arXiv research

New knot groups found to be bi-orderable using pretzel knots.

In recent years, the RFRS condition has been used to analyze virtual fibering in 3-manifold topology. Agol's work shows that any 3-manifold with zero Euler characteristic satisfying the RFRS condition on its fundamental group virtually fibers over the circle. In this note we will show that a finitely generated nilpoten…

In this article we study the space of left- and bi-invariant orderings on a torsion-free nilpotent group $G$. We will show that generally the set of such orderings is equipped with a faithful action of the automorphism group of $G$. We prove a result which allows us to establish the same conclusion when $G$ is assumed …

This paper proves bi-orderability of two-bridge link groups.

Let $p$ be a prime. In this paper, we classify the geometric 3-manifolds whose fundamental groups are virtually residually $p$. Let $M=M^3$ be a virtually fibered 3-manifold. It is well-known that $G=π_1(M)$ is residually solvable and even residually finite solvable. We prove that $G$ is always virtually residually $p$…

We construct bi-invariant total orderings of residually torsion-free nilpotent groups by using Chen's iterated integrals. This construction can be seen as a generalization of the Magnus ordering of the free groups, and equivalent to the classical construction which uses an iteration of central extensions. Our geometric…

Study torsion-free nilpotent fundamental groups of smooth varieties up to rank 7.

Study proves equality of LS-category and cohomological dimension for specific group homomorphisms.

Groups with similar pro-$p$ completions have two-generated subgroups that are free.

In this article, we investigate various properties of the pure virtual braid group PV_3. From its canonical presentation, we obtain a free product decomposition of PV_3. As a consequence, we show that PV_3 is residually torsion free nilpotent, which implies that the set of finite type invariants in the sense of Goussar…

We characterize co-Hopfian finitely generated torsion free nilpotent groups in terms of their Lie algebra automorphisms, and construct many examples of such groups.

Plante-Thurston proved that every nilpotent subgroup of $\Diff^2(S^1)$ is abelian. One of our main results is a sharp converse: $\Diff^1(S^1)$ contains every finitely-generated, torsion-free nilpotent group.

We compute the characteristic varieties and the Alexander polynomial of a finitely generated nilpotent group. We show that the first characteristic variety may be used to detect nilpotence. We use the Alexander polynomial to deduce that the only torsion-free, finitely generated nilpotent groups with positive deficiency…

A finite simple graph $Γ$ determines a quotient $P_Γ$ of the pure braid group, called a graphic arrangement group. We analyze homomorphisms of these groups defined by deletion of sets of vertices, using methods developed in prior joint work with R. Randell. We show that, for a $K_4$-free graph $Γ$, a product of deletio…

Proves HNN extensions of nilpotent groups are left-orderable, constructs non-left-orderable examples.

The paper proves residual finiteness of certain lattices and constructs surfaces with specific fundamental groups.

We study the existence of invariant metrics with holonomy $G_{2(2)}^* \subset SO(4,3)$ on compact nilmanifolds, i.e. on compact quotients of nilpotent Lie groups by discrete subgroups. We prove that, up to isomorphism, there exists only one indecomposable nilpotent Lie algebra admitting a torsion-free $G_{2(2)}^*$-stru…

We study complex product structures on nilpotent Lie algebras, establishing some of their main properties, and then we restrict ourselves to 6 dimensions, obtaining the classification of 6-dimensional nilpotent Lie algebras admitting such structures. We prove that any complex structure which forms part of a complex pro…

Study embeddings of 3-manifolds in $S^4$ with nilpotent fundamental groups.

Let G be a real semisimple Lie group with no compact factors and finite centre, and let $Λ$ be a lattice in G. Suppose that there exists a homomorphism from $Λ$ to the outer automorphism group of a right-angled Artin group $A_Γ$ with infinite image. We give an upper bound to the real rank of G that is determined by the…

Study proves topological complexity and LS-category inequalities for specific groups and manifolds.

A homogeneous nilpotent Lie group has a scaling automorphism determined by a grading of its Lie algebra. Many proofs of upper bounds for the Dehn function of such a group depend on being able to fill curves with discs compatible with this grading; the area of such discs changes predictably under the scaling automorphis…

Constructive approach to Lie algebra gradings, computing maximal and enumerating all gradings.

We show that every virtually torsion-free subgroup of the outer automorphism group of a conjugacy separable relatively hyperbolic group is residually finite. As a direct consequence, we obtain that the outer automorphism group of a limit group is residually finite.

According to the classical Plante-Thurston Theorem, all nilpotent groups of $C^2$-diffeomorphisms of the closed interval are Abelian. Using techniques coming from the works of Denjoy and Pixton, Farb and Franks constructed a faithful action by $C^1$-diffeomorphisms of $[0,1]$ for every finitely-generated, torsion-free,…

Manifolds with nonnegative Ricci curvature have nilpotent subgroups with specific geometric properties.

New insights on nilpotent groups with balanced presentations.

The paper establishes analogs of Stallings' theorem for group homomorphisms and their nilpotent quotients.

Extends Floquet-Bloch theory to nilpotent groups for geometric applications.

We obtain restrictions on the topology of a closed connected manifold B that bounds a (possibly noncompact) manifold whose interior V admits a complete Riemannian metric of nonpositive sectional curvature. If G denotes the fundamental group of B, then a sample result is that B must be aspherical and incompressible if o…

Groups with specific properties have vanishing $\ell^2$-Betti numbers.

Let M be a compact surface, either orientable or non-orientable. We study the lower central and derived series of the braid and pure braid groups of M in order to determine the values of n for which B\_n(M) and P\_n(M) are residually nilpotent or residually soluble. First, we solve this problem for the case where M is …

Study quadratic one-forms on logarithmic Higgs bundles on pointed curves.

If $X$ is an orientable, strongly minimal $PD_4$-complex and $π_1(X)$ has one end then it has no nontrivial locally-finite normal subgroup. Hence if $π$ is a 2-knot group then (a) if $π$ is virtually solvable then either $π$ has two ends or $π\congΦ$, with presentation $\langle{a,t}|ta=a^2t\rangle$, or $π$ is torsion-f…

We show that every virtually torsion-free subgroup of the outer automorphism group of a conjugacy separable hyperbolic group is residually finite. As a result, we are able to prove that the group of outer automorphisms of every finitely generated Fuchsian group and of every free-by-finite group is resudually finite. We…

We study the word length entropy of automorphisms of residually nilpotent groups, and how the entropy of such group automorphisms relates to the entropy of induced automorphisms on various nilpotent quotients. We show that much like the structure of a nilpotent group is dictated to a large degree by its abelianization,…

We prove that the n th pure braid group of a nonorientable surface (closed or with boundary, but different from RP2) is residually 2-finite. Consequently, this group is residually nilpotent. The key ingredient in the closed case is the notion of p-almost direct product, which is a generalization of the notion of almost…

We prove the finiteness of the cohomology of torsion-free lattices in a semisimple Lie group of real rank one with coefficients in the distribution vector globalization of Harish-Chandra modules. The cohomology is expressed in terms of automorphic and cusp forms. We also consider the Lie-algebra cohomology of these glo…

If G and H are finitely generated, residually nilpotent metabelian groups, H is termed para-G if there is a homomorphism of G into H which induces an isomorphism between the corresponding terms of their lower central quotient groups. We prove that this is an equivalence relation. It is a much coarser relation than isom…

The study classifies and disproves gradient properties of certain solitons on specific Lie groups.

We solve Dehn's isomorphism problem for virtually torsion-free relatively hyperbolic groups with nilpotent parabolic subgroups. We do so by reducing the isomorphism problem to three algorithmic problems in the parabolic subgroups, namely the isomorphism problem, separation of torsion (in their outer automorphism groups…

We give effective proofs of residual finiteness and conjugacy separability for finitely generated nilpotent groups. In particular, we give precise asymptotic bounds for a function introduced by Bou-Rabee that measures how large the quotients that are need to separate non-identity elements of bounded length from the ide…

Let G be a torsion free discrete group and let \bar{Q} denote the field of algebraic numbers in C. We prove that \bar{Q}[G] fulfills the Atiyah conjecture if G lies in a certain class of groups D, which contains in particular all groups which are residually torsion free elementary amenable or which are residually free.…

We show that a complete flat pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous manifold with non-abelian linear holonomy is of dimension at least 14. Due to an example constructed in a previous article by Oliver Baues and the author, this is a sharp bound. Also, we give a structure theory for the fundamental groups of complete flat pseudo…

We explore the graded and filtered formality properties of finitely generated groups by studying the various Lie algebras over a field of characteristic 0 attached to such groups, including the Malcev Lie algebra, the associated graded Lie algebra, the holonomy Lie algebra, and the Chen Lie algebra. We explain how thes…

The existence of a flat torsion-free connection, or left symmetric algebra structure on a Lie algebra g gives rise to a canonically defined complex structure on g+g and a symplectic structure on g+g^*. We verify that the associated differential Gerstenhaber algebras controlling the deformation theories of the complex a…

Graphically discrete groups have strong rigidity properties.

We show, using Wise's equitable sets criterion, that every tubular free by cyclic group acts freely on a CAT(0) cube complex. We also show that these groups have a finite index subgroup satisfying the strongest Tits alternative, which means that every subgroup either surjects a non abelian free group or is torsion free…