Topological perspectives on the vanishing of some Bogomolov multipliers

Abstract

Since the 1980s, the Bogomolov multiplier of a finite group has been known to obstruct rationality in complex algebraic geometry, and more recently it is understood to be responsible for any torsion in the oriented and stable unitary 2-dimensional $G$-equivariant bordism groups $\Omega_2^{SO,G}$ and $\Omega_2^{U,G}$. In this note, as a small step toward building a bridge between these two far-flung roles, we discuss the vanishing of Bogomolov multipliers of two specific families of finite groups. First, we revisit Kunyavski\u{i}'s result that the Bogomolov multipliers of all finite simple groups vanish, taking inspiration from the low-dimensional topological interpretation of the Ore conjecture. Second, in lieu of arguments in complex birational geometry (such as the hard direction of the Chevalley-Shephard-Todd theorem), we combine cut-and-paste combinatorial-topological techniques with elementary calculations of Ihara-Yokonuma to show that all finite Coxeter groups have vanishing Bogomolov multiplier.