An obstruction to embedding right-angled Artin groups in mapping class groups

DOI10.1093/IMRN/RNT064MaRDI QIDQ2929673zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Sang-Hyun Kim, Thomas Koberda

Publication date 14 November 2014

Published in IMRN. International Mathematics Research Notices (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1207.5498

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Braid groups; Artin groups (20F36) Topological methods in group theory (57M07)

Abstract: For every orientable surface of finite negative Euler characteristic, we find a right-angled Artin group of cohomological dimension two which does not embed into the associated mapping class group. For a right-angled Artin group on a graph $gam$ to embed into the mapping class group of a surface $S$, we show that the chromatic number of $gam$ cannot exceed the chromatic number of the clique graph of the curve graph $mathcalC(S)$. Thus, the chromatic number of $gam$ is a global obstruction to embedding the right-angled Artin group $A(gam)$ into the mapping class group $Mod(S)$.

Review text

Let \(\Gamma\) be a finite simplicial graph; a right-angled Artin group (RAAG) is a group \(A(\Gamma)= \{V(\Gamma) : [u,v]=1 \text{ whenever } (u,v) \in E(\Gamma)\}\), where \(V (\Gamma)\) and \(E(\Gamma)\) are the set of vertices and edges of the structure \(\Gamma\) respectively. RAAG's have drawn attention in recent years because they have intrinsic subgroup richness and also because of their relations with cube complexes and their applications.NEWLINENEWLINEIn virtue of this, the main result [Theorem 1.2] of this work has its origins in the question: given a RAAG, \(A(\Gamma)\), how simple can a surface \(S\) be (what is the smallest value of the Euler characteristic \(|\chi (S)|\)), such that there is an embedding of the RAAG of \(\Gamma\) into the mapping class group (MCG) of the surface \(S\), \(A(\Gamma) \rightarrow \text{Mod} (S)\)? A question which is motivated by a preprint by \textit{J. Crisp} and \textit{B. Farb} [``The prevalence of surface groups in mapping class groups, Preprint], by a single question of \textit{B. Farb} (ed.) [Problems on mapping class groups and related topics. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (2006; Zbl 1098.58001)] and also by previous work by the authors. Contrary to the statement of the question the authors provide an obstruction motivated by restrictions on the surface given by \textit{J. S. Birman} et al. [Duke Math. J. 50, 1107--1120 (1983; Zbl 0551.57004)], that the maximal rank of an abelian subgroup in \(\text{Mod} (S)\) is equal to the maximal number of disjoint curves on \(S\), this latter proportional to \(|\chi (S)|\). So, if \(A(\Gamma)\) embeds in \(\text{Mod}(S)\), then the cohomological dimension of \(A(\Gamma)\) is at most equal to the maximal rank of an abelian subgroup of \(\text{Mod}(S)\).NEWLINENEWLINEThe main goal of the work, as stated, is to provide an obstruction from comparing chromatic numbers of the complex \(\Gamma\) and the graph of the complex of curves of some surface. More precisely, given a surface \(S\) with \(0<|\chi (S)|< \infty\), they find an a finite graph, \(\Gamma\), of girth \(\geq M>0\), such that the RAAG of \(\Gamma\) does not embed in \(\text{Mod}(S)\). Assuming that \(A(\Gamma) < \text{Mod}(S)\), then \(\Gamma\) embeds in \(\mathcal{C}(S)_k\), as a subgraph, by Lemma 2.3. And by a theorem of Bestvina-Bromberg-Fujiwara, see [\textit{M. Bestvina} et al., Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 122, 1--64 (2015; Zbl 1372.20029)], \(\mathcal{C}(S)_k\) has finite chromatic number, \(N\), which cannot be exceeded by the chromatic number of \(\Gamma\). Finally, by a theorem of Erdős, there exists a graph \(\Gamma\) of girth \(\geq M >0\) and chromatic number \(>N\). One of the possible applications of these techniques can lead to the future study of the (multi-)curve complexes, or even the topology of 3-manifolds from another perspective.

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Cited in

(15)

• On the complexity of finite subgraphs of the curve graph
• Algorithmic problems in right-angled Artin groups: complexity and applications
• Embeddings of graph braid and surface groups in right-angled Artin groups and braid groups.
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• On the finiteness property of hyperbolic simplicial actions: the right-angled Artin groups and their extension graphs
• Right-angled Artin groups and finite subgraphs of curve graphs
• A remark on homomorphisms from right-angled Artin groups to mapping class groups
• Geometry and Combinatorics via Right-Angled Artin Groups
• Right-angled Artin groups and full subgraphs of graphs
• The geometry of purely loxodromic subgroups of right-angled Artin groups
• Acylindricity of the action of right-angled Artin groups on extension graphs
• Right-angled Artin groups and curve graphs of nonorientable surfaces
• An upper bound of the minimal asymptotic translation length of right-angled Artin groups on extension graphs
• Product set growth in virtual subgroups of mapping class groups
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