Virtually geometrically finite mapping class groups of 3-manifolds (Q2640945)

The main result of this valuable paper is the following Theorem. Let M be a compact orientable irreducible sufficiently large 3-manifold. Then the mapping class group \({\mathcal H}(M)\) is finitely presented and is of type VFL. If M is Haken, then \({\mathcal H}(M)\) is a virtual duality group. Here the mapping class group is the quotient group of the group of homeomorphisms by the subgroup of isotopies. A Haken manifold has the properties quoted above and the boundary is incompressible. A group \(\Gamma\) is of type FL if there is a finite resolution of the trivial \(\Gamma\)-module \({\mathbb{Z}}\) by finitely generated free \(\Gamma\)-modules. \(\Gamma\) is a duality group over \({\mathbb{Z}}\) if there is a \(\Gamma\)-module C such that for some n there are natural isomorphisms \(H^ k(\Gamma;A)\cong H_{n-k}(\Gamma,C\otimes_{{\mathbb{Z}}}A)\) for all k and all \(\Gamma\)-modules A; the integer n is called the cohomological dimension of the duality group. The virtual cohomological dimension of a group is the cohomological dimension of any torsion-free subgroup of finite index. Similar is the definition of a virtual duality group. The corresponding statement of the theorem for dimension 2 has been obtained by McCool, Harvey and Harer. The proof in the sections 1-7 uses the characteristic submanifold theory of Johannson and Jaco-Shalen to consider special types of 3-manifolds where one may also apply the results on surfaces. For the cases when the boundary is compressible there is no final result. For the orientable handlebody V of genus 2 it is shown that \({\mathcal H}(V)\) is as virtual duality group of dimension 3. Some more calculations of virtual cohomological dimensions are done.