The Torelli groups for genus 2 and 3 surfaces
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: The Torelli groups for genus 2 and 3 surfaces
zbMATH Open document ID: 0772.57025
DOI: 10.1016/0040-9383(92)90008-6
author: Geoffrey Mess
published in: Topology
publication date: 1993-05-16T00:00:00Z
review text: The mapping class group \(\Gamma_ g\) is the group of isotopy classes of orientation-preserving diffeomorphisms of the closed orientable surface of genus \(g\). The action of \(\Gamma_ g\) on the first homology of the surface determines a representation \(\Gamma_ g\to \text{GL}(2g,Z)\), whose image is the symplectic group \(\text{Sp}(g,Z)\), and whose kernel is by definition the Torelli group \(\ell_ g\). Around 1980, the Torelli groups were studied by \textit{Dennis Johnson}, who proved among many results that \(\ell_ g\) is finitely generated when \(g\geq 3\). The Torelli groups have been investigated by many other authors, including \textit{Birman}, \textit{Powell}, \textit{Chillingworth}, \textit{Wagoner}, \textit{Morita}, and the reviewer, who with \textit{A. Miller} gave a topological proof that \(\ell_ 2\) is not finitely generated. In the paper under review, the author uses sophisticated methods from complex algebraic geometry to probe much more deeply into \(\ell_ 2\) (and \(\ell_ 3\)); in particular, he shows that \(\ell_ 2\) is actually free, and that a set of free generators is the Dehn twists on separating curves which form a set of representatives for the homology splittings of the first homology of the genus 2 surface (that is, the unordered pairs \(\{A,B\}\) of rank two subgroups such that the first homology is \(A\oplus B\) and \(A\) and \(B\) are orthogonal with respect to the intersection pairing). The first section of the paper is a concise review of theta functions, the Siegel space \(Z_ g\), abelian varieties and principal polarizations, and the period map. The period map (also called the Torelli map) \(t: T_ g/\ell_ g\to Z_ g\) carries the quotient of Teichmüller space \(T_ g\) by the action of \(\ell_ g\) into the Siegel space. Since \(T_ g\) is contractible and the action of \(\ell_ g\) is known to be free, \(T_ g/\ell_ g\) is a \(K(\ell_ g,1)\)-space (in particular, \(\pi_ 1(T_ g/\ell_ g)=\ell_ g\) and the homology and cohomology of \(T_ g/…
reviewed by: Darryl McCullough
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 57N10
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 57M50
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 14H40
zbMATH DE Number: 167783
zbMATH Keywords: mapping class
zbMATH Keywords: Torelli
zbMATH Keywords: Siegel
zbMATH Keywords: abelian variety
zbMATH Keywords: Jacobian
zbMATH Keywords: Morse
MaRDI profile type: MaRDI publication profile
full work available at URL: 0040-9383(92)90008-6
OpenAlex ID: W1980564597
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 167783