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Stéphane Lamy

Publications and source records attributed to Stéphane Lamy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Tame polynomial automorphisms

The group of polynomial automorphisms of the affine n-space is an interesting large group. A slightly simpler group is its subgroup of tame automorphisms. Natural problems about these groups include the existence of normal subgroups, the classification of finite subgroups, the Tits alternative, and the possible dynamical degrees of their elements. One method to investigate these questions is via some actions on some metric spaces, namely the coset complex and the valuation complex, that we introduce in detail. This paper is a survey focusing on the following three cases: dimension 2, dimension 3, and dimension 4 for tame automomorphism preserving a nondegenerate quadratic form.

math.AG↗
arXiv2021

Quotients of higher dimensional Cremona groups

We study large groups of birational transformations Bir(X), where X is a variety of dimension at least 3, defined over C or a subfield of C. Two prominent cases are when X is the projective space, in which case Bir(X) is the Cremona group of rank n, or when X is a smooth cubic hypersurface. In both cases, and more generally when X is birational to a conic bundle, we produce infinitely many distinct group homomorphisms from Bir(X) to Z/2, showing in particular that the group Bir(X) is not perfect and thus not simple. As a consequence we also obtain that the Cremona group of rank n at least 3 is not generated by linear and Jonquières elements.

math.AG↗
arXiv2020

Introduction to a small cancellation theorem

This note is intended as an introduction to two previous works respectively by Dahmani, Guirardel, Osin, and by Cantat, Lamy. We give two proofs of a Small Cancellation Theorem for groups acting on a simplicial tree. We discuss the application to the group of plane polynomial automorphisms over any ground field.

math.GR↗
arXiv2019

Presqu'un immeuble pour le groupe des automorphismes modérés

Inspired by the Bruhat-Tits building of SL$_n$($\mathbb Q_p$), we construct a complete metric space X with an action of the tame automorphism group of the affine space Tame($K^n$). The points in X are certain monomial valuations, and X admits a natural structure of Euclidean CW-complex of dimension n-1. When n = 3, and for K of characteristic zero, we prove that X has non-positive curvature and is simply connected, hence is a CAT(0) space. As an application we obtain the linearizability of finite subgroups in Tame($K^3$).

math.GR↗
arXiv2017

Acylindrical hyperbolicity of the three-dimensional tame automorphism group

We prove that the group STame($k^3$) of special tame automorphisms of the affine 3-space is not simple, over any base field of characteristic zero. Our proof is based on the study of the geometry of a 2-dimensional simply-connected simplicial complex C on which the tame automorphism group acts naturally. We prove that C is contractible and Gromov-hyperbolic, and we prove that Tame($k^3$) is acylindrically hyperbolic by finding explicit loxodromic weakly proper discontinuous elements.

math.GR↗
arXiv2017

Combinatorics of the tame automorphism group

We study the group Tame($\mathbf A^3$) of tame automorphisms of the 3-dimensional affine space, over a field of characteristic zero. We recover, in a unified and (hopefully) simplified way, previous results of Kuroda, Shestakov, Umirbaev and Wright, about the theory of reduction and the relations in Tame($\mathbf A^3$). The novelty in our presentation is the emphasis on a simply connected 2-dimensional simplicial complex on which Tame($\mathbf A^3$) acts by isometries.

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arXiv2014

On birational maps from cubic threefolds

We characterise smooth curves in a smooth cubic threefold whose blow-ups produce a weak-Fano threefold. These are curves $C$ of genus $g$ and degree $d$, such that (i) $2(d-5) \le g$ and $d\le 6$; (ii) $C$ does not admit a 3-secant line in the cubic threefold. Among the list of ten possible such types $(g,d)$, two were previously left as open numerical possibilities, namely $(g,d) = (0,5)$ and $(2,6)$. Using the Sarkisov link associated with a curve of type $(2,6)$, we are able to produce the first example of a pseudo-automorphism with dynamical degree greater than $1$ on a smooth threefold with Picard number $3$. We also prove that the group of birational selfmaps of any smooth cubic threefold contains elements contracting surfaces birational to any given ruled surface.

math.AG↗
arXiv2014

The tame automorphism group of an affine quadric threefold acting on a square complex

We study the group Tame(SL$_2$) of tame automorphisms of a smooth affine 3-dimensional quadric, which we can view as the underlying variety of SL(2,$\mathbb{C}$). We construct a square complex on which the group admits a natural cocompact action, and we prove that the complex is CAT(0) and hyperbolic. We propose two applications of this construction: We show that any finite subgroup in Tame(SL$_2$) is linearizable, and that Tame(SL$_2$) satisfies the Tits alternative.

math.GR↗
arXiv2014

Automorphisms of open surfaces with irreducible boundary

Let (S, B) be the log pair associated with a projective completion of a smooth quasi-projective surface V . Under the assumption that the boundary B is irreducible, we obtain an algorithm to factorize any automorphism of V into a sequence of simple birational links. This factorization lies in the framework of the log Mori theory, with the property that all the blow-ups and contractions involved in the process occur on the boundary. When the completion S is smooth, we obtain a description of the automorphisms of V which is reminiscent of a presentation by generators and relations except that the "generators" are no longer automorphisms. They are instead isomorphisms between different models of V preserving certain rational fibrations. This description enables one to define normal forms of automorphisms and leads in particular to a natural generalization of the usual notions of affine and Jonquieres automorphisms of the affine plane. When V is affine, we show however that except for a finite family of surfaces including the affine plane, the group generated by these affine and Jonquieres automorphisms, which we call the tame group of V, is a proper subgroup of Aut(V).

math.AG↗
arXiv2013

On the genus of birational maps between 3-folds

In this note we present two equivalent definitions for the genus of a birational map X --> Y between smooth complex projective 3-folds. The first one is the definition introduced in 1973 by M. A. Frumkin, the second one was recently suggested to me by S. Cantat. By focusing first on proving that these two definitions are equivalent, one can obtain all the results of the paper of Frumkin in a much shorter way. In particular, the genus of an automorphism of $\mathbb{C}^3$, view as a birational self-map of the projective space, will easily be proved to be 0.

math.AG↗
arXiv2012

Normal subgroups in the Cremona group (long version)

Let k be an algebraically closed field. We show that the Cremona group of all birational transformations of the projective plane P^2 over k is not a simple group. The strategy makes use of hyperbolic geometry, geometric group theory, and algebraic geometry to produce elements in the Cremona group that generate non trivial normal subgroups.

math.AG↗
arXiv2012

Weak Fano threefolds obtained by blowing-up a space curve and construction of Sarkisov links

We characterise smooth curves in P^3 whose blow-up produces a threefold with anticanonical divisor big and nef. These are curves C of degree d and genus g lying on a smooth quartic, such that (i) $4d-30 \le g\le 14$ or $(g,d) = (19,12)$, (ii) there is no 5-secant line, 9-secant conic, nor 13-secant twisted cubic to C. This generalises the classical similar situation for the blow-up of points in P^2. We describe then Sarkisov links constructed from these blow-ups, and are able to prove the existence of Sarkisov links which were previously only known as numerical possibilities.

math.AG↗
arXiv2011

Birational self-maps and piecewise algebraic geometry

Let X be a smooth projective complex variety, of dimension 3, whose Hodge numbers h^{3,0}(X), h^{1,0}(X) both vanish. Let f: X--> X be a birational map that induces an isomorphism on (dense) open subvarieties U,V of X. Then we show that the complex reduced varieties (X \ U), (X \ V) are piecewise isomorphic.

math.AG↗
arXiv2010

Normal subgroup generated by a plane polynomial automorphism

We study the normal subgroup generated by a non trivial element f in the group G of complex plane polynomial automorphisms having Jacobian determinant 1. On one hand if f has length at most 8 relatively to the classical amalgamated product structure of G, we prove that = G. On the other hand if f is a sufficiently generic element of even length at least 14, we prove that is a proper subgroup of G.

math.GR↗