An elementary approach to the mapping class group of a surface

DOI10.2140/GT.1999.3.405MaRDI QIDQ1960729zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Publication date 16 January 2000

Published in Geometry \& Topology (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/9912248, https://eudml.org/doc/120584, http://www.emis.de/journals/UW/gt/GTVol3/paper17.abs.html

zbMATH Keywords

curve complex group presentation

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Generators, relations, and presentations of groups (20F05) Other groups related to topology or analysis (20F38) Fundamental group, presentations, free differential calculus (57M05) Group actions on manifolds and cell complexes in low dimensions (57M60)

Abstract: We consider an oriented surface S and a cellular complex X of curves on S, defined by Hatcher and Thurston in 1980. We prove by elementary means, without Cerf theory, that the complex X is connected and simply connected. From this we derive an explicit simple presentation of the mapping class group of S, following the ideas of Hatcher-Thurston and Harer.

Review text

The mapping class groups, \(M_{g,0}\) and \(M_{g,1}\), are the groups of isotopy classes of orientation preserving homeomorphisms on a surface \(S\), where \(S\) is a compact surface of genus \(g\) with 0 or 1 boundary components respectively. In 1980, Hatcher and Thurston gave an algorithm for constructing a finite presentation for \(M_{g,1}\), for arbitrary \(g\). In 1983 the author gave a simplified version of an explicit presentation by Harer (corrected by Birman and the author in 1994). The current work gives a proof of Hatcher and Thurston's result by elementary means (not using Morse and Cerf Theory). It goes on to find a simple presentation of \(M_{g,0}\) and \(M_{g,1}\), each generated by \(2g+1\) Dehn twists, and shows the relationship between those and the earlier presentations. A cell complex, \(X\), is constructed as follows. The vertices are cut systems \(\langle\gamma_1, \gamma_2,\dots, \gamma_g\rangle\), which are isotopy classes of disjoint simple closed curves \(\gamma_1,\gamma_2, \dots,\gamma_g\) in \(S\) such that if \(S\) is cut along those curves a connected surface is formed. If \(\gamma_i'\) meets \(\gamma_i\) at one point and is disjoint from the other curves then \(\langle\gamma_1, \gamma_2,\dots, \gamma_{i-1},\;\gamma_i', \gamma_{i+1}, \dots,\gamma_g \rangle\) forms another cut system said to be formed from \(\langle\gamma_1, \gamma_2,\dots, \gamma_g\rangle\) by a simple move. If two cut systems are formed from each other by a simple move the corresponding vertices in \(X\) are connected by an edge, thus forming the 1-skeleton of \(X\). Finally, sets of paths in \(X^1\) which are closed and have 3, 4, or 5 edges and certain intersection properties among the curves forming the vertices are distinguished and two cells attached to those closed edge-paths, forming the cell complex \(X\). The author then gives an elementary proof of Hatcher and Thurston's theorem that \(X\) is connected and simply connected. A presentation of \(M_{g,1}\) is approached through its action on \(X\). Since a homeomorphism will take cut systems to cut systems and preserves intersections \(M_{g,1}\)'s action on \(X^0\) can be extended to \(X\). First a presentation is found of the stabilizer, \(H\), of the vertex \(v_0=\langle \alpha_1,\alpha_2, \dots, \alpha_g \rangle\) where \(\alpha_i\) is the meridian curve across the \(i\)th handle. Then a presentation of the stabilizer of the edge \(e_0\) determined by the simple move replacing \(\alpha_1\) by \(\beta_1\), where \(\beta_1\) is the curve along the first handle, is found. Finally a presentation of \(M_{g,1}\) is given with generators the generators of \(H\) and the element \(r=a_1 b_1a_1\) where \(a_1\) and \(b_1\) correspond to Dehn twists along \(\alpha_1\) and \(\beta_1\). The presentation is then simplified. The presentation of \(M_{g,1}\) is used to find a presentation of \(M_{g,0}\). Finally the relationship between these presentations and the earlier ones found by the author are given. This paper is fairly self-contained and includes most of the details of the extensive calculations.

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