Toric complexes and Artin kernels

A simplicial complex L on n vertices determines a subcomplex TL of the n-torus, with fundamental group the right-angled Artin group GL. Given an epimorphism χ:GL→Z, let be the corresponding cover, with fundamental group the Artin kernel Nχ. We compute the cohomology jumping loci of the toric complex TL, as well as the homology groups of with coefficients in a field k, viewed as modules over the group algebra kZ. We give combinatorial conditions for to have trivial Z-action, allowing us to compute the truncated cohomology ring, . We also determine several Lie algebras associated to Artin kernels, under certain triviality assumptions on the monodromy Z-action, and establish the 1-formality of these (not necessarily finitely presentable) groups.     

Cohomology rings of multiplicative fibrations

Let p be an odd prime. Let be the fibre space induced from an H-map where K is a generalized Eilenberg MacLane space and X is a simply connected H-space. Such spaces occur frequently in Postnikov towers and connective covers. In this paper, we compute the mod p cohomology of as a ring. The ring depends on the structure of imf^* and the structure of subkerf^* as modules over the Steenrod algebra.     

Localization and duality in topology and modular representation theory

We develop a duality theory for localizations in the context of ring spectra in algebraic topology. We apply this to prove a theorem in the modular representation theory of finite groups.Let G be a finite group and k be an algebraically closed field of characteristic p. If p is a homogeneous nonmaximal prime ideal in H^∗(G,k), then there is an idempotent module κ_p which picks out the layer of the stable module category corresponding to p, and which was used by Benson, Carlson and Rickard [D.J. Benson, J.F. Carlson, J. Rickard, Thick subcategories of the stable module category, Fund. Math. 153 (1997) 59-80] in their development of varieties for infinitely generated kG-modules. Our main theorem states that the Tate cohomology is a shift of the injective hull of H^∗(G,k)/p as a graded H^∗(G,k)-module. Since κ_p can be constructed using a version of the stable Koszul complex, this can be viewed as a statement of localized Gorenstein duality in modular representation theory. Various consequences of this theorem are given, including the statement that the stable endomorphism ring of the module κ_p is the p-completion of cohomology , and the statement that κ_p is a pure injective kG-module.In the course of proving the theorem, we further develop the framework introduced by Dwyer, Greenlees and Iyengar [W.G. Dwyer, J.P.C. Greenlees, S. Iyengar, Duality in algebra and topology, Adv. Math. 200 (2006) 357-402] for translating between the unbounded derived categories and . We also construct a functor to the full stable module category, which extends the usual functor and which preserves Tate cohomology. The main theorem is formulated and proved in , and then translated to and finally to .The main theorem in can be viewed as stating that a version of Gorenstein duality holds after localizing at a prime ideal in H^∗(BG;k). This version of the theorem holds more generally for a compact Lie group satisfying a mild orientation condition. This duality lies behind the local cohomology spectral sequence of Greenlees and Lyubeznik for localizations of H^∗(BG;k).In a companion paper [D.J. Benson, Idempotent kG-modules with injective cohomology, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 212 (7) (2008) 1744-1746], a more recent and shorter proof of the main theorem is given. The more recent proof seems less natural, and does not say anything about localization of the Gorenstein condition for compact Lie groups.     

Some calculations of cohomology groups of finite Alexander quandles

We calculate some quandle cohomology groups; the rational cohomology groups of any finite Alexander quandles, the second cohomology groups with a finite field coefficient of any finite Alexander quandles over a finite fields, and the third cohomology groups of the finite Alexander quandles of the form .     

The coarse shape groups

The (pointed) coarse shape category Sh^* (), having (pointed) topological spaces as objects and having the (pointed) shape category as a subcategory, was recently constructed. Its isomorphisms classify (pointed) topological spaces strictly coarser than the (pointed) shape type classification. In this paper we introduce a new algebraic coarse shape invariant which is an invariant of shape and homotopy, as well. For every pointed space (X,?) and for every k∈N₀, the coarse shape group , having the standard shape group for its subgroup, is defined. Furthermore, a functor is constructed. The coarse shape and shape groups already differ on the class of polyhedra. An explicit formula for computing coarse shape groups of polyhedra is given. The coarse shape groups give us more information than the shape groups. Generally, does not imply (e.g. for solenoids), but from pro-πk(X,?)=0 follows . Moreover, for pointed metric compacta (X,?), the n-shape connectedness is characterized by , for every k?n.     

On the topological Helly theorem

The main result of this paper is the following theorem, related to the missing link in the proof of the topological version of the classical result of Helly: Let be any family of simply connected compact subsets of R² such that for every i,j∈{0,1,2} the intersections Xi∩Xj are path connected and is nonempty. Then for every two points in the intersection there exists a cell-like compactum connecting these two points, in particular the intersection is a connected set.     

Equivariant-constructible Koszul duality for dual toric varieties

For affine toric varieties X and defined by dual cones, we define an equivalence of categories between mixed versions of the equivariant derived category and the derived category of sheaves on which are locally constant with unipotent monodromy on each orbit. This equivalence satisfies the Koszul duality formalism of Beilinson, Ginzburg, and Soergel.     

The realization space of a Π-algebra: a moduli problem in algebraic topology

A Π-algebra A is a graded group with all of the algebraic structure possessed by the homotopy groups of a pointed connected topological space. We study the moduli space R(A) of realizations of A, which is defined to be the disjoint union, indexed by weak equivalence classes of CW-complexes X with , of the classifying space of the monoid of self homotopy equivalences of X. Our approach amounts to a kind of homotopical deformation theory: we obtain a tower whose homotopy limit is R(A), in which the space at the bottom is BAut(A) and the successive fibres are determined by Π-algebra cohomology. (This cohomology is the analog for Π-algebras of the Hochschild cohomology of an associative ring or the André-Quillen cohomology of a commutative ring.) It seems clear that the deformation theory can be applied with little change to study other moduli problems in algebra and topology.     

Homology rings of homotopy associative H-spaces

Let X be a homotopy associative mod p H-space for p an odd prime. The homology H_*(X;Fp) is an associative ring, but not necessarily commutative. We study conditions when for elements of H_*(X;Fp). Under certain conditions imply for l=p−2 or p−1. These methods can be used to prove results about homology commutators that were previously obtained using the adjoint action [H. Hamanaka, S. Hara, A. Kono, Adjoint action of Lie groups on the loop spaces and cohomology of exceptional Lie groups, Transform. Group Theory (1996) 44-50, Korea Adv. Inst. Sci. Tech.; A. Kono, K. Kozima, The adjoint action of a Lie group on the space of loops, J. Math. Soc. Japan 45 (3) (1993) 495-509; A. Kono, J. Lin, O. Nishimura, Characterization of the mod 3 cohomology of E₇, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 131 (10) (2003) 3289-3295]. We also generalize results of Kane [R. Kane, Torsion in homotopy associative H-spaces, Illinois J. Math. 20 (1976) 476-485] to nonfinite mod p homotopy associative H-spaces.     

On the topology of graph picture spaces

We study the space of pictures of a graph G in complex projective d-space. The main result is that the homology groups (with integer coefficients) of are completely determined by the Tutte polynomial of G. One application is a criterion in terms of the Tutte polynomial for independence in the d-parallel matroids studied in combinatorial rigidity theory. For certain special graphs called orchards, the picture space is smooth and has the structure of an iterated projective bundle. We give a Borel presentation of the cohomology ring of the picture space of an orchard, and use this presentation to develop an analogue of the classical Schubert calculus.