Skip to main content
Log in

Polygonal complexes and combinatorial group theory

  • Published:
Geometriae Dedicata Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We study the structure of certain simply connected 2-dimensional complexes with non-positive curvature. We obtain a precise description of how these complexes behave at infinity and prove an existence theorem which gives an abundance of such complexes. We also investigate the structure of groups which act transitively on the set of vertices of such a complex.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Benakli, N.: Polyèdre à géométrie locale donnée,C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Série I,313 (1991), 561–564.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bangert, V. and Schroeder, V.: Existence of flat tori in analytic manifolds of nonpositive curvature,Ann. Sci. École Norm. Sup. (4)24 (1991), 605–634.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cannon, J.: The combinatorial structure of cocompact discrete hyperbolic groups,Geom. Dedicata 16 (1984), 123–148.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Cannon, J., Epstein, D., Holt, D., Paterson, M. and Thurston, W.: Word Processing and group theory. Research Report, Minneapolis, 1990.

  5. Coornaert, M., Delzant, T. and Papadopoulos, A.: Notes sur les groupes hyperboliques de Gromov (Preprint, Strasbourg, 1989).

  6. Eberlein, P.: Geodesic flows in certain manifolds without conjugate points.Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 167 (1972), 151–170.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Eberlein, P.: Isometry groups of simply connected manifolds of nonpositive curvature II,Acta Math. 149 (1982), 41–69.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Gersten, S. and Short, H.: Small cancellation theory and automatic groups.Invent. Math. 102 (1990), 305–334.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Ghys, E. and de la Harpe, P. (eds):Sur les Groupes Hyperboliques d'après Mikhael Gromov, Birkhäuser, Boston, Basel, Berlin, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Gromov, M.: Infinite groups as geometric objects,Proc. ICM Warszawa 1 (1984), 385–392.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Gromov, M.: Hyperbolic groups, inEssays in Group Theory (ed. M. Gersten) M.S.R.I. Publ. 8, Springer, 1987, pp. 75–263.

  12. Gromov, M.: Hyperbolic manifolds, groups and actions, inRiemann Surfaces and Related Topics, Proc. 1978 Stony Brook Conf., Princeton University Press, 1980.

  13. Haefliger, A.: Complexes of groups and orbihedra (Preprint, Geneva, 1991).

  14. Haglund, F.: Les polyedres de Gromov,C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Série I,313 (1991), 603–606.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Lyndon, R. and Schupp, P.:Combinatorial Group Theory, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Yau, S. T.: Problem Section (Problem 65), inSeminar on Differential Geometry, pp. 669–706.Ann. Math. Stud. 102 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Partially supported by NSF DMS-9104134.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ballmann, W., Brin, M. Polygonal complexes and combinatorial group theory. Geom Dedicata 50, 165–191 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01265309

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01265309

Mathematics Subject Classifications (1991)

Navigation