Linearity of some low-complexity mapping class groups (Q2309628)

Let \(S_{g,b,n}\) denote the orientable surface of genus \(g\) with \(b\) boundary components and \(n\) punctures. Let \(PMod_{g,b,n}\) denote the pure mapping class group of orientation-preserving diffeomorphisms of \(S_{g,b,n}\) identical on the boundary and not permuting punctures, up to the isotopies identical on the boundary and not permuting punctures. In the paper under review, the author examines the lower genus cases, these are \(g=0\), \(b>1\) and \(g=1\), \(n+b \leq 3\). The author starts with the \(g=0\) case and provides a simple proof for the description of the group \(PMod_{0,b,n}\) when \(b>1\), using the capping homomorphism lemma [\textit{B. Farb} and \textit{D. Margalit}, A primer on mapping class groups. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press (2011; Zbl 1245.57002)]. For the \(g=1\) case, he begins with analyzing the presentation of \(PMod_{1,3,0}\) that Gervais obtained [\textit{S. Gervais}, Topology 40, No. 4, 703--725 (2001; Zbl 0992.57013)] and sees that it is isomorphic to \(A(D_4) \times \mathbb{Z}^3\) modulo a star relation. Then reducing one generator using the relations of the presentation, he obtains that \(PMod_{1,3,0}\) is isomorphic to \(A(D_4) \times \mathbb{Z}^2\). Applying the capping homomorphism lemma several times, he shows that \(PMod_{1,2,1}\), \(PMod_{1,1,2}\), and \(PMod_{1,0,3}\) are isomorphic to \(A(D_4) \times \mathbb{Z}\), \(A(D_4)\), \(A(D_4)/ Z(A(D_4)) \), respectively. Then using similar arguments, he shows that \(PMod_{1,2,0}\), \(PMod_{1,1,1}\), \(PMod_{1,0,2}\) are isomorphic to \(B_4 \times \mathbb{Z}\), \(B_4 \), \(B_4 / Z(B_4) \) respectively. A representation of a group is a homomorphism from the group into a group of matrices. A representation is faithful if it is one-to-one. A group is linear if it has a faithful representation. Using the isomorphic groups he obtained for the desciption of \(PMod_{0,b,n}\) when \(b>1\), and of \(PMod_{1,b,n}\) when \(n+b \leq 3\), the author concludes that in these cases, \(PMod_{g,b,n}\) is linear, giving an answer to the linearity problem [\textit{J. S. Birman}, Proc. Sympos. Pure Math. 74, 133--149 (2006; Zbl 1304.57033)] for these lower genus cases. Finally, as another application, he gives a negative answer to a question by \textit{H. Hamidi-Tehrani} [Algebr. Geom. Topol. 2, 1155--1178 (2002; Zbl 1023.57001)], asking whether a subgroup of \(PMod_{1,2,0}\) generated by a certain combination of Dehn twists is free of rank 2.