Infinite loop space structure(s) on the stable mapping class group. (Q1426428)

The object under scrutiny in this paper is the classifying space of the stable mapping class group \(\Gamma_{\infty}\) of Riemann surfaces. This is the direct limit over increasing genus of spaces of orientation preserving diffeomorphisms of bordered Riemann surfaces modulo isotopy. An important theorem of \textit{U. Tillmann} [Invent. Math. 130, 257--275 (1997; Zbl 0891.55019)] asserts that the classifying space of \(\Gamma_{\infty}\) after the (Quillen) plus construction is an infinite loop space. By using a different approach [Math. Ann. 317, No. 3, 613--628 (2000; Zbl 0961.55014)], \textit{U. Tillmann} produced yet another infinite loop space structure on \(B\Gamma_{\infty}^+\). The main point of the paper under review is to show that these two structures are in fact the same. The first infinite loop space structure is detected by an operad whose \(k\)-ary operations are parameterized by classifying spaces of mapping class groups of Riemann surfaces with \(k+1\) boundary components (one of which is marked). This operad is constructed out of three elementary surfaces or ``legos'' consisting of a disc, a pair of pants and a torus with two boundary components. Associativity concerns in constructing the operad are taken care of by working with groupoids, and the existence of a unit is obtained by passing to a quotient. As it turns out, algebras over this operad are infinite loop spaces after group completion. This is discussed in the third section of this paper. The second infinite loop space structure comes about by considering, as done initially by Tillmann but with a slight variation, a cobordism category whose objects are the natural numbers and morphisms between two integers the classifying space of yet another category whose objects are surfaces built out of the same lego surfaces but allowing disjoint union this time, and whose morphisms are homotopy classes of diffeomorphisms preserving orientation. Disjoint union of surfaces induces a symmetric monoidal structure on this category whose classifying space being connected becomes an infinite loop space. This is the content of section 4. In the remaining long and technical section 5 of the paper, the author uses an explicit description of the spectrum of deloops associated to each infinite loop space structure, with each deloop given as the realization of a simplicial space, to first construct a map \(f\) between both simplicial spaces in question and then to rectify it to obtain an equivalence of spectra. Since \(f\) is not quite simplicial to begin with, the rectification aims at changing both target and source up to homotopy so as to obtain a new map which is simplicial. This procedure is based on a theory due to Dwyer and Kan which produces from a homotopy diagram (possibly of infinite shape) a strictly commutative but equivalent (in a suitable sense) diagram. This is explained in the second section of the paper. Finally and in an appendix the author shows that an explicit map between \({\mathbb Z}\times B\Gamma_{\infty}\) and \(\Omega B C\), where \(C\) is the cobordism category described above, is a homology equivalence giving hence an alternate proof of the original result of Tillmann.