\partial M$, we compute the set $\mathbb{D}(M;k)$ of smooth isotopy classes of neat embeddings…

We analyze orbifolds with discrete torsion of the ABJM theory by a finite subgroup $\Gamma$ of $SU(2)\times SU(2)$ . Discrete torsion is implemented by twisting the crossed product algebra resulting after orbifolding. It is shown that, in…

Let $X$ be the $2$-sphere $\mathbb S^2$ or the real projective plane $\mathbb {RP}^2$. We show that if $\Gamma$ is a finitely generated group acting minimally and distally on $X$, then $\Gamma$ contains a nonabelian free subgroup.

Let $Y$ be a pointed space and let $\mathcal E(Y^r)$ be the group of based self-equivalences of $Y^r$, $r\geq 2$. For $Y$ a homotopy commutative $H$-group we construct a subgroup $\mathcal E_{\mathrm{Mat}}(Y^r)$ of $\mathcal E(Y^r)$ which…

Let $X$ be a locally symmetric space $\Gamma\backslash G/K$ where $G$ is a connected non-compact semisimple real Lie group with trivial centre, $K$ is a maximal compact subgroup of $G$, and $\Gamma\subset G$ is a torsion-free irreducible…

Let $M$ be complete flat pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous manifold and $\Gamma\subset\Iso(\RR^n_s)$ its fundamental group. We show that $M$ is a trivial fiber bundle $G/\Gamma\to M\to\RR^{n-k}$, where $G$ is the Zariski closure of $\Gamma$ in…

We show that the prequantum line bundle on the moduli space of flat $SU(2)$ connections on a closed Riemann surface of positive genus has degree 1. It then follows from work of Lawton and the second author that the classifying map for this…