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Alina Vdovina

Publications and source records attributed to Alina Vdovina.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Weak Factorization and Product Systems Over Groupoids

We give a product-system description of generalized higher-rank graphs with the weak factorization property. For such a graph with degree-zero groupoid G, we prove that weak factorization is equivalent to multiplication inducing coherent bijections between balanced products of its homogeneous G-G-bisets. Consequently, generalized higher-rank graphs with fixed degree-zero groupoid are equivalent to normalized product systems of groupoid bisets over N^k. For countable left-cancellative graphs, these bisets linearize canonically to product systems of C*(G)-correspondences. Finite alignment implies compact alignment, and the resulting Nica-Toeplitz algebra agrees canonically with Spielberg's full category algebra. Under row-finiteness modulo G and the no-sources condition, the corresponding Cuntz-Pimsner quotient is the boundary groupoid algebra; with injective left actions, the same conclusion holds for the Cuntz-Nica-Pimsner algebra. We also characterize the R-condition by the existence of a strict multiplicative splitting and relate such splittings to higher-rank graph/groupoid Zappa-Szep products. A cancellative rank-two example shows that strict splittings need not exist.

math.OA↗
arXiv2026

Equations in Products of Free Groups and 3-Manifold Groups II: Olshanskii Epimorphisms

In 1989 Olshanskii introduced a three-parameter family of coordinate-surjective homomorphisms from the genus-two surface group to a direct product of two rank-two free groups. When the common quotient of the two coordinate images is finite of order $n$, restriction to the corresponding regular cover produces an epimorphism \[ π_1(S_{n+1})\longrightarrow F_{n+1}\times F_{n+1}. \] We call these maps \emph{Olshanskii epimorphisms}. They form an explicit high-genus test family for the standardness problem for splitting epimorphisms. We prove that every Olshanskii epimorphism is standard. The genus-two homomorphism determines a Heegaard splitting of a Seifert fibered $3$-manifold over $S^2$ with at most three exceptional fibers. In the finite-quotient cases, classical Seifert theory shows that its universal cover is $S^3$; Waldhausen's theorem then implies that the lifted genus-$(n+1)$ Heegaard splitting is standard. The proof uses neither Perelman's theorem nor the general Poincaré theorem. We also give a constructive treatment of the quaternion case $Q(2,2,2)\cong Q_8$, whose covering surface has genus nine. A maximal tree in the quaternion Schreier graph yields the covering handlebody and explicit Schreier bases. Using geometric longitude--meridian pairs and explicit surface automorphisms supported on the nine one-holed tori, we transform the lifted meridian words into a free basis. A separate fixed-rank Andrews--Curtis certificate reduces the associated balanced presentation. This paper supplies the detailed proof of the result announced in the previous Kharlampovich, Vdovina paper.

math.GR↗
arXiv2026

Equations in Products of Free Groups and 3-Manifold Groups, I

Perelman's proof of the Poincare conjecture shows that every simply connected closed 3-manifold is homeomorphic to the 3-sphere. The fundamental groups of 3-manifolds attract lots of interest from mathematicians of different fields. As it was stated in a famous survey of Allen Hatcher "The classification of 3-manifolds", one would want to know exactly which groups occur as fundamental groups of these manifolds. The Stallings-Jaco-Hempel reformulation of the Poincare conjecture inspired several connections between low-dimensional topology, equations over free groups, and combinatorial group theory. The reformulation reduces the problem to study epimorphisms from the fundamental group of a closed orientable surface onto the direct product of two free groups (they correspond to Heegaard splittings of 3-manifolds and were named splitting homomorphisms). Olshankii (1989) constructed (in non-explicit form) first non-trivial examples of such splitting epimorphisms and verified the standardness of some of them. We construct up to equivalence all the splitting coordinate-surjective homomorphisms (among them, the genuine splitting epimorphisms are exactly those for which our constructed associated group balanced presentation is trivial). We give generators and relations of the corresponding balanced presentation (so all closed orientable 3-manifold groups) that can be studied by algebraic methods. We analyse a big class of such homomorphisms/presentations (including all Olshanskii's epimorphisms) and show that splitting epimorphisms are rare, in this case the corresponding balanced presentation of the trivial group can be reduced to the standard one by Andrews-Curtis transformations and the epimorphisms are standard.

math.GR↗
arXiv2026

Ramanujan subshifts

A finite, connected, $(d+1)$-regular graph $G$ is called Ramanujan if every its eigenvalue $λ$ satisfies either $λ=\pm (d+1)$ or $|λ|\leq 2\sqrt{d}$. The Ramanujan condition corresponds to the optimal rate of decay of correlations for the associated non-backtracking edge subshift. We consider a higher-dimensional generalization of this observation. We introduce the notion of a $d$-regular $\mathbb{Z}^δ$-subshift of finite type, and we define a Ramanujan subshift as a $d$-regular $\mathbb{Z}^δ$-subshift with an optimal rate of decay of correlations. We show that for every odd prime power $q\geq 3$ and dimension $δ<q$, there exists a $q$-regular Ramanujan $\mathbb{Z}^δ$-subshift. The construction is based on the quaternionic lattices over $\mathbb{F}_q(t)$ introduced by Rungtanapirom-Stix-Vdovina (2019). Each of our $q$-regular Ramanujan subshifts gives rise to a family of non-bipartite $(q+1)$-regular Ramanujan graphs. These graphs are very explicit and local in the strong sense: the neighbors of any vertex can be computed by an explicit Mealy automaton associated with the subshift. As a byproduct, for every odd prime power $q$, we get a single lifting rule that can be iterated to produce an infinite family of $(q+1)$-regular Ramanujan graphs.

math.DS↗
arXiv2025

Seifert-Tait graphs

We show that among alternating knots, those which have diagrams whose Seifert and Tait graphs are isomorphic are dominant.

math.GT↗
arXiv2025

Quantifying separability in RAAGs via representations

We answer the question asked by Louder, McReynolds and Patel, and prove the following statement. Let L be a RAAG, H a word quasiconvex subgroup of L, then there is a finite dimensional representation of L that separates the subgroup H in the induced Zariski topology. As a corollary, we establish a polynomial upper bound on the size of the quotients used to separate H in L. This implies the same statement for a virtually special group L and, in particular, a fundamental groups of a hyperbolic 3-manifold.

math.GR↗
arXiv2025

Simplicity of $C^*$-algebras of contracting self-similar groups

We show that the $C^*$-algebra associated by Nekrashevych to a contracting self-similar group is simple if and only if the corresponding complex $\ast$-algebra is simple. We also improve on Steinberg and Szakać's algorithm to determine if the $\ast$-algebra is simple. This provides an interesting class of non-Hausdorff amenable, effective and minimal ample groupoids for which simplicity of the $C^*$-algebra and the complex $\ast$-algebra are equivalent.

math.OA↗
arXiv2024

Real and complex K-theory for higher rank graph algebras arising from cube complexes

Using the Evans spectral sequence and its counter-part for real $K$-theory, we compute both the real and complex $K$-theory of several infinite families of $C^*$-algebras based on higher-rank graphs of rank $3$ and $4$. The higher-rank graphs we consider arise from double-covers of cube complexes. By considering the real and complex $K$-theory together, we are able to carry these computations much further than might be possible considering complex $K$-theory alone. As these algebras are classified by $K$-theory, we are able to characterize the isomorphism classes of the graph algebras in terms of the combinatorial and number-theoretic properties of the construction ingredients.

math.OA↗
arXiv2024

C*-algebras of higher-rank graphs from groups acting on buildings, and explicit computation of their K-theory

We unite elements of category theory, K-theory, and geometric group theory, by defining a class of groups called $k$-cube groups, which act freely and transitively on the product of $k$ trees, for arbitrary $k$. The quotient of this action on the product of trees defines a $k$-dimensional cube complex, which induces a higher-rank graph. We make deductions about the K-theory of the corresponding $k$-rank graph C*-algebras, and give explicit examples of $k$-cube groups and their K-theory. We give explicit computations of K-theory for an infinite family of $k$-rank graphs for $k\geq 3$, which is not a direct consequence of the Künneth Theorem for tensor products.

math.OA↗
arXiv2022

Higher dimensional digraphs from cube complexes and their spectral theory

We define $k$-dimensional digraphs and initiate a study of their spectral theory. The $k$-dimensional digraphs can be viewed as generating graphs for small categories called $k$-graphs. Guided by geometric insight, we obtain several new series of $k$-graphs using cube complexes covered by Cartesian products of trees, for $k \geq 2$. These $k$-graphs can not be presented as virtual products, and constitute novel models of such small categories. The constructions yield rank-$k$ Cuntz-Krieger algebras for all $k\geq 2$. We introduce Ramanujan $k$-graphs satisfying optimal spectral gap property, and show explicitly how to construct the underlying $k$-digraphs.

math.OA↗
arXiv2021

Parameterized (Modular) Counting and Cayley Graph Expanders

We study the problem $\#\mathrm{EdgeSub}(Φ)$ of counting $k$-edge subgraphs satisfying a given graph property $Φ$ in a large host graph $G$. Building upon the breakthrough result of Curticapean, Dell and Marx (STOC 17), we express the number of such subgraphs as a finite linear combination of graph homomorphism counts and derive the complexity of computing this number by studying its coefficients. Our approach relies on novel constructions of low-degree Cayley graph expanders of $p$-groups, which might be of independent interest. The properties of those expanders allow us to analyse the coefficients in the aforementioned linear combinations over the field $\mathbb{F}_p$ which gives us significantly more control over the cancellation behaviour of the coefficients. Our main result is an exhaustive and fine-grained complexity classification of $\#\mathrm{EdgeSub}(Φ)$ for minor-closed properties $Φ$, closing the missing gap in previous work by Roth, Schmitt and Wellnitz (ICALP 21). Additionally, we observe that our methods also apply to modular counting. Among others, we investigate the problems of modular counting of paths, cycles, forests and matroid bases. In the course of our investigations we also provide an exhaustive parameterized complexity classification for the problem of counting graph homomorphisms modulo a prime $p$.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2020

Drinfeld-Manin solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation coming from cube complexes

The most common geometric interpretation of the Yang-Baxter equation is by braids, knots and relevant Reidemeister moves. So far, cubes were used for connections with the third Reidemeister move only. We will show that there are higher-dimensional cube complexes solving the $D$-state Yang-Baxter equation for arbitrarily large $D$. More precisely, we introduce explicit constructions of cube complexes covered by products of $n$ trees and show that these cube complexes lead to new solutions of the Yang-Baxter equations.

math.QA↗
arXiv2020

Higher dimensional generalizations of the Thompson groups

We show how to construct a family of groups with simple commutator subgroups from aperiodic 1-vertex, finitely aligned higher rank graphs (which are, in fact, a class of cancellative monoids). Inverse semigroups form the intermediary between these cancellative monoids and the family of groups we are interested in. These groups can naturally be viewed as higher-dimensional generalizations of the classical Thompson groups since the finite direct products of free monoids are examples of the appropriate 1-vertex higher rank graphs.

math.RA↗
arXiv2019

The universal Boolean inverse semigroup presented by the abstract Cuntz-Krieger relations

This paper is a contribution to the theory of what might be termed $0$-dimensional non-commutative spaces. We prove that associated with each inverse semigroup $S$ is a Boolean inverse semigroup presented by the abstract versions of the Cuntz-Krieger relations. We call this Boolean inverse semigroup the Exel completion of $S$ and show that it arises from Exel's tight groupoid under non-commutative Stone duality.

math.OA↗
arXiv2018

Trivalent expanders, $(Δ-Y)$-transformation, and hyperbolic surfaces

We construct a new family of trivalent expanders tessellating hyperbolic surfaces with large isometry groups. These graphs are obtained from a family of Cayley graphs of nilpotent groups via $(Δ-Y)$-transformations. We compare this family with Platonic graphs and their associated hyperbolic surfaces and see that they are generally very different with only one hyperbolic surface in the intersection. Moreover, we study combinatorial, topological and spectral properties of our trivalent graphs and their associated hyperbolic surfaces.

math.CO↗
arXiv2018

Infinite series of quaternionic 1-vertex cube complexes, the doubling construction, and explicit cubical Ramanujan complexes

We construct vertex transitive lattices on products of trees of arbitrary dimension $d \geq 1$ based on quaternion algebras over global fields with exactly two ramified places. Starting from arithmetic examples, we find non-residually finite groups generalizing earlier results of Wise, Burger and Mozes to higher dimension. We make effective use of the combinatorial language of cubical sets and the doubling construction generalized to arbitrary dimension. Congruence subgroups of these quaternion lattices yield explicit cubical Ramanujan complexes, a higher dimensional cubical version of Ramanujan graphs (optimal expanders).

math.GR↗
arXiv2018

Low complexity algorithms in knot theory

We show that the genus problem for alternating knots with $n$ crossings has linear time complexity and is in Logspace$(n)$. Almost all alternating knots of given genus possess additional combinatorial structure, we call them standard. We show that the genus problem for these knots belongs to $TC^0$ circuit complexity class. We also show, that the equivalence problem for such knots with $n$ crossings has time complexity $n\log (n)$ and is in Logspace$(n)$ and $TC^{0}$ complexity classes.

math.GT↗