Monoids of O-type, subword reversing, and ordered groups

We describe a simple scheme for constructing finitely generated monoids in which left-divisibility is a linear ordering and for practically investigating these monoids. The approach is based on subword reversing, a general method of combinatorial group theory, and connected with Garside theory, here in a non-Noetherian context. As an application we describe several families of ordered groups whose space of left-invariant orderings has an isolated point, including torus knot groups and some of their amalgamated products.Comment: updated version with new result

Almost commensurability of 3-dimensional Anosov flows

Two flows are topologically almost commensurable if, up to removing finitely many periodic orbits and taking finite coverings, they are topologically equivalent. We prove that all suspensions of automorphisms of the 2-dimensional torus and all geodesic flows on unit tangent bundles to hyperbolic 2-orbifolds are pairwise almost commensurable.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

The group of fractions of a torsion free lcm monoid is torsion free

We improve and shorten the argument given in(Journal of Algebra, vol.~210 (1998) pp~291--297). Inparticular, the fact that Artin braid groups are torsion free now follows from Garside\'s results almost immediately

On the rotation distance between binary trees

We develop combinatorial methods for computing the rotation distance between binary trees, i.e., equivalently, the flip distance between triangulations of a polygon. As an application, we prove that, for each n, there exist size n trees at distance 2n - O(sqrt(n))

Multifraction reduction I: The 3-Ore case and Artin-Tits groups of type FC

We describe a new approach to the Word Problem for Artin-Tits groups and, more generally, for the enveloping group U(M) of a monoid M in which any two elements admit a greatest common divisor. The method relies on a rewrite system R(M) that extends free reduction for free groups. Here we show that, if M satisfies what we call the 3-Ore condition about common multiples, what corresponds to type FC in the case of Artin-Tits monoids, then the system R(M) is convergent. Under this assumption, we obtain a unique representation result for the elements of U(M), extending Ore's theorem for groups of fractions and leading to a solution of the Word Problem of a new type. We also show that there exist universal shapes for the van Kampen diagrams of the words representing 1.Comment: 29 pages ; v2 : cross-references updated ; v3 : typos corrected; final version due to appear in Journal of Combinatorial Algebr

Some aspects of the SD-world

We survey a few of the many results now known about the self-distributivity law and selfdistributive structures, with a special emphasis on the associated word problems and the algorithms solving them in good cases

Tamari Lattices and the symmetric Thompson monoid

We investigate the connection between Tamari lattices and the Thompson group F, summarized in the fact that F is a group of fractions for a certain monoid F+sym whose Cayley graph includes all Tamari lattices. Under this correspondence, the Tamari lattice operations are the counterparts of the least common multiple and greatest common divisor operations in F+sym. As an application, we show that, for every n, there exists a length l chain in the nth Tamari lattice whose endpoints are at distance at most 12l/n.Comment: 35page

The Braid Shelf

The braids of $B\_\infty$ can be equipped with a selfdistributive operation $\mathbin{\triangleright}$ enjoying a number of deep properties. This text is a survey of known properties and open questions involving this structure, its quotients, and its extensions