Let $Γ_g$ denote the orientation-preserving Mapping Class Group of the genus $g\geq 1$ closed orientable surface. In this paper we show that for fixed $g$, every finite group occurs as a quotient of a finite index subgroup of $Γ_g$.
The hyperelliptic mapping class group has been studied in various contexts within topology and algebraic geometry. What makes this study tractable is that there is a surjective map from the hyperelliptic mapping class group to a mapping class group of a punctured sphere. The more general family of superelliptic mapping class groups does not, in general, surject on to a mapping class group of a punctured sphere, but on to a finite index subgroup. We call this finite index subgroup the liftable mapping class group. In order to initiate the generalization of results on the hyperelliptic mapping c…
We study Question 7.9 in the paper "Monoids in the mapping class group" by Etnyre and Van Horn-Morris; whether a symmetric mapping class admitting a positive factorization is a lift of a quasi-positive braid. We answer affirmatively for mapping classes satisfying certain cyclic conditions.
We obtain representations of the f-based Mapping Class Group of oriented punctured surfaces from an action of mapping classes on Heisenberg homologies of a circle bundle over surface configurations.
Birman-Lubotzky-McCarthy proved that any abelian subgroup of the mapping class groups for orientable surfaces is finitely generated. We apply Birman-Lubotzky-McCarthy's arguments to the mapping class groups for non-orientable surfaces. We especially find a finitely generated group isomorphic to a given torsion-free subgroup of the mapping class groups.
We prove that if a normal subgroup of the extended mapping class group of a closed surface has an element of sufficiently small support then its automorphism group and abstract commensurator group are both isomorphic to the extended mapping class group. The proof relies on another theorem we prove, which states that many simplicial complexes associated to a closed surface have automorphism group isomorphic to the extended mapping class group. These results resolve the metaconjecture of N.V. Ivanov, which asserts that any "sufficiently rich" object associated to a surface has automorphism group…
In this paper, we use a result of Dahmani to show that the Euler class of some power subgroup (the subgroup normally generated by a fixed power of Dehn twist about a non-separating curve) is trivial inside the mapping class group of once punctured surface.
We discuss a number of open problems about mapping class groups of surfaces. In particular, we discuss problems related to linearity, congruence subgroups, cohomology, pseudo-Anosov stretch factors, Torelli subgroups, and normal subgroups.
We prove that the mapping class group of a Heegaard splitting with a distance of at least 3 is finite. However, we have constructed a counterexample with a distance of 2 that disproves this assertion. In addition, the fact that the mapping class group of a Heegaard splitting with a distance of at most 1 is infinite, when combined with our results, provides an answer to the question of the finiteness of mapping class groups as viewed from Heegaard distance.
Using the Galatius--Kupers--Randal-Williams framework of cellular $E_2$-algebras, we prove a secondary stability theorem for mapping class groups of nonorientable surfaces. As a corollary, we obtain a new best known stability range for the homology of the mapping class groups of nonorientable surfaces with respect to adding torus holes.
In this note we show that many subgroups of mapping class groups of infinite-type surfaces without boundary have trivial centers, including all normal subgroups. Using similar techniques, we show that every nontrivial normal subgroup of a big mapping class group contains a nonabelian free group. In contrast, we show that no big mapping class group satisfies the strong Tits alternative enjoyed by finite-type mapping class groups. We also give examples of big mapping class groups that fail to satisfy even the classical Tits alternative and give a proof that every countable group appears as a sub…
We prove asymptotic faithfulness for the quantum $\mathrm{Sp}(4)$ mapping class group representation. This provides the first example of asymptotic faithfulness lying outside of the $A_n$ family. The methods used are generalized from the proof of asymptotic faithfulness for skein $SU(2)_k$ mapping class group representations. In short, for any noncentral mapping class a comparison vector is found which allows for the mapping class to be detected.
This article first answers to questions about connectedness of a new family of graphs on unicellular maps. Answering these questions goes through a description of the mapping class group as surgeries on unicellular maps. We also show how unicellular maps encode subgroups of the mapping group and provide filtrations of the mapping class group. These facts add a layer on the ubiquitous character of unicellular maps.
We prove that each Torelli group of an orientable surface with any number of boundary components is at least exponentially distorted in the mapping class group by using Broaddus-Farb-Putman's techniques. Further we show that the distortion of each Torelli group in the level $d$ mapping class group is the same as that of in the mapping class group.
Even though big mapping class groups are not countably generated, certain big mapping class groups can be generated by a coarsely bounded set and have a well defined quasi-isometry type. We show that the big mapping class group of a stable surface of infinite type with a coarsely bounded generating set that contains an essential shift has infinite asymptotic dimension. This is in contrast with the mapping class groups of surfaces of finite type where the asymptotic dimension is always finite. We also give a topological characterization of essential shifts.
Given any connected compact orientable surface, a pair of mapping classes are said to be procongruently conjugate if they induce a conjugate pair of outer automophisms on the profinite completion of the fundamental group of the surface. For example, this occurs if they induce conjugate outer automorphisms on every characteristic finite quotient of the fundamental group. In this paper, it is shown that every procongruent conjugacy class of mapping classes, as a subset of the surface mapping class group, is the disjoint union of at most finitely many conjugacy classes of mapping classes. For any…
We give a criterion to prove that some groups are not acylindrically hyperbolic. As an application, we prove that the mapping class group of an infinite type surface is not acylindrically hyperbolic.
In this article we survey, and make a few new observations about, the surprising connection between sub-monoids of mapping class groups and interesting geometry and topology in low-dimensions.
We study mapping class groups of infinite type surfaces with isolated punctures and their actions on the loop graphs introduced by Bavard-Walker. We classify all of the mapping classes in these actions which are loxodromic with a WWPD action on the corresponding loop graph. The WWPD property is a weakening of Bestvina-Fujiwara's weak proper discontinuity and is useful for constructing non-trivial quasimorphisms. We use this classification to give a sufficient criterion for subgroups of big mapping class groups to have infinite-dimensional second bounded cohomology and use this criterion to giv…
We give a short and elementary proof of the non-realizability of the mapping class group via homeomorphisms. This was originally established by Markovic, resolving a conjecture of Thurston. With the tools established in this paper, we also obtain some rigidity results for actions of the mapping class group on Euclidean spaces.