Free Crossed Resolutions of Groups and Presentations of Modules of Identities among Relations

crossed modules crossed resolutions generators homotopy groups of cell complexes identities among relations morphisms from groupoids to groups presentations relations

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Resolutions; derived functors (category-theoretic aspects) (18G10) Nonabelian homological algebra (category-theoretic aspects) (18G50) Generators, relations, and presentations of groups (20F05) Homological methods in group theory (20J05) Sets with a single binary operation (groupoids) (20N02) Fundamental group, presentations, free differential calculus (57M05) Topological methods in group theory (57M07)

Abstract: We give formulae for a module presentation of the module of identities among relations for a presentation of a group, in terms of information on 0- and 1-combings of the Cayley graph. This is seen as a special case of extending a partial free crossed resolution of a group given a partial contracting homotopy of its universal cover.

Review text

Let \({\mathcal P}=\langle X\mid\omega\colon R\to F(X)\rangle\) be a presentation of a group \(G\). The paper addresses the problem to determine, in an algorithmic mode, generators and relations for the \(G\)-module \(\pi(\mathcal P)\) of identities among relations. This is a problem which goes back to Reidemeister, as noted by, for example, \textit{R.~Brown} and the reviewer [Low-dimensional topology, Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 48, 153-202 (1982; Zbl 0485.57001)], for \(\mathcal P\). Geometrically, this \(G\)-module is given as \(\pi_2(K(\mathcal P))\), the second homotopy group of the cell complex of the presentation. In the paper, a certain computational procedure is given which, for a presentation \(\mathcal P\), gives a presentation for the \(G\)-module \(\pi(\mathcal P)\). This procedure involves groupoids, the philosophy behind being the observation that morphisms from a groupoid to a group can be a convenient, even necessary, way of combining graphical and group theoretical information. The procedure is then shown to entail two structure results for \(\mathcal P\) in an algorithmic fashion. The first one (Theorem 1.1) gives a system of generators for \(\pi(\mathcal P)\), not necessarily minimal in the sense that a subset thereof may still be generating; these generators may be seen as separation elements in the geometry of what is called the Cayley graph with relators. The second one (Theorem 1.2) gives a \(G\)-module generating set of defining relations for \(\pi(\mathcal P)\) among a suitable generating subset of the generators obtained in Theorem 1.1. It is thereafter shown that these results are special cases of a procedure for extending a partial free crossed resolution, given a partial contracting homotopy of the partial crossed resolution. A number of illustrations involving identities among relations and/or crossed resolutions for suitable finite groups are included as well. Reviewer's remarks. Some historical references could be improved. What are nowadays called Whitehead-Fox derivatives goes back to Reidemeister and his school. In a different language, the information contained in diagram (6) in the paper was known to Reidemeister; references are given in the survey paper of the first author and the reviewer mentioned above. The process of extending a partial free crossed resolution, given a partial contracting homotopy, parallels the construction of ordinary free resolutions by homological perturbation theory, as pointed out in the paper. Related relevant references for the construction of ordinary free resolutions by homological perturbation theory for metacyclic groups and certain nilpotent groups (these references are not given in the paper) are the reviewer's papers [J. Algebra 126, No. 2, 348-399 (1989; Zbl 0696.55024); J. Pure Appl. Algebra 60, No. 1, 53-103 (1989; Zbl 0688.20032); Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 328, No. 1, 1-72 (1991; Zbl 0758.20013)]. These resolutions can be changed into free crossed resolutions.

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