Generalized braid groups and rigidity (Q1895639)

Here a kind of generalization of the rigidity criterion for realizations of finite groups as Galois groups is introduced. Let \(G\) be a finite group, and let \(w_1, \dots, w_q\) be free words in \(l\) letters. An \(l\)-tuple of conjugacy classes \({\mathcal C} = (C_1, \dots, C_l)\) of \(G\) is called rigid with respect to \(\{w_i\}_{i \leq i \leq q}\), if the set \[ \bigl \{{\mathbf g} \in C_1 \times \cdots \times C_l \mid \langle {\mathbf g} \rangle = G,\;w_i ({\mathbf g}) = 1\;(1 \leq i \leq q) \bigr\} \] is nonempty and transitive under the diagonal inner action by \(G\). If the fundamental group of an open subvariety \(X\) of the projective space \(\mathbb{P}^n\) has a presentation by the relations \(w_1 = \cdots = w_q = 1\) with generators by ``simple loops'' around divisors of \(\mathbb{P}^n \backslash X\), then the usual rigidity argument for descending fields of definition of covers can be applied for the natural \(G\)-cover over \(X\). Applications are suggested for finite Coxeter groups appearing as quotients of generalized braid groups of Brieskorn via the reflection representations of the associated Hecke algebras.