Big pure mapping class groups are never perfect

DOI10.4310/MRL.2022.V29.N3.A4arXiv2007.14929MaRDI QIDQ6346113FDOQ6346113

Publication date: 29 July 2020

Abstract: We show that the closure of the compactly supported mapping class group of an infinite type surface is not perfect and that its abelianization contains a direct summand isomorphic to an uncountable direct sum of rationals. We also extend this to the Torelli group and show that in the case of surfaces with infinite genus the abelianization of the Torelli group contains an indivisible copy of an uncountable free abelian group as well. Finally we give an application to the question of automatic continuity by exhibiting discontinuous homomorphisms to the rationals.

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Manifolds and cell complexes (57-XX) Group theory and generalizations (20-XX)

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