On the structures of the Johnson cokernels of the basis-conjugating automorphism groups of free groups (Q7302661)

Let \(F_n\) be the free group of rank \(n\). Let \(\mathrm{P}\Sigma_n\) be its basis-conjugating automorphism group and set \(P_n(k)=\mathrm{P}\Sigma_n\cap\mathcal{A}_n(k)\). The paper studies the cokernels of the Johnson homomorphisms \[\tau_k^P\colon \operatorname{gr}_k(P_n)\to\mathfrak{p}_n(k).\] \NFor \(n\geq 3\), it proves that the image of \(\tau_k^P\) is the kernel of the corresponding trace map for \(2\leq k\leq 4\). In degrees \(2\) and \(3\) this yields short exact sequences with cokernel given by a quotient of the module of cyclic words, whereas in degree \(4\) the trace map has cokernel free abelian of rank \(n(n-1)/2\). A reduced trace map is shown to be surjective in every degree \(k\geq 2\), giving general obstructions to the surjectivity of the Johnson homomorphisms. The paper also computes several trace and Johnson images in higher degrees and proves that, for a multidegree \(\alpha=(\alpha_1,\ldots,\alpha_n)\) with some \(\alpha_j=1\), the kernel of the restricted trace map is contained in the Johnson image. As applications, it proves that the fourth term of the Andreadakis-Johnson filtration of \(\mathrm{P}\Sigma_n\) coincides with the fourth term of its lower central series for \(n\geq 3\), and that \(H^1(\mathrm{BP}_n,V)\cong\mathbb{Z}^{\oplus 2}\oplus\mathbb{Z}/4\mathbb{Z}\) for the braid-permutation automorphism group \(\mathrm{BP}_n\) and the integral standard representation \(V\).