Higher-order signature cocycles for subgroups of mapping class groups and homology cylinders (Q2905262)

Let \(S\) be a surface and let \(H<\pi_1(S)\) be a characteristic subgroup. Denote the subgroup of the mapping class group of \(S\) which acts trivially on \(\pi_1(S)/H\) by \(J(H)\). For any unitary representation \(\psi\) of \(\pi_1(S)/H\), the authors associate a higher order \(\rho_{\psi}\)-invariant and a signature \(2\)-cocycle \(\sigma_{\psi}\). It turns out that \(\rho_{\psi}\) is a quasi-morphism and each \(\sigma_{\psi}\) is a bounded \(2\)-cocycle on \(J(H)\).NEWLINENEWLINEIn genus \(g\geq 2\), the authors use varying representations to build infinite families of linearly independent quasi-morphisms and bounded \(2\)-cocycles on the Johnson kernel \(\mathcal{K}_g\).NEWLINENEWLINEThe invariant \(\rho_{\psi}\) is the von Neumann \(\rho\) invariant, and the cocycle \(\sigma_{\psi}\) is a generalization of the Meyer cocycle called the von Neumann signature.