When does the associated graded Lie algebra of an arrangement group decompose?

Let \A be a complex hyperplane arrangement, with fundamental group G and holonomy Lie algebra \H. Suppose \H_3 is a free abelian group of minimum possible rank, given the values the M\"obius function \mu: \L_2\to \Z takes on the rank 2 flats of \A. Then the associated graded Lie algebra of G decomposes (in degrees 2 and higher) as a direct product of free Lie algebras. In particular, the ranks of the lower central series quotients of the group are given by \phi_r(G)=\sum_{X\in \L_2} \phi_r(F_{\mu(X)}), for r\ge 2. We illustrate this new Lower Central Series formula with several families of examples.Comment: 14 pages, accepted for publication by Commentarii Mathematici Helvetic

Arithmetic group symmetry and finiteness properties of Torelli groups

We examine groups whose resonance varieties, characteristic varieties and Sigma-invariants have a natural arithmetic group symmetry, and we explore implications on various finiteness properties of subgroups. We compute resonance varieties, characteristic varieties and Alexander polynomials of Torelli groups, and we show that all subgroups containing the Johnson kernel have finite first Betti number, when the genus is at least four. We also prove that, in this range, the $I$-adic completion of the Alexander invariant is finite-dimensional, and the Kahler property for the Torelli group implies the finite generation of the Johnson kernel.Comment: Updated references, to appear in Ann. of Mat

Universal representations of braid and braid-permutation groups

Drinfel'd used associators to construct families of universal representations of braid groups. We consider semi-associators (i.e., we drop the pentagonal axiom and impose a normalization in degree one). We show that the process may be reversed, to obtain semi-associators from universal representations of 3-braids. We view braid groups as subgroups of braid-permutation groups. We construct a family of universal representations of braid-permutation groups, without using associators. All representations in the family are faithful, defined over \bbQ by simple explicit formulae. We show that they give universal Vassiliev-type invariants for braid-permutation groups.Comment: 19 pages, references adde

Equivariant chain complexes, twisted homology and relative minimality of arrangements

We show that the equivariant chain complex associated to a minimal CW-structure X on the complement M(A) of a hyperplane arrangement A, is independent of X. When A is a sufficiently general linear section of an aspheric arrangement, we explain a new way for computing the twisted homology of M(A).Comment: 22 page

Nonabelian cohomology jump loci from an analytic viewpoint

For a topological space, we investigate its cohomology support loci, sitting inside varieties of (nonabelian) representations of the fundamental group. To do this, for a CDG (commutative differential graded) algebra, we define its cohomology jump loci, sitting inside varieties of (algebraic) flat connections. We prove that the analytic germs at the origin 1 of representation varieties are determined by the Sullivan 1-minimal model of the space. Under mild finiteness assumptions, we show that, up to a degree $q$, the two types of jump loci have the same analytic germs at the origins, when the space and the algebra have the same $q$-minimal model. We apply this general approach to formal spaces (for which we establish the degeneration of the Farber-Novikov spectral sequence), quasi-projective manifolds, and finitely generated nilpotent groups. When the CDG algebra has positive weights, we elucidate some of the structure of (rank one complex) topological and algebraic jump loci: up to degree $q$, all their irreducible components passing through the origin are connected affine subtori, respectively rational linear subspaces. Furthermore, the global exponential map sends all algebraic cohomology jump loci, up to degree $q$, into their topological counterpart.Comment: New Corollary 1.7 added and Theorem D. strengthened. Final version, to appear in Communications in Contemporary Mathematic

Algebraic invariants for Bestvina-Brady groups

Bestvina-Brady groups arise as kernels of length homomorphisms from right-angled Artin groups G_\G to the integers. Under some connectivity assumptions on the flag complex \Delta_\G, we compute several algebraic invariants of such a group N_\G, directly from the underlying graph \G. As an application, we give examples of Bestvina-Brady groups which are not isomorphic to any Artin group or arrangement group.Comment: 22 pages, accepted for publication in the Journal of the London Mathematical Societ