The action of the mapping class group on curves in surfaces (Q760048)

This paper is a survey of results in the author's thesis about the action of the mapping class group \(MC(F_ g)\) (homeomorphisms modulo isotopy) of a closed orientable surface \(F_ g\) on the set \({\mathcal S}'(F_ g)\) of isotopy classes of simple closed curves on \(F_ g\). Following Dehn and Thurston this set \({\mathcal S}'(F_ g)\) can be parametrized as a subset of \({\mathbb{Z}}^{6g-6}\) (by counting intersection numbers and twists relative to a canonical system of curves on \(F_ g)\). By results of Dehn and Lickorish the mapping class group \(MC(F_ g)\) is generated by twists (''Dehn-twists'') around some system of simple closed curves on \(F_ g\). The main result is an explicit computation of the operation of these twist-generators on the set \({\mathcal S}'(F_ g)\subset {\mathbb{Z}}^{6g- 6}\subset {\mathbb{R}}^{6g-6}\). Given an element of \(MC(F_ g)\) there corresponds a finite decomposition of \({\mathbb{R}}^{6g-6}\) by cones based at the origin, and the element acts like an invertible integral matrix on the parameter values in each of these cones. The explicit formulas are pretty long and have been checked by a computer. Some special cases and examples illustrate the general method. Also an introduction to the background material, e.g. the Dehn-Thurston parametrization, is given.