Diagram groups and directed 2-complexes: Homotopy and homology

We show that diagram groups can be viewed as fundamental groups of spaces of positive paths on directed 2-complexes (these spaces of paths turn out to be classifying spaces). Thus diagram groups are analogs of second homotopy groups, although diagram groups are as a rule non-Abelian. Part of the paper is a review of the previous results from this point of view. In particular, we show that the so-called rigidity of the R. Thompson's group F and some other groups is similar to the flat torus theorem. We find several finitely presented diagram groups (even of type F_∞) each of which contains all countable diagram groups. We show how to compute minimal presentations and homology groups of a large class of diagram groups. We show that the Poincaré series of these groups are rational functions. We prove that all integer homology groups of all diagram groups are free Abelian.     

Groups acting on tree-graded spaces and splittings of relatively hyperbolic groups

Tree-graded spaces are generalizations of R-trees. They appear as asymptotic cones of groups (when the cones have cut-points). Since many questions about endomorphisms and automorphisms of groups, solving equations over groups, studying embeddings of a group into another group, etc. lead to actions of groups on the asymptotic cones, it is natural to consider actions of groups on tree-graded spaces. We develop a theory of such actions which generalizes the well-known theory of groups acting on R-trees. As applications of our theory, we describe, in particular, relatively hyperbolic groups with infinite groups of outer automorphisms, and co-Hopfian relatively hyperbolic groups.     

Zur Klassifikation differenzierbarer Gruppen

We want to classify differentiable groups in terms of Lie groups and formal groups. This note contains a first essential step in this direction: Differentiable groups can always be embedded as dense subgroups of locally compact groups.

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Herrn W. Thimm zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet     

On Tensor Products of Simple Modules for Simple Groups

In an attempt to get some information on the multiplicative structure of the Green ring we study algebraic modules for simple groups, and associated groups such as quasisimple and almost-simple groups. We prove that, for almost all groups of Lie type in defining characteristic, the natural module is non-algebraic. For alternating and symmetric groups, we prove that the simple modules in p-blocks with defect groups of order p ² are algebraic, for p?≤?5. Finally, we analyze nine sporadic groups, finding that all simple modules are algebraic for various primes and sporadic groups.     

Thick metric spaces,relative hyperbolicity,and quasi-isometric rigidity

We study the geometry of non-relatively hyperbolic groups. Generalizing a result of Schwartz, any quasi-isometric image of a non-relatively hyperbolic space in a relatively hyperbolic space is contained in a bounded neighborhood of a single peripheral subgroup. This implies that a group being relatively hyperbolic with non-relatively hyperbolic peripheral subgroups is a quasi-isometry invariant. As an application, Artin groups are relatively hyperbolic if and only if freely decomposable. We also introduce a new quasi-isometry invariant of metric spaces called metrically thick, which is sufficient for a metric space to be non-hyperbolic relative to any non-trivial collection of subsets. Thick finitely generated groups include: mapping class groups of most surfaces; outer automorphism groups of most free groups; certain Artin groups; and others. Non-uniform lattices in higher rank semisimple Lie groups are thick and hence non-relatively hyperbolic, in contrast with rank one which provided the motivating examples of relatively hyperbolic groups. Mapping class groups are the first examples of non-relatively hyperbolic groups having cut points in any asymptotic cone, resolving several questions of Drutu and Sapir about the structure of relatively hyperbolic groups. Outside of group theory, Teichmüller spaces for surfaces of sufficiently large complexity are thick with respect to the Weil–Peterson metric, in contrast with Brock–Farb’s hyperbolicity result in low complexity.     

The axiomatic closure of the class of discriminating groups

In [6] squarelike groups were defined to be those groups G universally equivalent to their direct squares G × G. In that paper it was shown that G is squarelike if and only if G is universally equivalent to a discriminating group in the sense of [3]. Further it was shown that the class of squarelike groups is first-order axiomatizable while the class of discriminating groups is not. In this paper, we prove that the class of squarelike groups is the least axiomatic class containing the discriminating groups.Received: 18 August 2003     

The Groups LS and Morphisms of Quadratic Extensions

For a morphism of quadratic extensions of antistructures, groups similar to the groups of obstructions to splitting along one-sided submanifolds are defined. These groups are a natural generalization of the splitting obstruction groups. The results obtained open additional possibilities for constructing groups and natural maps in L-theory.     

Covering theory for complexes of groups

We develop an explicit covering theory for complexes of groups, parallel to that developed for graphs of groups by Bass. Given a covering of developable complexes of groups, we construct the induced monomorphism of fundamental groups and isometry of universal covers. We characterize faithful complexes of groups and prove a conjugacy theorem for groups acting freely on polyhedral complexes. We also define an equivalence relation on coverings of complexes of groups, which allows us to construct a bijection between such equivalence classes, and subgroups or overgroups of a fixed lattice Γ in the automorphism group of a locally finite polyhedral complex X.     

Macpherson's chern classes of singular algebraic varieties

Sacerdote [Sa] has shown that the non-Abelian free groups satisfy precisely the same universal-existential sentences Th(F₂)??? in a first-order language Lo appropriate for group theory. It is shown that in every model of Th(F₂)??? the maximal Abelian subgroups are elementarily equivalent to locally cyclic groups (necessarily nontrivial and torsion free). Two classes of groups are interpolated between the non-Abelian locally free groups and Remeslennikov’s ?-free groups. These classes are the almost locally free groups and the quasi-locally free groups. In particular, the almost locally free groups are the models of Th(F₂)??? while the quasi-locally free groups are the ?-free groups with maximal Abelian subgroups elementarily equivalent to locally cyclic groups (necessarily nontrivial and torsion free). Two principal open questions at opposite ends of a spectrum are: (1.) Is every finitely generated almost locally free group free? (2.) Is every quasi-locally free group almost locally free? Examples abound of finitely generated quasi-locally free groups containing nontrivial torsion in their Abelianizations. The question of whether or not almost locally free groups have torsion free Abelianization is related to a bound in a free group on the number of factors needed to express certain elements of the derived group as a product of commutators     

Gauss laws in the sense of Bernstein and uniqueness of embedding into convolution semigroups on quantum groups and braided groups

Summary. The goal of this paper is to characterise certain probability laws on a class of quantum groups or braided groups that we will call nilpotent. First we introduce a braided analogue of the Heisenberg–Weyl group, which shall serve as standard example. We introduce Gaussian functionals on quantum groups or braided groups as functionals that satisfy an analogue of the Bernstein property, i.e. that the sum and difference of independent random variables are also independent. The corresponding functionals on the braided line, braided plane and a braided q-Heisenberg–Weyl group are determined. Section 5 deals with continuous convolution semigroups on nilpotent quantum groups and braided groups. We extend recent results proving the uniqueness of the embedding of an infinitely divisible probability law into a continuous convolution semigroup for simply connected nilpotent Lie groups to nilpotent quantum groups and braided groups. Finally, in Section 6 we give some indications how the semigroup approach of Heyer and Hazod to the Bernstein theorem on groups can be extended to quantum groups and braided groups. Received: 30 October 1996 / In revised form: 1 April 1997     

Fischer subspaces of Hermitian manifolds

The finite groups generated by 3-transpositions, studied by B.Fischer [5]have a geometrical interpretation given by F.Buekenhout [1] under the name of Fischer spaces.This geometrical concept allows us to study the Fischer subgroups of primitive groups classified by Fischer, and in particular those of unitary groups PSU(n,4), symplectic groups PSp(n,2), orthogonal groups PO(n,2) and symmetric groups Sym(n).This problem is linked to the determination of groups of projectivities generated by clations in characteristic 2 studied by Wagner [9] and McLaughlin[8], and is related to Kantor's work [7] on classical groups generated by long root elements, and to Enright's recent note on Fi₂₂ and Fi₂₃ [5].     

Locally minimal topological groups 1

The aim of this paper is to go deeper into the study of local minimality and its connection to some naturally related properties. A Hausdorff topological group (G,τ) is called locally minimal if there exists a neighborhood U of 0 in τ such that U fails to be a neighborhood of zero in any Hausdorff group topology on G which is strictly coarser than τ. Examples of locally minimal groups are all subgroups of Banach-Lie groups, all locally compact groups and all minimal groups. Motivated by the fact that locally compact NSS groups are Lie groups, we study the connection between local minimality and the NSS property, establishing that under certain conditions, locally minimal NSS groups are metrizable. A symmetric subset of an abelian group containing zero is said to be a GTG set if it generates a group topology in an analogous way as convex and symmetric subsets are unit balls for pseudonorms on a vector space. We consider topological groups which have a neighborhood basis at zero consisting of GTG sets. Examples of these locally GTG groups are: locally pseudoconvex spaces, groups uniformly free from small subgroups (UFSS groups) and locally compact abelian groups. The precise relation between these classes of groups is obtained: a topological abelian group is UFSS if and only if it is locally minimal, locally GTG and NSS. We develop a universal construction of GTG sets in arbitrary non-discrete metric abelian groups, that generates a strictly finer non-discrete UFSS topology and we characterize the metrizable abelian groups admitting a strictly finer non-discrete UFSS group topology. Unlike the minimal topologies, the locally minimal ones are always available on “large” groups. To support this line, we prove that a bounded abelian group G admits a non-discrete locally minimal and locally GTG group topology iff |G|?c.     

Higher Hopf formulae for homology via Galois Theory

We use Janelidze's Categorical Galois Theory to extend Brown and Ellis's higher Hopf formulae for homology of groups to arbitrary semi-abelian monadic categories. Given such a category A and a chosen Birkhoff subcategory B of A, thus we describe the Barr-Beck derived functors of the reflector of A onto B in terms of centralization of higher extensions. In case A is the category Gp of all groups and B is the category Ab of all abelian groups, this yields a new proof for Brown and Ellis's formulae. We also give explicit formulae in the cases of groups vs. k-nilpotent groups, groups vs. k-solvable groups and precrossed modules vs. crossed modules.     

Residually finite subgroups of some countable McLain groups

The McLain groups are groups of finitary linear transformations that, besides being of considerable interest in their own right, constitute a most useful source of counterexamples to conjectures arising in the investigation of locally nilpotent groups. In this article it is shown that certain torsion-free McLain groups have subgroups “of periodic index” that are residually finite. This has a bearing on the question as to which McLain groups might embed in simple locally soluble-by-finite groups.     

The Uniqueness of the Actions of Certain Branch Groups on Rooted Trees

It is proved that in many cases of interest the actions of groups on rooted trees can be recovered from the structure of the groups. The results apply to most of the groups introduced by the first author and to the Gupta–Sidki groups; they are proved in the wider context of branch groups satisfying two natural conditions.     

Isomorfismi tra le strutture subnormali dei gruppi

Summary In this paper order-isomorphisms between subnormal structures of subsoluble groups are considered, and the images of generalized nilpotent groups in such isomorphisms are studied. A result of Pazderski about the Fitting subgroup of finite soluble groups is also extended to the upper Baer series of subsoluble groups, and an extension to infinite groups of a theorem of Heineken about isomorphisms between lattices of subnormal subgroups of finite groups is given.

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Lavoro eseguito nell'ambito del G.N.S.A.G.A. del C.N.R.     

On the minimum degree,edge-connectivity and connectivity of power graphs of finite groups

In this paper, the minimum degree of power graphs of certain cyclic groups, abelian p-groups, dihedral groups and dicyclic groups are obtained. It is ascertained that the edge-connectivity and minimum degree of power graphs are equal, and consequently, the minimum disconnecting sets of power graphs of the aforementioned groups are determined. In order to investigate the equality of connectivity and minimum degree of power graphs, certain necessary conditions for finite groups and a necessary and su?cient condition for finite cyclic groups are obtained. Moreover, the equality is discussed for the power graphs of abelian p-groups, dihedral groups and dicyclic groups.     

On the extendability of certain semi-Cayley graphs of finite abelian groups

A connected graph Γ with at least 2n+2 vertices is said to be n-extendable if every matching of size n in Γ can be extended to a perfect matching. The aim of this paper is to study the 1-extendability and 2-extendability of certain semi-Cayley graphs of finite abelian groups, and the classification of connected 2-extendable semi-Cayley graphs of finite abelian groups is given. Thus the 1-extendability and 2-extendability of Cayley graphs of non-abelian groups which can be realized as such semi-Cayley graphs of abelian groups can be deduced. In particular, the 1-extendability and 2-extendability of connected Cayley graphs of generalized dicyclic groups and generalized dihedral groups are characterized.