Workshop on Polyhedral Products in Geometric Group Theory

Two special cases of the polyhedral product construction have been immensely influential in geometric group theory, giving rise to at least three major families of examples of groups parametrized by flag simplicial complexes: right-angled Coxeter groups associated with the polyhedral product for pairs (,*); right-angled Artin groups associated with the polyhedral product for pairs (,*); and Bestvina-Brady groups associated with a covering space of the polyhedral product for pairs (,*). However, the interaction between toric topology and geometric group theory is largely unexplored. The purpose of this workshop is to significantly increase synergies between the two groups and establish a framework for approaching common problems and methods in a more global context.