On structure groups of set-theoretic solutions to the Yang-Baxter equation

Abstract

This paper explores the structure groups $G_{(X,r)}$ of finite non-degenerate set-theoretic solutions $(X,r)$ to the Yang-Baxter equation. Namely, we construct a finite quotient $\overline{G}_{(X,r)}$ of $G_{(X,r)}$, generalizing the Coxeter-like groups introduced by Dehornoy for involutive solutions. This yields a finitary setting for testing injectivity: if $X$ injects into $G_{(X,r)}$, then it also injects into $\overline{G}_{(X,r)}$. We shrink every solution to an injective one with the same structure group, and compute the rank of the abelianization of $G_{(X,r)}$. We show that multipermutation solutions are the only involutive solutions with diffuse structure group; that only free abelian structure groups are biorderable; and that for the structure group of a self-distributive solution, the following conditions are equivalent: biorderable, left-orderable, abelian, free abelian, torsion free.