An introduction to diagram groups

Abstract

To every semigroup presentation $\mathcal{P}= \langle \Sigma \mid \mathcal{R} \rangle$ and every baseword $w \in \Sigma^+$ can be associated a diagram group $D(\mathcal{P},w)$, defined as the fundamental group of the so-called Squier complex $S(\mathcal{P},w)$. Roughly speaking, $D(\mathcal{P},w)$ encodes the lack of asphericity of $\mathcal{P}$. Examples of diagram groups include Thompson's group $F$, the lamplighter group $\mathbb{Z} \wr \mathbb{Z}$, the pure planar braid groups, and various right-angled Artin groups. This survey aims at summarising what is known about the family of diagram groups.