arXiv research

Non-trivial action on surface configuration homology.

It is shown that for any action of a finitely presented group $G$ on an $\R$-tree, there is a decomposition of $G$ as the fundamental group of a graph of groups related to this action. If the action of $G$ on $T$ is non-trivial, i.e. there is no global fixed point, then $G$ has a non-trivial action on a simplcial $\R$…

For n at least 3, let SAut(F_n) denote the unique subgroup of index two in the automorphism group of a free group. The standard linear action of SL(n,Z) on R^n induces non-trivial actions of SAut(F_n) on R^n and on S^{n-1}. We prove that SAut(F_n) admits no non-trivial actions by homeomorphisms on acyclic manifolds or …

We discuss how the global geometry and topology of manifolds depend on different group actions of their fundamental groups, and in particular, how properties of a non-trivial compact 4-dimensional cobordism $M$ whose interior has a complete hyperbolic structure depend on properties of the variety of discrete representa…

We study the construction of quasimorphisms on groups acting on trees introduced by Monod and Shalom, that we call median quasimorphisms, and in particular we fully characterise actions on trees that give rise to non-trivial median quasimorphisms. Roughly speaking, either the action is highly transitive on geodesics, i…

The simplicial volume of oriented closed connected smooth manifolds that admit a non-trivial smooth $S^1$-action vanishes. In the present work we prove a version of this result for the integral foliated simplicial volume of aspherical manifolds: The integral foliated simplicial volume of aspherical oriented closed conn…

In this paper I construct, using off the shelf components, a compact symplectic manifold with a non-trivial Hamiltonian circle action that admits no Kaehler structure. The non-triviality of the action is guaranteed by the existence of an isolated fixed point. The motivation for this work comes from the program of class…

A Poisson-Lie group acting by the coadjoint action on the dual of its Lie algebra induces on it a non-trivial class of quadratic Poisson structures extending the linear Poisson bracket on the coadjoint orbits.

We determine the action of the Torelli group on the equivariant cohomology of the space of flat SL(2,C) connections on a closed Riemann surface. We show that the trivial part of the action contains the equivariant cohomology of the even component of the space of flat PSL(2,C) connections. The non-trivial part consists …

We show that recent results of Friedl-Vidussi and Chen imply that a symplectic manifold admits a fixed point free circle action if and only if it admits a symplectic circle action and we give a complete description of the symplectic cone in this case. This then completes the characterisation of symplectic 4-manifolds t…

Study polar actions on Damek-Ricci spaces, proving existence and finding examples.

We construct examples of finitely generated groups L that have non-trivial actions on $\mathbb{R}$-trees but which cannot act, without fixing a vertex, on any simplicial tree. Moreover, any finitely presented group mapping onto L does have a fixed point-free action on some simplicial tree.

This is a report on our long term project to find an algorithm to decide if a finitely presented group has a non-trivial action on a tree.

Let $M$ be a manifold homotopy equivalent to the complex projective space $\C P^m$. Petrie conjectured that $M$ has standard total Pontrjagin class if $M$ admits a non-trivial action by $S^1$. We prove the conjecture for $m<12$ under the assumption that the action extends to a nice $Pin(2)$-action with fixed point. The…

Study shows Reeb orbits on starshaped hypersurfaces grow logarithmically with period.

We give the diffeomorphism classification of complete intersections with S^1-symmetry in dimension less than or equal to 6. In particular, we show that a 6-dimensional complete intersection admits a smooth non-trivial S^1-action if and only if it is diffeomorphic to the complex projective space or the quadric. We also …

We prove that for each integer k of at least 2, there is an open neigborhood ν_k of the identity map of the 2-sphere S^2, in C^1-topology such that: if G is a nilpotent subgroup of Diff^1(S^2) with length k of nilpotency, generated by elements in ν_k, then the natural action on S^2 has non-empty fixed point set. Moreov…

Non-isomorphic groups with similar profinite completions found.

We explore transformation groups of manifolds of the form $M\times S^n$, where $M$ is an asymmetric manifold, i.e. a manifold which does not admit any non-trivial action of a finite group. In particular, we prove that for $n=2$ there exists an infinite family of distinct non-diagonal effective circle actions on such pr…

Affine maps reveal higher rank structures in certain spaces.

Groups can act on $L^p$ spaces with non-trivial cohomology.

We characterize the universal covering of connected analytic pseudo-Riemannian manifolds which admit a non-trivial and isometric action of the simple Lie group $SL(3,\mathbb{R})$ with a dense orbit preserving a finite volume. If such manifold is also weakly irreducible we prove that $M$ is isometric to, or a quotient s…

We consider Fano manifolds admitting an algebraic torus action with general orbit of codimension one. Using a recent result of Datar and Szekelyhidi, we effectively determine the existence of Kahler-Ricci solitons for those manifolds via the notion of equivariant K-stability. This allows us to give new examples of Kahl…

The paper revisits a claim about a principal bundle over a contractible base and finds it non-trivial.

New proof shows almost all surface group actions are dense.

It has been shown recently by Kapustin and Tomasiello that the mathematical notion of Hamiltonian actions on twisted generalized Kähler manifolds is in perfect agreement with the physical notion of general $(2,2)$ gauged sigma models with three-form fluxes. In this article, we study the twisted equivariant cohomology t…

We give an alternative proof of the mod $p$ vanishing theorem by F.Fang of Seiberg-Witten invariants under a cyclic group action of prime order, and generalize it to the case when $b_1>0$. Although we also use the finite dimensional approximation of the monopole map as well as Fang, our method is rather geometric. Furt…

We prove that the group of diffeomorphisms of the interval $[0,1]$ contains surface groups whose action on $(0,1)$ has no global fix point, is topologically transitive, and such that only countably many points of the interval $(0,1)$ have non-trivial stabiliser.

We show that every closed nonpositively curved manifold with non-trivial volume flux group has zero minimal volume, and admits a finite covering with circle actions whose orbits are homologically essential. This proves a conjecture of Kedra-Kotschick-Morita for this class of manifolds.

New method constructs actions on R capturing foliations, proving left-orderability.

We describe a collection of graded rings which surject onto Webster rings for sl(2) and which should be related to certain categories of singular Soergel bimodules. In the first non-trivial case, we construct a categorical braid group action which categorifies the Burau representation.

The paper proves non-triviality of certain classes in sphere bundle cohomology.

We study the hypersymplectic spaces obtained as quotients of flat hypersymplectic space R^{4d} by the action of a compact Abelian group. These 4n-dimensional quotients carry a multi-Hamilitonian action of an n-torus. The image of the hypersymplectic moment map for this torus action may be described by a configuration o…

We study two actions of big mapping class groups. The first is an action by isometries on a Gromov-hyperbolic graph. The second is an action by homeomorphisms on a circle in which the vertices of the graph naturally embed. The first two parts of the paper are devoted to the definition of objects and tools needed to int…

We present a rigidity theorem for the action of the mapping class group $π_0(\mathrm{Diff}(M))$ on the space $\mathcal{R}^+(M)$ of metrics of positive scalar curvature for high dimensional manifolds $M$. This result is applicable to a great number of cases, for example to simply connected $6$-manifolds and high dimensi…

We construct a graph TQFT for the minus flavor of Heegaard Floer homology. Our graph TQFT extends Ozsváth and Szabó's TQFT for closed and connected 3-manifolds, and allows for cobordisms with disconnected ends. As an application, we give an explicit formula for the chain homotopy type of the $π_1$-action on Heegaard Fl…

Study of actions on curved manifolds with boundary results in new geometric invariant.

We study mapping class groups of infinite type surfaces with isolated punctures and their actions on the loop graphs introduced by Bavard-Walker. We classify all of the mapping classes in these actions which are loxodromic with a WWPD action on the corresponding loop graph. The WWPD property is a weakening of Bestvina-…

The paper studies invariant measures for specific actions in algebraic groups.

We show that a closed, simply-connected, non-negatively curved 5-manifold admitting an effective, isometric $T^2$ action is diffeomorphic to one of $S^5$, $S^3\times S^2$, $S^3\tilde{\times} S^2$ (the non-trivial $S^3$-bundle over $S^2$) or the Wu manifold $SU(3)/SO(3)$.

The study proves conditions for CAT(0) spaces with higher rank rigidity.

Study on string links invariant under associator choice and Grothendieck--Teichmüller group action.

New insights into symplectic loops and their flux groups.

Generalizes skyrmion theory to gauged maps with $G$-action.

The Hitchin component is a connected component of the character variety of reductive group homomorphisms from the fundamental group of a closed surface S of genus greater than 1 to the Lie group PSL_m(R). The Teichmuller space of S naturally embeds into the Hitchin component. The limit points in the Thurston compactifi…

Paper proves non-triviality of Johnson kernel torsion subgroup.

Study geometrically measures to decide if modular companions are conformally equivalent.

We consider the non-trivial Ricci soliton on $\mathbb{CP}^2\#\overline{\mathbb{CP}^2}$ constructed by Koiso and Cao. It is a Kähler metric invariant by the $U(2)$ action on $\mathbb{CP}^2\#\overline{\mathbb{CP}^2}$. We study its Yamabe equation and prove it has exactly one $U(2)-$invariant solution up to homothecies.