An elementary homomorphism from a free group to the pure braid group yields interesting connections between braid groups, homotopy theory, and low dimensional topology. This map induces a map on the Lie algebra obtained from the descending central series. Further, this map induces a morphism of simplicial groups. All of these maps are shown to be injective.
Brunnian braids are discussed. The analogous maps of Lie algebras induced on the filtration quotients of the mod-p descending central series is again an injection. Using these facts it turns out that the homotopy groups of this simplicial group, those of the 2-sphere, are isomorphic to natural subquotients of the pure braid group. In addition, the mod-p analogues give a connection between the classical unstable Adams spectral sequence, and the mod-p analogues of Vassiliev invariants of pure braids.
This video was produced by MSRI and forms part of the workshop Topology of Arrangements and Applications.
