Generalized small cancellation conditions, non-positive curvature and diagrammatic reducibility

We present a metric condition $\TTMetric$ which describes the geometry of classical small cancellation groups and applies also to other known classes of groups such as two-dimensional Artin groups. We prove that presentations satisfying condition $\TTMetric$ are diagrammatically reducible in the sense of Sieradski and Gersten. In particular, we deduce that the standard presentation of an Artin group is aspherical if and only if it is diagrammatically reducible. We show that, under some extra hypotheses, $\TTMetric$ -groups have quadratic Dehn functions and solvable conjugacy problem. In the spirit of Greendlinger's lemma, we prove that if a presentation P = 〈X| R〉 of group G satisfies conditions $\TTMetric -C'(\frac {1}{2})$ , the length of any nontrivial word in the free group generated by X representing the trivial element in G is at least that of the shortest relator. We also introduce a strict metric condition $\TTMetricStrict$ , which implies hyperbolicity.

On the hit problem for the unstable $\mathscr A$-module $\mathcal P_5 = H^*((K(\mathbb F_2, 1))^{\times 5}, \mathbb F_2)$ and application

Let us consider the prime field of two elements, $\mathbb F_2.$ One of the open problems in Algebraic topology is the hit problem for a module over the mod 2 Steenrod algebra $\mathscr A$. More specifically, this problem asks a minimal set of generators for the polynomial algebra $\mathcal P_m:=\mathbb F_2[x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_m]$ regarded as a connected unstable $\mathscr A$-module on $m$ variables $x_1, \ldots, x_m,$ each of degree one. The algebra $\mathcal P_m$ is the cohomology with $\mathbb F_2$-coefficients of the product of $m$ copies of the Eilenberg-MacLan space of type $(\mathbb F_2, 1).$ The hit problem has been thoroughly studied for 35 years in a variety of contexts by many authors and completely solved for $m\leq 4.$ Furthermore, it has been closely related to some classical problems in the homotopy theory and applied in studying the $m$-th Singer algebraic transfer $Tr^{\mathscr A}_m$ \cite{W.S1}. This transfer is one of the useful tools for studying the Adams $E^{2}$-term, ${\rm Ext}_{\mathscr A}^{*, *}(\mathbb F_2, \mathbb F_2) = H^{*, *}(\mathscr A, \mathbb F_2).$The aim of this work is to continue our study of the hit problem of five variables. At the same time, this result will be applied to the investigation of the fifth transfer of Singer and the modular representation of the general linear group of rank 5 over $\mathbb F_2.$ More precisely, we grew out of a previous result of us in \cite{D.P3} on the hit problem for $\mathscr A$-module $\mathcal P_5$ in the generic degree $5(2^t-1) + 18.2^t$ with $t$ an arbitrary non-negative integer. The result confirms Sum's conjecture \cite{N.S2} on the relation between the minimal set of $\mathscr A$-generators for the polynomial algebras $\mathcal P_{m-1}$ and $\mathcal P_{m}$ in the case $m=5$ and the above generic degree. Moreover, by using our result \cite{D.P3} and a presentation in the $\lambda$-algebra of $Tr_5^{\mathscr A}$, we show that the non-trivial element $h_1e_0 = h_0f_0\in {\rm Ext}_{\mathscr A}^{5, 5+(5(2^0-1) + 18.2^0)}(\mathbb F_2, \mathbb F_2)$ is in the image of the fifth transfer and that $Tr^{\mathscr A}_5$ is an isomorphism in the bidegree $(5, 5+(5(2^0-1) + 18.2^0)).$ In addition, the behavior of $Tr^{\mathscr A}_5$ in the bidegree $(5, 5+(5(2^t-1) + 18.2^t))$ when $t\geq 1$ was also discussed. This method is different from that of Singer in studying the image of the algebraic transfer.

On the minimal degree of a transitive permutation group with stabilizer a 2-group

The minimal degree of a permutation group 𝐺 is defined as the minimal number of non-fixed points of a non-trivial element of 𝐺. In this paper, we show that if 𝐺 is a transitive permutation group of degree 𝑛 having no non-trivial normal 2-subgroups such that the stabilizer of a point is a 2-group, then the minimal degree of 𝐺 is at least \frac{2}{3}n. The proof depends on the classification of finite simple groups.

PGL2(q) cannot be determined by its cs

For a finite group G, let Z(G) denote the center of G and cs*(G) be the set of non-trivial conjugacy class sizes of G. In this paper, we show that if G is a finite group such that for some odd prime power q ? 4, cs*(G) = cs*(PGL2(q)), then either G ? PGL2(q) X Z(G) or G contains a normal subgroup N and a non-trivial element t ? G such that N ? PSL2(q)X Z(G), t2 ? N and G = N. ?t?. This shows that the almost simple groups cannot be determined by their set of conjugacy class sizes (up to an abelian direct factor).

Mixed threefolds isogenous to a product

In this paper, we study threefolds isogenous to a product of mixed type i.e. quotients of a product of three compact Riemann surfaces [Formula: see text] of genus at least two by the action of a finite group [Formula: see text], which is free, but not diagonal. In particular, we are interested in the systematic construction and classification of these varieties. Our main result is the full classification of threefolds isogenous to a product of mixed type with [Formula: see text] in the absolutely faithful case, i.e. any automorphism in [Formula: see text], which restricts to the trivial element in [Formula: see text] for some [Formula: see text], is the identity on the product. Since the holomorphic Euler–Poincaré-characteristic of a smooth threefold of general type with ample canonical class is always negative, these examples lie on the boundary, in the sense of threefold geography. To achieve our result we use techniques from computational group theory. Indeed, we develop a MAGMA algorithm to classify these threefolds for any given value of [Formula: see text] in the absolutely faithful case.

Balanced finite presentations of the trivial group

We construct a sequence of balanced finite presentations of the trivial group with two generators and two relators with the following property: The minimal number of relations required to demonstrate that a generator represents the trivial element grows faster than the tower of exponentials of any fixed height of the length of the finite presentation.

Inversion is Possible in Groups with no Periodic Automorphisms

There exist infinite finitely presented torsion-free groups G such that Aut(G) and Out(G) are torsion free but G has an automorphism sending some non-trivial element to its inverse.

On the length of the shortest non-trivial element in the derived and the lower central series

We provide upper and lower bounds on the length of the shortest non-trivial element in the derived series and lower central series in the free group on two generators. The techniques are used to provide new estimates on the nilpotent residual finiteness growth and on almost laws for compact groups.

ON THE LOCAL-INDICABILITY COHEN–LYNDON THEOREM

For a group H and a subset X of H, we let HX denote the set {hxh−1 | h ∈ H, x ∈ X}, and when X is a free-generating set of H, we say that the set HX is a Whitehead subset of H. For a group F and an element r of F, we say that r is Cohen–Lyndon aspherical in F if F{r} is a Whitehead subset of the subgroup of F that is generated by F{r}. In 1963, Cohen and Lyndon (D. E. Cohen and R. C. Lyndon, Free bases for normal subgroups of free groups, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 108 (1963), 526–537) independently showed that in each free group each non-trivial element is Cohen–Lyndon aspherical. Their proof used the celebrated induction method devised by Magnus in 1930 to study one-relator groups. In 1987, Edjvet and Howie (M. Edjvet and J. Howie, A Cohen–Lyndon theorem for free products of locally indicable groups, J. Pure Appl. Algebra45 (1987), 41–44) showed that if A and B are locally indicable groups, then each cyclically reduced element of A*B that does not lie in A ∪ B is Cohen–Lyndon aspherical in A*B. Their proof used the original Cohen–Lyndon theorem. Using Bass–Serre theory, the original Cohen–Lyndon theorem and the Edjvet–Howie theorem, one can deduce the local-indicability Cohen–Lyndon theorem: if F is a locally indicable group and T is an F-tree with trivial edge stabilisers, then each element of F that fixes no vertex of T is Cohen–Lyndon aspherical in F. Conversely, by Bass–Serre theory, the original Cohen–Lyndon theorem and the Edjvet–Howie theorem are immediate consequences of the local-indicability Cohen–Lyndon theorem. In this paper we give a detailed review of a Bass–Serre theoretical form of Howie induction and arrange the arguments of Edjvet and Howie into a Howie-inductive proof of the local-indicability Cohen–Lyndon theorem that uses neither Magnus induction nor the original Cohen–Lyndon theorem. We conclude with a review of some standard applications of Cohen–Lyndon asphericity.

Infinitesimal Invariant and vector bundles

We study the Saito-Ikeda infinitesimal invariant of the cycle defined by curves in their Jacobians using rank k + 1 vector bundles. We give a criterion for which the higher cycle class map is not trivial. When k = 2, this turns out to be strictly linked to the Petri map for vector bundles. In this case we can improve a result of Ikeda: an explicit construction on a curve of genus g ≥ 10 shows the existence of a non trivial element in the higher Griffiths group.