Multifraction reduction. I: The 3-Ore case and Artin-Tits groups of type FC. (Q528824)

Summary: We describe a new approach to the word problem for Artin-Tits groups and, more generally, for the enveloping group \(\mathcal U (M)\) of a monoid \(M\) in which any two elements admit a greatest common divisor. The method relies on a rewrite system \(\mathcal R_M\) that extends free reduction for free groups. Here we show that, if \(M\) satisfies what we call the 3-Ore condition about common multiples, what corresponds to type FC in the case of Artin-Tits monoids, then the system \(\mathcal R_M\) is convergent. Under this assumption, we obtain a unique representation result for the elements of \(\mathcal U (M)\), extending Ore's theorem for groups of fractions and leading to a solution of the word problem of a new type. We also show that there exist universal shapes for the van Kampen diagrams of the words representing 1.