The twist subgroup of the mapping class group of a nonorientable surface (Q1043685)

Let \(N_{g,s}^{n}\) be a smooth, non-orientable, compact surface of genus \(g\) with \(s\) boundary components and \(n\) punctures and whenever \(s=n=0\) it is denoted by \(N_{g}\). The surface \(N_{g}\) is a connected sum of \(g\) projective planes and \(N_{g,s}^{n}\) is obtained from \(N_{g}\) by removing \(s\) open disks and specifying the set \(\Sigma=\) \(\{z_{1},..,z_{n}\}\) of \(n\) distinguished points in the interior of \(N_{g}\). The \textit{mapping class group} of \(N=N_{g,s}^{n}\) is the quotient group of the group of all diffeomorphisms \(h:N \rightarrow N\) such that \(h\) is the identity on each boundary component and \(h(\Sigma)=\Sigma\) by the subgroup consisting of maps isotopic to the identity (where isotopies fix \(\Sigma\) and are the identity on each boundary component). Define \(\mathcal{T}(N)\) to be \textit{the twist subgroup} of the mapping class group of a nonorientable surface \(N\), that is the subgroup generated by Dehn twists about two-sided circles. The author studies algebraic properties of the group \(\mathcal{T}(N_{g})\) when \(g \geq 3\). He proves that \(\mathcal{T}(N)\) is a subgroup of index \(2^{n+1}n!\), extending results of \textit{W. B. R. Lickorish} [Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 59, 307--317 (1963; Zbl 0115.40801)] and \textit{M. Korkmaz} [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 123, No.~3, 487--499 (1998; Zbl 0898.57003)]. Using this fact, he obtains a simple generating set for \(\mathcal{T}(N)\). As an application, he computes the first homology group (abelianization) of \(\mathcal{T}(N)\).