On stable commutator length in hyperelliptic mapping class groups (Q2256292)

The commutator length \(\text{cl}_G(x)\) of an element \(x\) in a group \(G\) is the smallest number of commutators in \(G\) whose product is \(x\), and the stable commutator length of \(x\) is the limit of \(\text{cl}_G(x^n)/n\) when \(n\) goes to infinity. In the present paper, new upper bounds are obtained on the stable commutator length of Dehn twists in a hyperelliptic mapping class group of a closed surface (the normalizer of a hyperelliptic involution in the mapping class group of a surface), or equivalently in the mapping class group of the 2-sphere with \(m\) distinguished points; also, the stable commutator length of some elements is determined. Stable commutator length on a group is closely related to functions on the group called homogeneous quasimorphisms through Bavard's duality theorem see \textit{C. Bavard} [Enseign. Math. (2) 37, No. 1--2, 109--150 (1991; Zbl 0810.20026)]. ``We also calculate values and the defects of homogeneous quasimorphisms derived from \(\omega\)-signatures and show that they are linearly independent in mapping class groups of pointed 2-spheres when the number of points is small.'' Concerning related work there is a recent paper of \textit{R. İ. Baykur} et al. [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 365, No. 11, 5999--6016 (2013; Zbl 1334.57028)] who determine the commutator length of a Dehn twist about the boundary curve of a compact surface with connected boundary, and lower bounds on the stable commutator length of Dehn twists of a closed surface are obtained using gauge theory in a paper by \textit{H. Endo} and \textit{D. Kotschick} [Invent. Math. 144, No. 1, 169--175 (2001; Zbl 0987.57004)].