Stable cohomology of the universal Picard varieties and the extended mapping class group (Q455495): Difference between revisions

The paper under review studies different aspects concerned with the cohomology of universal Picard varieties and of extended mapping class groups. Let \(\mathcal S_{g,r}^n\) be the moduli space of smooth surfaces of genus \(g\) with \(r\) boundary components, \(n\) marked points and a complex line bundle, originally introduced by \textit{R. L. Cohen} and \textit{I. Madsen} [Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 80, Pt. 1, 43--76 (2009; Zbl 1210.57029)] and \(\mathcal S_{g,r}^n(k)\) its path component corresponding to bundles of degree \(k\). The extended mapping class group \(\widetilde{\Gamma}_{g,r}^n(k)\) is the fundamental group of the space \(\mathcal S_{g,r}^n(k)\), based at a fixed bundle, which for \((r,n)=(1,0)\) coincides with \textit{N. Kawazumi}'s definition in [Invent. Math. 131, No.1, 137--149 (1998; Zbl 0894.57020)]. The authors start by stating that, for \(r+n>0\), the cohomology of the group \(\widetilde{\Gamma}_{g,r}^n(k)\) can be obtained from the cohomology of \(\mathcal S_{g,r}^n(k)\) as there is an homotopy equivalence \(B\widetilde{\Gamma}_{g,r}^n(k)\simeq \mathcal S_{g,r}^n(k)\). For computing the cohomology of \(\mathcal S_{g,r}^n(k)\), and as a consequence of its moduli-theoretic interpretation, the authors use a number of stability type results that they collect in the paper and use auxiliary infinite loop spaces for doing calculations. Special attention is needed to treat the case when \(r=n=0\), as the relation between the cohomologies of \(\mathcal S_g(k):=\mathcal S_{g,0}^0(k)\) and \(\widetilde \Gamma_g(k):=\widetilde{\Gamma}_{g,0}^0(k)\) is more subtle; the authors use the existence of a fibre sequence relating both to obtain results for the cohomology of \(B\widetilde{\Gamma}_{g}(k)\) from that of \(\mathcal S_g(k)\). In the last part of the paper the authors explain how their results translate to questions on complex algebraic geometry. Let \(\text{Hol}_g(k)\) be the moduli stack classifying families of Riemann surfaces of genus \(g\) equipped with a holomorphic line bundle of degree \(k\), which is a \(\mathbb C^*\) gerbe over universal Picard stack \(\text{Pic}_g(k)\). The stacks \(\text{Hol}_g(k)\) and \(\text{Pic}_g(k)\) are shown to be homotopic equivalent to \(B\widetilde \Gamma_g(k)\) and to \(\mathcal S_g(k)\), respectively. As a consequence, the authors describe explicit generators for the holomorphic Picard groups of \(\text{Pic}_g(k)\) and of \(\text{Hol}_g(k)\), in particular recovering results by \textit{A. Kouvidakis} in [J. Differ. Geom. 34, No. 3, 839--850 (1991; Zbl 0780.14004)] for \(\text{Pic}_g(k)\).