We give a necessary and sufficient condition for a 2-dimensional or a three-generator Artin group $A$ to be (virtually) cocompactly cubulated, in terms of the defining graph of $A$.
We give a conjectural classification of virtually cocompactly cubulated Artin-Tits groups (i.e. having a finite index subgroup acting geometrically on a CAT(0) cube complex), which we prove for all Artin-Tits groups of spherical type, FC type or two-dimensional type. A particular case is that for $n geq 4$, the $n$-strand braid group is not virtually cocompactly cubulated.
We show that many 2-dimensional Artin groups are residually finite. This includes 3-generator Artin groups with labels $geq$ 3 where either at least one label is even, or at most one label is equal 3. As a first step towards residual finiteness we show that these Artin groups, and many more, split as free products with amalgamation or HNN extensions of finite rank free groups. Among others, this holds for all large type Artin groups with defining graph admitting an orientation, where each simple cycle is directed.
The Tits Conjecture, proved by Crisp and Paris, states that squares of the standard generators of any Artin group generate an obvious right-angled Artin subgroup. We consider a larger set of elements consisting of all the centers of the irreducible spherical special subgroups of the Artin group, and conjecture that sufficiently large powers of those elements generate an obvious right-angled Artin subgroup. This alleged right-angled Artin subgroup is in some sense as large as possible; its nerve is homeomorphic to the nerve of the ambient Artin group. We verify this conjecture for the class of locally reducible Artin groups, which includes all $2$-dimensional Artin groups, and for spherical Artin groups of any type other than $E_6$, $E_7$, $E_8$. We use our results to conclude that certain Artin groups contain hyperbolic surface subgroups, answering questions of Gordon, Long and Reid.
We show that low-density random quotients of cubulated hyperbolic groups are again cubulated (and hyperbolic). Ingredients of the proof include cubical small-cancellation theory, the exponential growth of conjugacy classes, and the statement that hyperplane stabilizers grow exponentially more slowly than the ambient cubical group.
We show that a triangle Artin group $text{Art}_{MNP}$ where $Mleq Nleq P$ splits as an amalgamated product or an HNN extension of finite rank free groups, provided that either $M>2$, or $N>3$. We also prove that all even three generator Artin groups are residually finite.