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For every compact, connected manifold $M$, we prove the existence of a sentence ${\mathrm{\varphi <\#comment/>}}_M$in the language of groups such that the homeomorphism group of another compact manifold $N$satisfies ${\mathrm{\varphi <\#comment/>}}_M$if and only if $N$is homeomorphic to $M$. We prove an analogous statement for groups of homeomorphisms preserving Oxtoby–Ulam probability measures. 

In this expository note, we illustrate phenomena and conjectures about boundaries of hyperbolic groups by considering the special cases of certain amalgams of hyperbolic groups. While doing so, we describe fundamental results on hyperbolic groups and their boundaries by Bowditch [5] and Haissinsky [27], along with special treatments for the boundaries of free groups by Otal [48] and Cashen [15]. 

Abstract Let $$\Delta $$ Δ be a hyperbolic triangle with a fixed area $$\varphi $$ φ . We prove that for all but countably many $$\varphi $$ φ , generic choices of $$\Delta $$ Δ have the property that the group generated by the $$\pi $$ π -rotations about the midpoints of the sides of the triangle admits no nontrivial relations. By contrast, we show for all $$\varphi \in (0,\pi ){\setminus }\mathbb {Q}\pi $$ φ ∈ ( 0 , π ) \ Q π , a dense set of triangles does afford nontrivial relations, which in the generic case map to hyperbolic translations. To establish this fact, we study the deformation space $$\mathfrak {C}_\theta $$ C θ of singular hyperbolic metrics on a torus with a single cone point of angle $$\theta =2(\pi -\varphi )$$ θ = 2 ( π - φ ) , and answer an analogous question for the holonomy map $$\rho _\xi $$ ρ ξ of such a hyperbolic structure $$\xi $$ ξ . In an appendix by Gao, concrete examples of $$\theta $$ θ and $$\xi \in \mathfrak {C}_\theta $$ ξ ∈ C θ are given where the image of each $$\rho _\xi $$ ρ ξ is finitely presented, non-free and torsion-free; in fact, those images will be isomorphic to the fundamental groups of closed hyperbolic 3-manifolds. 

Abstract X-ray polarization is a unique new probe of the particle acceleration in astrophysical jets made possible through the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. Here we report on the first dense X-ray polarization monitoring campaign on the blazar Mrk 421. Our observations were accompanied by an even denser radio and optical polarization campaign. We find significant short-timescale variability in both X-ray polarization degree and angle, including an ∼90° angle rotation about the jet axis. We attribute this to random variations of the magnetic field, consistent with the presence of turbulence but also unlikely to be explained by turbulence alone. At the same time, the degree of lower-energy polarization is significantly lower and shows no more than mild variability. Our campaign provides further evidence for a scenario in which energy-stratified shock-acceleration of relativistic electrons, combined with a turbulent magnetic field, is responsible for optical to X-ray synchrotron emission in blazar jets.