Quandle cohomology, extensions and automorphisms (Q2042942)

The paper establishes several new connections between quandle homology, extensions of quandles and automorphism groups of quandles. The authors present a new theory of quandle extensions that generalizes the known extension theories, in particular those related to dynamical cocycles defined in [\textit{N. Andruskiewitsch} and \textit{M. Graña}, Adv. Math. 178, No. 2, 177--243 (2003; Zbl 1032.16028)]. For a quandle \(X\) and a set \(S\), a key result is the existence of a group action from \(Aut(X)\times Sym_X\) on the second cohomology group \(H^2(X,S)\) defined in [loc. cit.]. Using this action the authors then obtain a four term exact sequence relating a certain group of automorphisms of a quandle extension of \(X\) by the set \(S\) and \(H^2(X;S)\). Note that these results take a particular simpler form in the case of abelian extensions of quandles. Finally, the authors show natural group homomorphisms from the second group cohomology of a group to the second quandle cohomology of its core and conjugation quandles.