Linear motion planning with controlled collisions and pure planar braids (Q2214753)

In the present paper TC\(_s(-)\) (\(s\geq 2\)) denotes the higher topological complexity introduced by \textit{Y. B. Rudyak} [Topology Appl. 157, No. 5, 916--920 (2010; Zbl 1187.55001)]. The case \(\text{TC}_2(-)\) coincides with the Farber's topological complexity \(\text{TC}(-)\). The invariant \(\text{cat}(-)\) means the Lusternik-Schnirelmann category. Note that the authors use the reduced version, i.e., \(\text{TC}_s(X)=0=\text{cat}(X)\) if and only if \(X\) is contractible. For a topological space \(X\), a positive integer \(n\), and for an integer \(k\geq 3\), consider the no-\(k\)-equal ordered configuration space \(\text{Conf}^{(k)}(X,n)\) consisting of the \(n\)-tuples \((x_1,\ldots,x_n)\in X^n\) for which no set \(\{x_{i_1},\ldots,x_{i_k}\}, \text{ with } i_j\neq i_l \text{ for } j\neq l, \text{ is a singleton}.\) In the present paper, the authors compute the topological complexity, TC, of \(\text{Conf}^{(k)}(\mathbb R,n)\). Specifically, they show the following statement. Theorem 1.1. Let \(k\geq 3\). The Lusternik-Schnirelmann category and the topological complexity of \(\text{Conf}^{(k)}(\mathbb R,n)\) are given by \(\text{cat}(\text{Conf}^{(k)}(\mathbb R,n))=\lfloor n/k\rfloor\), the integral part of \(n/k\), and \[\text{TC}(\text{Conf}^{(k)}(\mathbb R,n))=\left\{ \begin{array}{lcl} 0,& &\hbox{ \(n<k\);}\\ 1,& &\hbox{ \(n=k\) with \(k\) odd;}\\ 2,& &\hbox{ \(n=k\) with \(k\) even;}\\ 2\lfloor n/k\rfloor,& &\hbox{ \(n>k\).} \end{array}\right. \] Furthermore, they compute the higher topological complexity \(\text{TC}_s(\text{Conf}^{(k)}(\mathbb R,n))\), for any \(s>2\). Corollary 4.1. For \(s>2\), \[\text{TC}_s(\text{Conf}^{(k)}(\mathbb R,n))=\begin{cases} 0,& \hbox{ \(n<k\);}\\ s-1,& \hbox{ \(n=k\) with \(k\) odd;}\\ s,& \hbox{ \(n=k\) with \(k\) even;}\\ s\lfloor n/k\rfloor,& \hbox{ \(n>k\).} \end{cases} \]