The homotopy type of Artin groups (Q1902190)

The author considers quotients of polytopes \(Q_W\) that are the cellular dual to the intersection of the unit sphere with the arrangement of reflecting hyperplanes of (finite) Coxeter groups \(W\). As the main result these quotients are shown to be homotopic to the classifying space of the Artin braid group \(G_W\) corresponding to \(W\). In case the Coxeter group is the symmetric group \(W = S_n\) the polytope \(Q_W\) is the permutahedron and the result and construction described by the author is well known [see \textit{J. Carlsson} and \textit{J. Milgram} in ``Handbook of algebraic topology'', I. M. James (ed.), North Holland, 505-583 (1995)]. In general, the Coxeter group \(W\) acts on the polytope \(Q_W\). The quotient is constructed as follows: Fix a chamber \(C\) in the complement of the arrangement of reflecting hyperplanes of the Coxeter group. For each face \(F\) of the polytope choose the shortest word \(\gamma_F\) in the Coxeter group -- shortest with respect to the number of Coxeter generators in a representation as a reduced word -- such that \(\gamma_F^{-1} (F) \cap C \neq \emptyset\). Then identify two faces \(F\), \(F'\) of the polytope that lie in the same \(W\)-orbit by the homeomorphism induced by \(\gamma_F^{-1} \gamma_{F'}\). The main result of the paper states that the quotient \(X_W\) of the polytope \(Q_W\) by the described construction is homotopic to the classifying space of the Artin braid group corresponding to \(W\). The author shows this by establishing a homotopy equivalence of \(X_W\) to the complement of the complexified reflection arrangement corresponding to \(W\). By results of Brieskorn and Deligne from the early 70's the later space is the classifying space of the Artin braid group corresponding to \(W\), if \(W\) is a finite Coxeter group. The author states that the homotopy equivalence between \(X_W\) and the complement of the complexified reflection arrangement also works for affine Coxeter groups. Using more recent results by \textit{R. Charney} and \textit{M. W. Davis} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 8, No. 3, 597-627 (1995; Zbl 0833.51006)] this would imply that \(X_W\) is homotopic to the classifying space also for affine Coxeter groups. As an application of his results for finite Coxeter groups the author provides cohomology computations with constant or local system coefficients.