The integral cohomology of \(\text{Out}_ +(F_ 3)\) (Q2367205)

Let \(F_ n\) be the free group of rank \(n\). Define, as usual, \(\text{Out}(F_ n) = \text{Aut}(F_ n)/\text{Inn}(F_ n)\). The abelianization map \(\alpha: F_ n \to \mathbb{Z}^ n\) induces a surjection \(\alpha_ * : \text{Out}(F_ n) \to GL(n,\mathbb{Z})\). Denote by \(d\) the determinant map \(\text{GL}(n,\mathbb{Z}) \to \mathbb{Z}_ 2\) and define \(\text{Out}_ +(F_ n)\) to be the kernel of the composition map \(d \circ \alpha_ *\); \(\text{Out}_ +(F_ n)\) is the preimage of \(\text{SL}(n,\mathbb{Z})\) under the map \(\alpha_ *\). \textit{C. Soulé} [Topology 17, 1-22 (1978; Zbl 0382.57026)] has found the cohomology of \(SL(3,\mathbb{Z})\) by studying its action on a retract of an appropriate homogeneous space. Here, using a similar technique -- a spectral sequence arising from the action of \(\text{Out}_ +(F_ 3)\) on the space \(K_ 3\) introduced by \textit{M. Culler} and \textit{K. Vogtmann} [Invent. Math. 84, 91-119 (1986; Zbl 0589.20022)] -- the author calculates \(H^*(\text{Out}_ +(F_ 3),\mathbb{Z})\). The most difficult part in this calculation is to find the 2-torsion in \(E^{p,q}_ 2\) for \(q > 0\). Two appendices give the quotient space \(K_ 3/\text{Out}(F_ 3)\) by listing cells and their stabilizers together with a description of the coboundary map in the cellular cochain complex. This paper, containing several interesting ideas and also a lot of useful details, is a part of the author's Ph.D thesis at Cornell University.