Connected components of Isom\((\mathbb{H}^3)\)-representations of non-orientable surfaces (Q2123138)

Let \(M\) be a closed surface and \(G\) a Lie group. Let \(\pi_{1}(M)\) denote the fundamental group of the surface. The set of homomorphisms \(\phi:\pi_{1}(M)\to G\) is called the variety of representations of the fundamental group of \(M\) in \(G\) and denoted hom(\(\pi_{1}(M),G\)). The goal of the paper under review is to find topological invariants which classify the connected components of hom(\(\pi_{1}(M),G\)), for \(M\) non-orientable and \(G = \mathrm{Isom}(\mathbb H^3)\cong\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb C)\rtimes\mathbb Z_2.\) The author proves the following result: Let \(N_k\) denote the closed non-orientable surface of genus \(k.\) The representation variety hom(\(\pi_{1}(N_k),G\)) has \(2^{k+1}\) connected components. In the proof he uses the so-called `square map' \([A]\in \mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb C)\mapsto A^2\in\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb C\)). Moreover, it is proved that the above connected components are distinguished by the Stiefel-Whitney classes of the associated flat \(G\)-bundle over \(M.\) In this sense, these cohomological classes are constant on connected components.