35 research outputs found
A note on the probability of generating alternating or symmetric groups
We improve on recent estimates for the probability of generating the
alternating and symmetric groups and . In
particular we find the sharp lower bound, if the probability is given by a
quadratic in . This leads to improved bounds on the largest number
such that a direct product of copies
of can be generated by two elements
Asymptotics and local constancy of characters of p-adic groups
In this paper we study quantitative aspects of trace characters
of reductive -adic groups when the representation varies. Our approach
is based on the local constancy of characters and we survey some other related
results. We formulate a conjecture on the behavior of relative to
the formal degree of , which we are able to prove in the case where
is a tame supercuspidal. The proof builds on J.-K.~Yu's construction and the
structure of Moy-Prasad subgroups.Comment: Proceedings of Simons symposium on the trace formul
Finite covers of random 3-manifolds
A 3-manifold is Haken if it contains a topologically essential surface. The
Virtual Haken Conjecture posits that every irreducible 3-manifold with infinite
fundamental group has a finite cover which is Haken. In this paper, we study
random 3-manifolds and their finite covers in an attempt to shed light on this
difficult question. In particular, we consider random Heegaard splittings by
gluing two handlebodies by the result of a random walk in the mapping class
group of a surface. For this model of random 3-manifold, we are able to compute
the probabilities that the resulting manifolds have finite covers of particular
kinds. Our results contrast with the analogous probabilities for groups coming
from random balanced presentations, giving quantitative theorems to the effect
that 3-manifold groups have many more finite quotients than random groups. The
next natural question is whether these covers have positive betti number. For
abelian covers of a fixed type over 3-manifolds of Heegaard genus 2, we show
that the probability of positive betti number is 0.
In fact, many of these questions boil down to questions about the mapping
class group. We are lead to consider the action of mapping class group of a
surface S on the set of quotients pi_1(S) -> Q. If Q is a simple group, we show
that if the genus of S is large, then this action is very mixing. In
particular, the action factors through the alternating group of each orbit.
This is analogous to Goldman's theorem that the action of the mapping class
group on the SU(2) character variety is ergodic.Comment: 60 pages; v2: minor changes. v3: minor changes; final versio
Generators and commutators in finite groups; abstract quotients of compact groups
Let N be a normal subgroup of a finite group G. We prove that under certain
(unavoidable) conditions the subgroup [N,G] is a product of commutators [N,y]
(with prescribed values of y from a given set Y) of length bounded by a
function of d(G) and |Y| only. This has several applications: 1. A new proof
that G^n is closed (and hence open) in any finitely generated profinite group
G. 2. A finitely generated abstract quotient of a compact Hausdorff group must
be finite. 3. Let G be a topologically finitely generated compact Hausdorff
group. Then G has a countably infinite abstract quotient if and only if G has
an infinite virtually abelian continuous quotient.Comment: This paper supersedes the preprint arXiv:0901.0244v2 by the first
author and answers the questions raised there. Latest version corrects
erroneous Lemma 4.30 and adds new Cor. 1.1
Steiner t-designs for large t
One of the most central and long-standing open questions in combinatorial
design theory concerns the existence of Steiner t-designs for large values of
t. Although in his classical 1987 paper, L. Teirlinck has shown that
non-trivial t-designs exist for all values of t, no non-trivial Steiner
t-design with t > 5 has been constructed until now. Understandingly, the case t
= 6 has received considerable attention. There has been recent progress
concerning the existence of highly symmetric Steiner 6-designs: It is shown in
[M. Huber, J. Algebr. Comb. 26 (2007), pp. 453-476] that no non-trivial
flag-transitive Steiner 6-design can exist. In this paper, we announce that
essentially also no block-transitive Steiner 6-design can exist.Comment: 9 pages; to appear in: Mathematical Methods in Computer Science 2008,
ed. by J.Calmet, W.Geiselmann, J.Mueller-Quade, Springer Lecture Notes in
Computer Scienc
Schreier type theorems for bicrossed products
We prove that the bicrossed product of two groups is a quotient of the
pushout of two semidirect products. A matched pair of groups is deformed using a combinatorial datum consisting of
an automorphism of , a permutation of the set and a
transition map in order to obtain a new matched pair such that there exist an -invariant
isomorphism of groups . Moreover, if we fix the group and the automorphism
\sigma \in \Aut(H) then any -invariant isomorphism between two
arbitrary bicrossed product of groups is obtained in a unique way by the above
deformation method. As applications two Schreier type classification theorems
for bicrossed product of groups are given.Comment: 21 pages, final version to appear in Central European J. Mat
Block-Transitive Designs in Affine Spaces
This paper deals with block-transitive - designs in affine
spaces for large , with a focus on the important index case. We
prove that there are no non-trivial 5- designs admitting a
block-transitive group of automorphisms that is of affine type. Moreover, we
show that the corresponding non-existence result holds for 4- designs,
except possibly when the group is one-dimensional affine. Our approach involves
a consideration of the finite 2-homogeneous affine permutation groups.Comment: 10 pages; to appear in: "Designs, Codes and Cryptography
On intermediate subfactors of Goodman-de la Harpe-Jones subfactors
In this paper we present a conjecture on intermediate subfactors which is a
generalization of Wall's conjecture from the theory of finite groups. Motivated
by this conjecture, we determine all intermediate subfactors of
Goodman-Harpe-Jones subfactors, and as a result we verify that
Goodman-Harpe-Jones subfactors verify our conjecture. Our result also gives a
negative answer to a question motivated by a conjecture of
Aschbacher-Guralnick.Comment: To appear in Comm. Math. Phy