Misc,
Groupoid Extensions of Mapping Class Representations for Bordered Surfaces
(2007)cite arxiv:0710.2651 Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures Theorem 3.6 has been strengthened, and Theorems 8.1 and 8.2 have been added.
Abstract
The mapping class group of a surface with one boundary component admits
numerous interesting representations including as a group of automorphisms of a
free group and as a group of symplectic transformations. Insofar as the mapping
class group can be identified with the fundamental group of Riemann's moduli
space, it is furthermore identified with a subgroup of the fundamental path
groupoid upon choosing a basepoint. A combinatorial model for this, the mapping
class groupoid, arises from the invariant cell decomposition of Teichm"uller
space, whose fundamental path groupoid is called the Ptolemy groupoid. It is
natural to try to extend representations of the mapping class group to the
mapping class groupoid, i.e., construct a homomorphism from the mapping class
groupoid to the same target that extends the given representations arising from
various choices of basepoint.
Among others, we extend both aforementioned representations to the groupoid
level in this sense, where the symplectic representation is lifted both
rationally and integrally. The techniques of proof include several algorithms
involving fatgraphs and chord diagrams. The former extension is given by
explicit formulae depending upon six essential cases, and the kernel and image
of the groupoid representation are computed. Furthermore, this provides
groupoid extensions of any representation of the mapping class group that
factors through its action on the fundamental group of the surface including,
for instance, the Magnus representation and representations on the moduli
spaces of flat connections.
