Automorphisms of braid groups on orientable surfaces. (Q2805387)

Let \(\Sigma\) be a surface which is homeomorphic to \(\Sigma_{g,p}=\Sigma_g\setminus\mathbf p\), where \(\Sigma_g\) is the orientable closed surface of genus \(g\) and \(\mathbf p=\{p_1,\ldots,p_p\}\) is a set of punctures. We say that \(\Sigma\) is generic if \(\chi(\Sigma)<-1\). The groups \(\mathbf B_n(\Sigma)\) and \(\mathbf P_n(\Sigma)\) are the braid group and the pure braid group on \(n\)-strings, respectively, of \(\Sigma\). The group \(\mathcal M^*(\Sigma)\) (\(\mathcal M_n^*(\Sigma)\)) is the mapping class group (the mapping class group with \(n\)-marked points), respectively.NEWLINENEWLINE The main result of the paper is: Theorem 1.3. Let \(\Sigma\) be a generic surface and \(n\geq 2\). Then NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\Aut(\mathbf P_n(\Sigma))\cong\mathcal M_n^*(\Sigma),\qquad\mathrm{Out}(\mathbf P_n(\Sigma))\cong\mathbf S_n\times\mathcal M^*(\Sigma)NEWLINE\]NEWLINE and NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\Aut(\mathbf B_n(\Sigma))\cong\mathcal M_n^*(\Sigma),\qquad\mathrm{Out}(\mathbf B_n(\Sigma))\cong\mathcal M^*(\Sigma).NEWLINE\]NEWLINE At the end of the paper the groups \(\Aut(\mathbf B_n(\Sigma))\) are computed for the remaining cases of \(\Sigma\), called \textit{exceptional cases}.NEWLINENEWLINE A detailed presentation of the known results about \(\Aut(\mathbf B_n(\Sigma))\) and \(\Aut(\mathbf P_n(\Sigma))\) is provided. The proofs are long and use several techniques including combinatorial group theory, properties of the braids, properties of the mapping class groups and the Thurston classification of homeomorphisms of the surface.NEWLINENEWLINE As an application they show: Theorem 1.5: Let \(\Sigma\) be a surface of finite type without boundary, possibly non-orientable. Then the pure braid group \(\mathbf P_n(\Sigma)\) is a characteristic subgroup of the braid group \(\mathbf B_n(\Sigma)\) except \(\mathbf P_2(\Sigma_{0,2})\) is not characteristic in \(\mathbf B_2(\Sigma_{0,2})\).