No Arabic abstract
We study Artin-Tits braid groups $mathbb{B}_W$ of type ADE via the action of $mathbb{B}_W$ on the homotopy category $mathcal{K}$ of graded projective zigzag modules (which categorifies the action of the Weyl group $W$ on the root lattice). Following Brav-Thomas, we define a metric on $mathbb{B}_W$ induced by the canonical $t$-structure on $mathcal{K}$, and prove that this metric on $mathbb{B}_W$ agrees with the word-length metric in the canonical generators of the standard positive monoid $mathbb{B}_W^+$ of the braid group. We also define, for each choice of a Coxeter element $c$ in $W$, a baric structure on $mathcal{K}$. We use these baric structures to define metrics on the braid group, and we identify these metrics with the word-length metrics in the Birman-Ko-Lee/Bessis dual generators of the associated dual positive monoid $mathbb{B}_{W.c}^vee$. As consequences, we give new proofs that the standard and dual positive monoids inject into the group, give linear-algebraic solutions to the membership problem in the standard and dual positive monoids, and provide new proofs of the faithfulness of the action of $mathbb{B}_W$ on $mathcal{K}$. Finally, we use the compatibility of the baric and $t$-structures on $mathcal{K}$ to prove a conjecture of Digne and Gobet regarding the canonical word-length of the dual simple generators of ADE braid groups.
We investigate two categorified braid conjugacy class invariants, one coming from Khovanov homology and the other from Heegaard Floer homology. We prove that each yields a solution to the word problem but not the conjugacy problem in the braid group.
The root systems appearing in the theory of Lie superalgebras and Nichols algebras admit a large symmetry extending properly the one coming from the Weyl group. Based on this observation we set up a general framework in which the symmetry object is a groupoid. We prove that in our context the groupoid is generated by reflections and Coxeter relations. This answers a question of Serganova. Our weak version of the exchange condition allows us to prove Matsumotos theorem. Therefore the word problem is solved for the groupoid.
We develop the rewriting theory for monoidal supercategories and 2-supercategories. This extends the theory of higher-dimensional rewriting established for (linear) 2-categories to the super setting, providing a suite of tools for constructing bases and normal forms for 2-supercategories given by generators and relations. We then employ this newly developed theory to prove the non-degeneracy conjecture for the odd categorification of quantum sl(2) from arXiv:1307.7816 and arXiv:1701.04133. As a corollary, this gives a classification of dg-structures on the odd 2-category conjectured in arXiv:1808.04924.
Path algebras are a convenient way of describing decompositions of tensor powers of an object in a tensor category. If the category is braided, one obtains representations of the braid groups $B_n$ for all $nin N$. We say that such representations are rigid if they are determined by the path algebra and the representations of $B_2$. We show that besides the known classical cases also the braid representations for the path algebra for the 7-dimensional representation of $G_2$ satisfies the rigidity condition, provided $B_3$ generates $End(V^{otimes 3})$. We obtain a complete classification of ribbon tensor categories with the fusion rules of $g(G_2)$ if this condition is satisfied.
We show that the mod $ell$ cohomology of any finite group of Lie type in characteristic $p$ different from $ell$ admits the structure of a module over the mod $ell$ cohomology of the free loop space of the classifying space $BG$ of the corresponding compact Lie group $G$, via ring and module structures constructed from string topology, a la Chas-Sullivan. If a certain fundamental class in the homology of the finite group of Lie type is non-trivial, then this module structure becomes free of rank one, and provides a structured isomorphism between the two cohomology rings equipped with the cup product, up to a filtration. We verify the nontriviality of the fundamental class in a range of cases, including all simply connected untwisted classical groups over the field of $q$ elements, with $q$ congruent to 1 mod $ell$. We also show how to deal with twistings and get rid of the congruence condition by replacing $BG$ by a certain $ell$-compact fixed point group depending on the order of $q$ mod $ell$, without changing the finite group. With this modification, we know of no examples where the fundamental class is trivial, raising the possibility of a general structural answer to an open question of Tezuka, who speculated about the existence of an isomorphism between the two cohomology rings.