Discriminantal bundles, arrangement groups, and subdirect products of free groups (Q2210172): Difference between revisions

Discriminantal bundles are constructed as follows. Let \(M(\mathcal{A})\) be the complement of an affine hyperplane arrangement \(\mathcal{A}\) in \(\mathbb{C}^{\ell}\) and \(\mathcal{F} = \{f_1, \dots, f_{\mu}\}\) a family of complex valued continuous functions (generating set) on \(M\) such that the function \(f_i - f_j\), \(i \not= j\), is nowhere zero on \(M(\mathcal{A})\). Then the image of the function \(f = (f_1, \dots , f_{\mu}): M(\mathcal{A}) \to \mathbb{C}^{\ell}\) lies inside the complement \(PB_{\mu} = M(\mathcal{A}_{\mu})\) of the braid arrangement. The projection \(\mathbb{C}^{\mu + k} \to \mathbb{C}^{\mu}\) to the first coordinates induces the Fadell-Neuwirth bundle map \(PB_{\mu + k} \to PB_{\mu}\) with fiber the ordered configuration space of \(k\)-points in the \(k\)-punctured plane \(F_{\mu, k}\). The discriminantal bundle \(p: E_k(\mathcal{A}, \mathcal{F}) \to M(\mathcal{A})\) is the pull-back of the previous bundle using \(f\). Its fiber is again \(F_{\mu, k}\). Also, if \({\pi}_1(F_{\mu, k}) = G_{\mu,k}\), then the fiber is an Eilenberg-McLane space of type \(K(G_{\mu,k}, 1)\). The main purpose of the paper is to derive certain algebraic properties of \({\pi}_1(M(\mathcal{A}))\) using this bundle and the algebraic properties of braid groups. Of particular interest is the construction of faithful representations. The fundamental group \({\pi}_1( E_k(\mathcal{A}, \mathcal{F}))\) is isomorphic to a semidirect product \(G_{\mu,k}\rtimes{\pi}_1(M(\mathcal{A})\) and its is linear if \({\pi}_1(M(\mathcal{A})\) is. Let \(\mathcal{S}\) be a subarrangment of \(\mathcal{A}\) and for each \(S \in \mathcal{S}\), let \(M_S\) be the hyperplane complement defined by \(S\) and \(M = M(\mathcal{A})\). Let \[{\phi}_{\mathcal S} = \prod_{S \in \mathcal{S}}i_S: M \to \prod_{S \in \mathcal{S}}M_S\] the map where each coordinate is the inclusion map. Let \({\rho}_{\mathcal{S}}\) be the map induced by \({\phi}_{\mathcal S}\) on the fundamental groups. In this paper, it is shown, under a local condition, that the kernel of \({\rho}_{\mathcal{S}}\) is generated by images of commutators of the free group on the canonical generators to the \(G = {\pi}_1(M)\). Furthermore conditions are given that guarantee that the map is injective. In the particular case that \(\mathcal{S}\) is of rank two flat or a parallel class in \(\mathcal{A}\), the groups \(G_{\mathcal{S}}\) are isomorphic to \(\mathbb{Z}\times F_{r - 1}\) or to \(F_r\), \(r = |\mathcal{S}|\). So in the case that \(\mathcal{X} \subset 2^{\mathcal{A}}\) is a set of rank two flats and parallel classes, the target of the homomorphism \(\rho_{\mathcal{X}}\) is a right-angled Artin group. Now they give the construction of a bipartite graph \({\Lambda}_{\mathcal{X}}\) with vertices \(\mathcal{X}\cup Y\) (\(Y\) correspond to the canonical generators of \(G\)) and edges \((S_i, y_i)\) with \(y_i \in S_i\). The factors \(\mathbb{Z}\times F_{r - 1}\) are replaced by \(F_{r-1}\), the group \(G\) by the group \(\bar{G} = G/{\langle}z{\rangle}\) where \(z\) is the central element that is the product of the canonical generators and the homomorphism \({\rho}_{\mathcal{X}}\) by the induced homomorphism \(\bar{{\rho}}_{\mathcal{X}}\). It is shown that the image \(\bar{N}_{\mathcal{X}}\) of \(\bar{{\rho}}_{\mathcal{X}}\) is a normal subgroup and the cokernel is abelian isomorphic to \(H^1({\Lambda}_{\mathcal{X}}, \mathbb{Z})\). The authors prove the main algebraic properties of \(\bar{N}_{\mathcal{X}}\). In particular, it is proved that, under the hypotheses that \({\Lambda}_{\mathcal{X}}\) is connected, \(\bar{N}_{\mathcal{X}}\) is of type \(F_{m-1}\) but not of type \(F_m\), where \(m = |\mathcal{X}|\). The authors give examples of their constructions. In particular, for the arrangement given in [\textit{E. A. Bartolo} et al., Groups Geom. Dyn. 9, No. 1, 103--131 (2015; Zbl 1349.14074)] the homomorphism \(\bar{{\rho}}_{\mathcal{X}}\) is a monomorphism and realises \(\bar{G}\) as a Bestvina-Brady group.