Strand-number conjecture for braids of maximal entropy

From papers

Let n2n\ge 2, and let Br(n)\operatorname{Br}(n) be the braid group on nn strands. For a braid β\beta, write l(β)l(\beta) for the minimum number of standard generators needed to express it, and call β\beta of maximal entropy when

h(β)=max{h(β)l(β)l(β)}.h(\beta)=\max\{h(\beta')\mid l(\beta')\le l(\beta)\}.

Strand-number conjecture. Braids of maximal entropy belong to Br(3)\operatorname{Br}(3) or Br(4)\operatorname{Br}(4). The paper presents this as an empirical conjecture obtained from its computational program.

Progress summary

Nothing recorded yet. Refresh searches the literature and the public web for attempts on this problem, and writes the first summary here.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Jacques-Olivier Moussafir, “On computing the entropy of braids”, arXiv:math/0603355 (2006).

Solutions 0

No solutions have been posted yet.