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16 votes
2 answers
3k views

The fundamental group of a closed surface without classification of surfaces?

The fundamental group of a closed oriented surface of genus $g$ has the well-known presentation $$ \langle x_1,\ldots, x_g,y_1,\ldots ,y_g\vert \prod_{i=1}^{g} [x_i,y_i]\rangle. $$ The proof I know ...
Johannes Ebert's user avatar
15 votes
2 answers
2k views

Dehn's algorithm for word problem for surface groups

For some $g \geq 2$, let $\Gamma_g$ be the fundamental group of a closed genus $g$ surface and let $S_g=\{a_1,b_1,\ldots,a_g,b_g\}$ be the usual generating set for $\Gamma_g$ satisfying the surface ...
John M's user avatar
  • 153
13 votes
1 answer
1k views

Topology of boundaries of hyperbolic groups

For many examples of word-hyperbolic groups which I have seen in the context of low-dimensional topology, the ideal boundary is either homeomorphic to a n-sphere for some n or a Cantor set. So, I was ...
Harry Baik's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
308 views

Counterexamples to analogue of Cannon conjecture in higher dimensions

It is known that a group $G$ acts geometrically on $\mathbb{H}^2$ if and only if $G$ is word-hyperbolic and its boundary $\partial G$ is homeomorphic to $S^1$. The analogous statement for $\mathbb{H}^...
user68316's user avatar
  • 245
5 votes
1 answer
242 views

Cancellation of elements in the Gromov boundary of a free group

Let $A$ be a finite set of free generators and their inverses and $F$ the free group generated by elements in $A$ (some call $A$ the alphabet of $F$). For each $g\in F$, use $\vert\,g\,\vert$ to ...
Sanae Kochiya's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
183 views

Finitely generated nilpotent groups as cusp groups

I recently learned about the following question, asked by I. Kapovich : Is there an example of a group $G$ which is hyperbolic relative to some parabolic subgroups that are nilpotent of class $\geq 3$...
M. Dus's user avatar
  • 2,090
5 votes
1 answer
342 views

Relations between boundaries of groups acting on hyperbolic spaces with WPD elements

Let $(X,d)$ be Gromov-hyperbolic space and let $\Gamma$ be a finitely generated group acting on $\Gamma$ by isometries. Recall the following two definitions. Say that the action is acylindrical if ...
M. Dus's user avatar
  • 2,090
5 votes
1 answer
617 views

Fixed points on boundary of hyperbolic group

Let G be a word-hyperbolic group with torsion and let ∂G be its boundary. Do there exist criteria that imply that all non-trivial finite order elements of G act fixed-point freely on ∂G?
user68316's user avatar
  • 245
3 votes
0 answers
414 views

Geometric intersection number for product of elements of the fundamental group

Let $F$ be a hyperbolic surface and $p\in F$ be a point. Consider $\pi_1(F,p)$, the fundamental group of $F$ with base point $p$. Let $x,y\in \pi_1(F,p)$ and $z$ be a simple closed curve in $F$ such ...
Cusp's user avatar
  • 1,713