Generating the spin mapping class group by Dehn twists (Q2077201)

Let \(\Sigma_{g}\) be a closed surface of genus \(g\). For a given \(r\) that divides \(2g-2\), a \(\mathbb{Z}/r\mathbb{Z}\)-spin structure on \(\Sigma_{g}\) is a cohomology class \(\phi\in H^{1}(UT\Sigma_{g}, \mathbb{Z}/r\mathbb{Z})\) which evaluates to \(1\) on the oriented fibres of the unit tangent bundle. Spin structures naturally arise in the context of abelian differentials on \(\Sigma_{g}\). The moduli space of such differentials decomposes into strata of differentials whose zeros are of the same order and multiplicity. Understanding the orbifold fundamental group of such strata requires some understanding of their projection to the mapping class group. If the orders of the zeros of the differentials are all multiples of the samenumber \(r>2\), then this quotient group preserves a \(\mathbb{Z}/r\mathbb{Z}\)-spin structure \(\phi\) on \(\Sigma_{g}\). Hence the orbifold fundamental groups of components of strata relate to stabilizers \(\mathrm{Mod}(\Sigma_{g})[\phi]\) of spin structures \(\phi\) on \(\Sigma_{g}\). The paper under review finds explicit curve systems (collections of embedded simple closed curves that are non-contractible, mutually not freely homotopic, and such that any two curves intersect in an most one point) such that Dehn twists about curves in the system generate \(\mathrm{Mod}(\Sigma_{g})[\phi]\) for all \(g\geq 4\).