Ergodic actions of mapping class groups on moduli spaces of representations of non-orientable surfaces (Q2430720)

In this paper, \(M\) is a compact non-orientable surface with or without boundary, whose Euler characteristic is \(\leq -2\). The author considers the moduli space of flat \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\)-connections, or, equivalently, the space of conjugacy classes of representations \[ \mathcal{X}(M)=\mathrm{Hom}(\pi_1(M),\mathrm{SU}(2))/\mathrm{SU}(2). \] The mapping class group of \(M\) is the space of isotopy classes of homeomorphisms of \(M\). By a theorem of Mangler (1939), in the case where \(M\) is closed, the mapping class group of \(M\) is isomorphic to the outer automorphism group of \(\pi_1(M)\), and there is a characterization of the image of the mapping class group in \(\mathrm{Out}(\pi_1(M))\). (This is an analogue of a theorem of Nielsen-Baer in the orientable case.) Using this fact, there is a natural action of the mapping class group on the representation variety \(\mathcal{X}(M)\), both in the case of a closed surface and in the case of a surface with boundary. The main result of this paper is that this action is ergodic with respect to a mapping class group invariant measure. This measure originates in work by Witten for an orientable surface, and it was studied in the non-orientable case by \textit{N.-K. Ho} and \textit{L. C. Jeffrey} [Commun. Math. Phys. 256, No.~3, 539--564 (2005; Zbl 1098.58010)] and by \textit{M. Mulase} and \textit{M. Penkava} [``Volume of representation varieties'', \url{arXiv:math/0212012v1}]. The measure is defined using the push-forward measure associated to a map defined by the presentation of the surface fundamental group. The result is an analogue of a result by Goldman for orientable surfaces, see [\textit{W. M. Goldman}, Ann. Math. (2) 146, No.~3, 475--507 (1997; Zbl 0907.57009)].