Homological infiniteness of Torelli groups (Q5930179)

The mapping class group \(\Gamma^n_{g,r}\) is defined to be the group of components of the diffeomorphism group of a surface of genus \(g\) with \(r\) fixed embedded disks and \(n\) marked points. It acts naturally on the first homology of the surface preserving the intersection form. The Torelli group \(T^n_{g,r}\) is the subgroup acting trivially. Indeed there is an extension \[ 0\to T^n_{g,r} \to\Gamma^n_{g,r}\to Sp_{2g} \mathbb{Z}\to 0. \tag{*} \] The rational homology of \(\Gamma^n_{g,r}\) is the same as that of the moduli space of Riemann surfaces decorated in an appropriate way. This is a finite dimensional orbifold and hence \(H_*(\Gamma^n_{g,r}; \mathbb{Q})\) is finite dimensional in each degree * and vanishes for * large. The purpose of the present paper is to show that \(H_* (T^n_{g,r}; \mathbb{Q})\) on the contrary is infinite dimensional. The proof proceeds by contradiction using a nice spectral sequence argument envolving principal congruence subgroups and using computations of orbifold Euler characteristics by \textit{G. Harder} [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér, IV Sér. 4, 409-455 (1971; Zbl 0232.20088)] and \textit{J. Harer} and \textit{D. Zagier} [Invent. Math. 85, 457-485 (1986; Zbl 0616.14017)]. The proof however gives no indication whether these homology groups are nontrivial in arbitrarily high dimensions or fail to be of finite type or both. Johnson refined the representation (*) and the associated kernel is the subgroup \(K^n_{g,r}\) of \(T^n_{g,r}\) generated by all Dehn twists along separating simple closed curves. The rational homology for \(K_g\), \(K^1_g\), and \(K_{g,1}\) are proved to be infinite dimensional by similar arguments.