A quotient of the braid group related to pseudosymmetric braided categories

Abstract

Motivated by the recently introduced concept of a pseudosymmetric braided monoidal category, we define the pseudosymmetric group PS_n, as the quotient of the braid group B_n by the relations σ_iσ_{i+1}^{-1}σ_i=σ_{i+1}σ_i^{-1}σ_{i+1}, with 1\leq i\leq n-2. It turns out that PS_n is isomorphic to the quotient of B_n by the commutator subgroup [P_n, P_n] of the pure braid group P_n (which amounts to saying that [P_n, P_n] coincides with the normal subgroup of B_n generated by the elements [σ_i^2, σ_{i+1}^2], with 1\leq i\leq n-2), and that PS_n is a linear group.

11 pages