This thesis deals with the existence and properties of certain types of covering spaces. It contains the discussion of a generalization of the notion of simple connectedness and several well-known theorems depending on this. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

archives@tulane.edu / There is a deep analogy between the theory of covering spaces and the theory offield extensions. Indeed, for many theorems about the Galois groups of field extensionsthere are analogous statements for the fundamental groups of covering spaces. Thepurpose of this thesis is to present an expository account of the connections betweenthese two useful concepts of algebra and geometry. / 1 / Dejun Zhang

We say that a covering space of the surface S over X has the Birman--Hilden property if the subgroup of the mapping class group of X consisting of mapping classes that have representatives that lift to S embeds in the mapping class group of S modulo the group of deck transformations. We identify one necessary condition and one sufficient condition for when a covering space has this property. We give new explicit examples of irregular branched covering spaces that do not satisfy the necessary condition as well as explicit covering spaces that satisfy the sufficient condition. Our criteria are conditions on simple closed curves, and our proofs use the combinatorial topology of curves on surfaces.

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In this paper, the study of k-fold branched coverings for which the branch set is a stratified set is considered. First of all, the existence of universal k-fold branched coverings over CW-complexes with stratified branch set is proved using Brown's Representability Theorem. Next, an explicit construction of universal k-fold branched coverings over manifolds is given. Finally, some homotopy and homology groups are computed for some specific examples of Universal k-fold branched coverings.

We extend Sharkovskii's theorem concerning orbit lengths of endomorphisms of the real line to endomorphisms of a path component of the solenoid and certain subspaces of the Warsawanoid. In particular, Sharkovskii showed that if there exists an orbit of length 3 then there exist orbits of all lengths. The solenoid is the inverse limit of double covers over the circle, and the Warsawanoid is the inverse limit of double covers over the Warsaw circle. We show Sharkovskii's result is true for path components of the solenoid and certain subspaces of the Warsawanoid.

We will discuss what is known about the construction of contact structures via branched covers, emphasizing the search for universal transverse knots. Recall that a topological knot is called universal if all 3-manifold can be obtained as a cover of the 3-sphere branched over that knot. Analogously one can ask if there is a transverse knot in the standard contact structure on S³ from which all contact 3-manifold can be obtained as a branched cover over this transverse knot. It is not known if such a transverse knot exists.

A configuration space is a space whose points represent the possible states of a given physical system. As such they appear naturally both in theoretical physics and technical applications. For an example of the former, in analytical mechanics, the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of classical mechanics depend heavily on the use of a physical system’s configuration space for the description of its kinematical and dynamical behavior, and importantly, its evolution in time. As an example of a technical application, consider robotics, where the space of possible configurations of the mechanical linkages that make up a robot is an important tool in motion planning. In this case it is of particular interest to study the singularities of these mechanical linkages, to see if a given configuration is singular or not. This can be done with the help of configuration spaces and their topological properties. Arguably, the simplest configuration space possible arises when the system is just a collection of point-like particles in a plane. Despite its simplicity, the corresponding configuration space has substantial complexity and is of great interest in mathematics, physics and technology: For instance, it arises naturally in the mathematical modelling of robots performing tasks in a warehouse. In this thesis we go through the mathematics necessary to study the behaviour of paths in this space, which corresponds to motions of the particles. We use the theory of groups, algebraic topology, and manifolds to examine the properties of the configuration space of point-like particles in a plane. An important role in the discussion will be played by braids, which are certain collections of curves, interlaced in three-space. They are connected to many different topics in algebra, geometry, and mathematical physics, such as representation theory, the Yang-Baxter equation and knot theory. They are also important in their own right. Here we focus on their relation to configurations of points.

The property B(P,∝)-refinability is studied and is used to obtain new covering characterizations of paracompactness, collectionwise normality, subparacompactness, d-paracompactness, a-normality, mesocompactness, and related concepts. These new characterizations both generalize and unify many well-known results. The property B(P,∝)-refinability is strictly weaker than the property Θ-refinability. A B(P,∝)-refinement is a generalization of a σ-locally finite-closed refinement. Here ∝ is a fixed ordinal which dictates the number of "levels" in a given refinement, and P represents a property such as discreteness or local finiteness which each "level" must satisfy relative to a certain subspace. / Ph. D. / incomplete_metadata

The work of mathematical giants, such as Lobachevsky, Gauss, Riemann, Klein and Poincaré, to name a few, lies at the foundation of the study of the highly structured Riemann surfaces, which allow definition of holomorphic maps, corresponding to analytic maps in the theory of complex analysis. A topological result of Poincaré states that every path-connected Riemann surface can be realised by a construction of identifying congruent points in the complex plane, the Riemann sphere or the hyperbolic plane; just three simply connected surfaces that cover the underlying Riemann surface. This requires the discontinuous action of a discrete subgroup of the automorphisms of the corresponding space. In the hyperbolic plane, which is the richest source for Riemann surfaces, these groups are called Fuchsian, and there are several ways to study the action of such groups geometrically by computing fundamental domains. What is accomplished in this thesis is a combination of the methods found by Reidemeister & Schreier, Singerman and Voight, and thus provides a unified way of finding Dirichlet domains for subgroups of cofinite groups with a given index. Several examples are considered in-depth.