Stabilization for mapping class groups of 3-manifolds (Q616585)

In this wide reaching paper the authors prove quite general homology stability results for families of mapping class groups of 3-manifolds and closely related groups. To state the main result, let \(N, P\) be compact, connected, oriented 3-manifolds. Consider the connected sum \(N^P_n := N\sharp P\sharp \dots P\) of \(N\) with \(n\) copies of \(P\) and its group of diffeomorphisms that fix a chosen non-empty subsurface \(\partial_0 N\) of the boundary of \(N\) point wise. The main theorem is that the homology in degree \(i\) of the associated mapping class group is independent of \(n\) for \(n \geq 2i + 2\). The same is holds for the quotient of the mapping class group by the subgroup generated by twists along spheres and certain disks. Mapping class groups act on the fundamental groups of the underlying manifolds. From the above result the authors are able to deduce for example a similar homology stability result for automorphism groups Aut\((*_n G)\) of the \(n\)-fold free product for some groups \(G\) that are fundamental groups of certain prime, compact, orientable 3-manifolds. Other groups that are shown to satisfy homology stability include the mapping class group of a handlebody and the mapping class group of any connected manifold (of dimension \(\geq 2)\) with \(n\) points removed. The methods are similar to but improved on those previously used by Harer and Ivanov to prove homology stability for the mapping class group of surfaces and those previously used by the authors and Vogtmann to prove homology stability for automorphism groups of free groups. In more detail, (in the case when \(P\) is not \(S^1 \times S^2)\) a simplicial complex \(X\) is constructed in which the vertices are the isotopy classes of images of embeddings of \(P\) into the whole manifold and \(k + 1\) vertices span a \(k\)-simplex if they can be represented by non-intersecting images. The mapping class group of the manifold acts naturally on this complex. The authors furthermore introduce a general criterion on simplicial complexes, called (weakly) Cohen-Macaulay, for which they prove connectivity results. Thus the complex \(X\) is shown to be highly connected. These are the essential ingredients for the spectral sequence argument, which the authors helpfully `axiomatize' large parts of, to complete the proof.