Stable cohomology of \(\operatorname{Aut}(\mathrm{F}_\mathrm{n})\) with bivariant twisted coefficients (Q6899296)

The paper studies the stable cohomology of the automorphism group \(\mathrm{Aut}(F_n)\) of the free group \(F_n\) with coefficients in tensor products of the standard rational representation \(H_1(F_n,\mathbb{Q})\) and its dual. For \(p,q\ge 0\), the coefficients are given by\N\[\NK^{p,q}(n)=H_1(F_n,\mathbb{Q})^{\otimes\, p}\otimes H_1(F_n,\mathbb{Q})^{* \otimes \, q},\N\]\Nand the stable cohomology is defined as the limit of \(H^*(\mathrm{Aut}(F_n);K^{p,q}(n))\) along the stabilization maps.\N\NOne of the main results establishes that, in a stable range, the cohomology groups vanish outside degree \(\mathbf{*}=p-q\), while in that degree they are described explicitly in terms of a representation built from labeled partitions of a finite set, equipped with natural actions of symmetric groups. This gives an explicit combinatorial description of the stable cohomology groups and confirms a conjectural description due to \textit{A.~Djament} [Compos. Math. 155, No. 9, 1794--1844 (2019; Zbl 1421.18001)].\N\NThe proof uses homological stability with twisted coefficients, spectral sequences associated with short exact sequences of representations and the action of symmetric groups on spaces of labeled partitions. The paper also derives vanishing results for the cohomology of \(\mathrm{Out}(F_n)\) with the same coefficients.