Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Abstract:
We define the braid groups of a two-dimensional orbifold and introduce conventions for drawing braid pictures. We use these to realize the Artin groups associated to the spherical Coxeter diagrams , and and the affine diagrams , , and as subgroups of the braid groups of various simple orbifolds. The cases , , and are new. In each case the Artin group is a normal subgroup with abelian quotient; in all cases except the quotient is finite. We also illustrate the value of our braid calculus by giving a picture-proof of the basic properties of the Garside element of an Artin group of type .