Graph homotopy and Graham homotopy

Simple-homotopy for cell complexes is a special type of topological homotopy constructed by elementary collapses and elementary expansions. In this paper, we introduce graph homotopy for graphs and Graham homotopy for hypergraphs and study the relation between the two homotopies and the simple-homotopy for cell complexes. The graph homotopy is useful to describe topological properties of discretized geometric figures, while the Graham homotopy is essential to characterize acyclic hypergraphs and acyclic relational database schemes.     

Fundamental group of homotopy colimits

We give a general version of theorems due to Seifert-van Kampen and Brown about the fundamental group of topological spaces. We consider here the fundamental group of a general homotopy colimit of spaces. This includes unions, direct limits and quotient spaces as special cases. The fundamental group of the homotopy colimit is determined by the induced diagram of fundamental groupoids via a simple commutation formula. We use this framework to discuss homotopy (co-)limits of groups and groupoids as well as the useful Classification Lemma 6.4. Immediate consequences include the fundamental group of a quotient spaces by a group action and of more general colimits. The Bass-Serre and Haefliger's decompositions of groups acting on simplicial complexes is shown to follow effortlessly. An algebraic notion of the homotopy colimit of a diagram of groups is treated in some detail.     

Permutation statistics on the alternating group

Let A_nS_n denote the alternating and the symmetric groups on 1,…,n. MacMahon's theorem [P.A. MacMahon, Combinatory Analysis I–II, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1916], about the equi-distribution of the length and the major indices in S_n, has received far reaching refinements and generalizations, by Foata [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 19 (1968) 236], Carlitz [Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 76 (1954) 332; Amer. Math. Monthly 82 (1975) 51], Foata-Schützenberger [Math. Nachr. 83 (1978) 143], Garsia–Gessel [Adv. Math. 31 (1979) 288] and followers. Our main goal is to find analogous statistics and identities for the alternating group A_n. A new statistics for S_n, the delent number, is introduced. This new statistics is involved with new S_n identities, refining some of the results in [D. Foata, M.P. Schützenberger, Math. Nachr. 83 (1978) 143; A.M. Garsia, I. Gessel, Adv. Math. 31 (1979) 288]. By a certain covering map , such S_n identities are ‘lifted’ to A_n+1, yielding the corresponding A_n+1 equi-distribution identities.     

The cohomology of homotopy categories and the general linear group

A homotopy categoryC (of co-H-groups resp.H-groups) represents an element C in the third cohomology ofC. This element determines all Toda brackets and secondary homotopy operations inC. Moreover, in caseC =VS ⁿ consists of all one-point unions ofn-spheres, the bracket is actually a /2-generator which restricts to Igusa's class(1) in casen3; an explicit new cocycle for(1) is obtained by automorphisms of free nil(2)-groups.     

On the homotopy of the stable mapping class group

By considering all surfaces and their mapping class groups at once, it is shown that the classifying space of the stable mapping class group after plus construction, BΓ_∞ ⁺, has the homotopy type of an infinite loop space. The main new tool is a generalized group completion theorem for simplicial categories. The first deloop of BΓ_∞ ⁺ coincides with that of Miller [M] induced by the pairs of pants multiplication. The classical representation of the mapping class group onto Siegel's modular group is shown to induce a map of infinite loop spaces from BΓ_∞ ⁺ to K-theory. It is then a direct consequence of a theorem by Charney and Cohen [CC] that there is a space Y such that BΓ_∞ ⁺≃Im J _(1/2)×Y, where Im J _(1/2) is the image of J localized away from the prime 2. Oblatum 23-X-1995 &19-XI-1996     

On the group of homotopy equivalences of a manifold

We consider the group of homotopy equivalences of a simply connected manifold which is part of the fundamental extension of groups due to Barcus-Barratt. We show that the kernel of this extension is always a finite group and we compute this kernel for various examples. This leads to computations of the group for special manifolds , for example if is a connected sum of products of spheres. In particular the group is determined completely. Also the connection of with the group of isotopy classes of diffeomorphisms of is studied.

     

Linear maps leaving the alternating group invariant

Let A_n be the group of n×n even permutation matrices, and let V_n be the real linear space spanned by A_n. The purpose of this note is to characterize those linear operators φ on V_n satisfying φ(A_n)=A_n. This answers a question raised by C.K. Li, B.S. Tam, N.K. Tsing [Linear Algebra Appl., to appear].     

Generating the alternating group by cyclic triples

It is shown that a collection of circular permutations of length three on an n-set generates the alternating group A_n if and only if the associated graph is connected. It follows that [$\text{1}\text{2}\text{n}$] circular permutations of length three may generateA_n.     

On self-normality and abnormality in the alternating group Ap

An old problem proposed by Huppert, Doerk and Hawkes motivates us to investigate the relationship between an abnormal subgroup and self-normalizing in non-solvable groups. A subgroup H of a group G is called second maximal if H is maximal in all maximal subgroups of G containing H. Our result is that if H is a second maximal subgroup of the alternating group A_p of prime degree, then H is abnormal in A_p if and only if H is self-normalizing.     

On the homotopy type of CW-complexes with aspherical fundamental group

This paper is concerned with the homotopy type distinction of finite CW-complexes. A (G,n)-complex is a finite n-dimensional CW-complex with fundamental-group G and vanishing higher homotopy-groups up to dimension n−1. In case G is an n-dimensional group there is a unique (up to homotopy) (G,n)-complex on the minimal Euler-characteristic level χmin(G,n). For every n we give examples of n-dimensional groups G for which there exist homotopically distinct (G,n)-complexes on the level χmin(G,n)+1. In the case where n=2 these examples are algebraic.     

Reflection classes whose cubes cover the alternating group

A reflection class (REC) over a finite set A is a conjugacy class of a reflection (permutation of order ? 2) of A. It was known that for no REC X, X² = Alt(n) holds, and that for some RECs X, X⁴ = Alt(n) holds (n ? 5). Let i > 0, and let c(θ) denote the number of cycles of θ?S(n). Let X_i = {ψ ∈ S(n): ψ² = 1, ψ has exactly i fixed points}. We prove that θ?X_i³ if and only if: (1) i ≡ n (mod 2); (2) The parity of X_i equals the parity of θ; and (3) $\text{i ?}\text{1}\text{3}\text{(n + 2 c(θ))}$. As a consequence, {X: X is a REC, X³ = Alt(n)} and {X: X is a REC, X³ = S(n) ? Alt(n)} are determined.