Algebraic invariants of orbit configuration spaces in genus zero associated to finite groups (Q2230906)

For an integer \(n \ge 1\), the configuration space of \(n\) ordered points of a topological space \(M\) is defined as the space: \[ C_n(M) := \{(p_1, \dots, p_n) \in M \mid p_i \neq p_j, \text{ for \(i \neq j\)}\}. \] Let \(H\) be a group acting continuously on \(M\). Then an orbit configuration space is defined as the set: \[ C^H_n (M) := \{(p_1, \dots, p_n) \in M \mid p_i \neq h . p_j, \text{ for \(i \neq j\) and \(h \in H\)}\}. \] The author considers orbit configuration spaces associated to finite groups acting freely by orientation preserving homeomorphisms on the 2-sphere minus a finite number of points (eventually none). The author computes the cohomology ring and the Poincaré series of these spaces. This generalizes the work of V. Arnold for ``classical'' configuration spaces of points of the plane, see [\textit{V. I. Arnol'd}, Math. Notes 5, 138--140 (1969; Zbl 0277.55002); translation from Mat. Zametki 5, 227--231 (1969)]. Let \(Y\) be a finite set of points of \(S^2\) and \(H\) a finite group acting freely by orientation preserving homeomorphisms on \(S^2 \setminus Y\). The author considers the orbit configuration spaces \(C^H_n(S^2 \setminus Y)\). Under these assumptions, the action of \(H\) on \(S^2 \setminus Y\) is equivalent to the natural action of a finite homography group \(G \subset PGL(\mathbb{C}^2)\) (isomorphic to \(H\)) on \(\mathbb{C}P^1 \setminus Z\), where \(\mathbb{C}P^1 \simeq S^2\) is the complex projective line and \(Z\) is a finite \(G\)-stable set containing the irregular points of \(G\) (points with non-trivial stabilizer). The results imply that the spaces we consider are formal in the sense of rational homotopy theory. The author also proves the existence of an LCS (Lower Central Series) formula relating the Poincaré series of such spaces to the ranks of quotients of successive terms of the lower central series of their fundamental group. Such formula is known for the spaces studied by V. Arnold, where fundamental groups are Artin pure braid groups. The main results of the paper are stated in Section 0.2 of the paper as follows: For \(R \subset \mathbb{C}\) a unital ring, \(X_n := C^G_n (\mathbb{C}P^1 \setminus Z)\) and \((G, Z) \neq (\{1\}, \emptyset)\) \begin{itemize} \item[1)] The singular cohomology ring \(H^*(X_n, R)\) is isomorphic to the \(R\)-subalgebra \(\Omega^*_D (X_n)_R\) of holomorphic (in fact algebraic) closed forms generated by logarithmic \(1\)-forms \(\{\omega_a\}_a\) (having integer periods) corresponding to the irreducible components \(\{D_a\}_a\) of \((\mathbb{C}P^1)^n \setminus X_n\). The isomorphism is induced by integration of forms on homology classes. \item[2)] The homology and cohomology groups of \(X_n\) with coefficients in \(R\) are free \(R\)-modules of finite type and the Poincaré series \(P_{X_n}\) of \(X_n\) is given by: \[ P_{X_n} (t) = \prod_{k =1}^n (1 + \alpha_k \,t), \] where \(\alpha_k = |G|(k - 1) + |Z| - 1\). \item[3)] The space \(X_n\) is formal in the sense of rational homotopy. \item[4)] The space \(X_n\) is a \(K (\pi, 1)\) space. \item[5)] The fundamental group \(\pi_1 (X_n)\) of \(X_n\) is an iterated almost direct product of free groups (as defined in the Subsection 1.3 of the paper) and the ranks of the abelian groups \(\Gamma_i \pi_1 X_n / \Gamma_{i+1} \pi_1 X_n\) corresponding to the lower central series filtration \(\{\Gamma_i \pi_1 X_n\}\) of \(\pi_1 X_n\) can be related to the Poincaré series of \(X_n\) by the LCS formula: \[ P_{X_n} (- t) = \prod_{i \ge 1} (1 - t^i)^{\phi_i (\pi_1 X_n)} , \] where \(\phi_i (\pi_1 X_n)\) is the rank \(\Gamma_i \pi_1 X_n / \Gamma_{i+1} \pi_1 X_n\), and for which the author gives an explicit formula. \end{itemize} For the case \((G, Z) = (\{1\}, \emptyset)\), i.e. \(X_n := C^G_n (\mathbb{C}P^1) = C^G_n (S^2)\), the cohomology ring was computed in [\textit{E. M. Feichtner} and \textit{G. M. Ziegler}, Doc. Math. 5, 115--139 (2000; Zbl 0992.55014)]. The author shows in Subsections 4.2 and 5.2 of the paper that: \begin{itemize} \item[6)] The space \(C_n (\mathbb{C}P^1)\) is formal and he constructs a subalgebra of closed differential forms isomorphic via integration to \(H^*(C_n (\mathbb{C}P^1), R)\) for \(\frac{1}{2} \in R\) and \(R\) a principal ideal domain. \item[7)] He gives an LCS formula relating the Poincaré series (that factors into a product of linear terms) to the ranks \(\phi_i (\pi_1 X_n)\) of the abelian groups \(\Gamma_i \pi_1 X_n / \Gamma_{i+1} \pi_1 X_n\) for which he gives an explicit formula. \end{itemize} The author gives an introduction in which he gives references of the previous works on orbit configuration spaces and how his contribution extends these works. He organizes the paper elaborately, devoting the first three sections to recalling all the essential definitions of terms and concepts used in the paper, and sections four and five for giving the proofs of the main results of the paper. In an appendix the author considers a closed oriented surface \(S\) and proves that if \( Y \subset S\) is finite (eventually empty) and \(H\) is a finite group acting by orientation preserving homeomorphisms on \(S \setminus Y\), then the action of \(H\) extends to an action on \(S\) and there exists a complex structure on \(S\) in which \(H\) acts holomorphically. A few typos are noticed, which the careful reader would locate and correct, for example, On page 7 line 5 \(g a_{H'} (f \times g) = a_H\) should be \(g^{-1} a_{H'} (f \times g) = a_H\). On page 8, in the statement of Theorem 2.1, the first sentence is incomplete, it should continue with a `comma' to the second sentence. The reviewer however did not attempt to list all typos.