Stable commutator length (scl) is a well established invariant of group elements g (write scl(g)) and has both geometric and algebraic meaning.
It is a phenomenon that many classes of non-positively curved groups have a gap in stable commutator length: For every non-trivial element g, scl(g) > C for some C>0. Such gaps may be found in hyperbolic groups, Baumslag-solitair groups, free products, Mapping class groups, etc.
However, the exact size of this gap usually unknown, which is due to a lack of a good source of “quasimorphisms”.
In this talk I will construct a new source of quasimorphisms which yield optimal gaps and show that for Right-Angled Artin Groups and their subgroups the gap of stable commutator length is exactly 1/2. I will also show this gap for certain amalgamated free products.
Seminar series
Date
Wed, 17 Jan 2018
Time
16:00 -
17:00
Location
C4
Speaker
Nicolaus Heuer
Organisation
University of Oxford