Extending homeomorphisms from punctured surfaces to handlebodies. (Q2474467)

In this paper, the following notations are used: \(H_g\) is an oriented handlebody of genus \(g\geq 0\); \(T_g\) is its boundary; \(A_1,\dots,A_n\) is a set of marked points in \(H_g\); for each \(i=1,\dots,n\), \(P_{i1}\) and \(P_{i2}\) are the endpoints of \(A_i\); \(\text{MCG}_{2n}(T_g)\) is the group of isotopy classes of orientation preserving homeomorphisms of \(T_g\) fixing the sets \(\{P_{11},P_{12},\dots,P_{n1},P_{n2}\}\); \(\text{MCG}_{n}(H_g)\) is the group of isotopy classes of orientation preserving homeomorphisms of \(H_g\) fixing the union of arcs \(A_1\cup\cdots\cup A_n\); \(\mathcal E_{2n}^g\) is the subgroup of \(\text{MCG}_{2n}(T_g)\) which is the image of the homomorphism \(\text{MCG}_{n}(H_g)\to\text{MCG}_{2n}(T_g)\) induced by restriction. The main result of the authors is that they provide a finite set of generators for \(\mathcal E_{2n}^g\) and they describe their extensions to \(H_g\), for each \(n\geq 1\) and \(g\geq 0\). The result generalizes previous results obtained by S. Suzuki for the case \(n=0\) and by the authors of the paper under review in the case \(n=1\). The motivation for studying such groups originates in the question of the representation of knots and links in 3-manifolds via \((g,n)\) decompositions.