Multitwists in big mapping class groups

DOI10.2140/AGT.2025.25.3921MaRDI QIDQ6871625zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors George Domat, Federica Fanoni, Sebastian Hensel

Publication date 20 January 2026

Published in Algebraic \& Geometric Topology (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.2140/AGT.2025.25.3921

zbMATH Keywords

infinite-type surfacemapping class groupmultitwistPolish groupTorelli group

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Geometric group theory (20F65) 2-dimensional topology (including mapping class groups of surfaces, Teichmüller theory, curve complexes, etc.) (57K20)

Review text

The paper studies the subgroup of the mapping class group of an infinite-type surface generated by multitwists, that is, products of powers of Dehn twists about collections of pairwise disjoint nonaccumulating curves. The main focus is on the closure of the compactly supported mapping class group with respect to the compact-open topology and on the role of multitwists as a potential topological generating set.\N\NThe principal result is Theorem A, which shows that for any infinite-type surface \(S\) the subgroup generated by multitwists does not contain the Torelli group \(\mathcal I(S)\). As a consequence, multitwists do not generate the closure of the compactly supported mapping class group. The proof constructs an explicit element of the Torelli group that cannot be written as a finite product of multitwists. This element is obtained as an infinite product of powers of pairwise disjoint partial pseudo-Anosov mapping classes supported on finite-type subsurfaces.\N\NA key ingredient is the existence of chiral pseudo-Anosov mapping classes in the Torelli group of suitable finite-type subsurfaces, established in Lemma 1. The paper also raises questions on the topological structure of the subgroup generated by multitwists, including whether it admits a Polish group structure.

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