Roots of Dehn twists (Q2430739)

In the mapping class group of a closed surface of genus \(g\), it is easy to find roots of the Dehn twist about a separating simple closed curve. For a nonseparating simple closed curve \(C\), \textit{D. Margalit} and \textit{S. Schleimer} [Geom. Topol. 13, No.~3, 1495--1497 (2009; Zbl 1203.57007)] found examples of homeomorphisms \(h\) such that \(h^{2g-1}=t_C\), where \(t_C\) is the Dehn twist about \(C\). The main result of this paper gives elementary number-theoretic conditions that describes those \(n\) for which there exists a homeomorphism \(h\) such that \(h^n=t_C\). Some of the interesting applications are the following: if an \(n^{th}\) root of \(t_C\) exists, then \(n\) must be odd; if \(n>2g-1\) then \(t_C\) has no \(n^{th}\) root; if \(n\) is odd and if \(g>(n-1)(n-2)/2\) then there exists an \(n^{th}\) root.