Mapping class group
Encyclopedia
In mathematics
, in the sub-field of geometric topology
, the mapping class group
is an important algebraic invariant of a topological space
. Briefly, the mapping class group is a discrete group
of 'symmetries' of the space.
M. The mapping class group of M is interpreted as the group of isotopy-classes
of automorphism
s of M. So if M is a topological manifold
, the mapping class group is the group of isotopy-classes of homeomorphisms
of M. If M is a smooth manifold, the mapping class group is the group of isotopy-classes of diffeomorphism
s of M. Whenever the group of automorphisms of an object X has a natural topology
, the mapping class group of X is defined as
where 
is the path-component
of the identity in
. For topological spaces, this is usually the compact-open topology
. In the low-dimensional topology
literature, the mapping class group of X is usually denoted
, although it is also frequently denoted 
where one substitutes for Aut the appropriate group for the category
X is an object of.
denotes the 0-th homotopy group
of a space.
So in general, there is a short-exact sequence of groups:
Frequently this sequence is not split.
If working in the homotopy category, the mapping-class group of X is the group of homotopy-classes
of homotopy-equivalences
of X.
There are many subgroups of mapping class groups that are frequently studied. If M is an oriented manifold,
would be the orientation-preserving automorphisms of M and so the mapping class group of M (as an oriented manifold) would be index two in the mapping class group of M (as an unoriented manifold) provided M admits an orientation-reversing automorphism. Similarly, the subgroup that acts trivially on the homology
of M is called the Torelli group of M, one could think of this as the mapping class group of a homologically-marked surface.
corresponding to maps of degree
.
This is because
is an Eilenberg-MacLane space
.
Provided that
, there are split-exact sequences:
In the category of topological spaces
In the PL-category
In the smooth category
where
are Kervaire-Milnor finite abelian groups of homotopy sphere
s,
is the group of order 2.
s have been heavily studied, and are called Teichmüller modular group
s. (Note the special case of
above.) This is perhaps due to their strange similarity to higher rank linear groups as well as many applications, via surface bundle
s, in Thurston
's theory of geometric three-manifolds. For more information on this topic see the Nielsen–Thurston classification theorem and the article on Dehn twist
s. Every finite group is a subgroup of the mapping class group of a closed, orientable surface, moreover one can realize any finite group as the group of isometries of some compact Riemann surface
.
surfaces have mapping class groups with simple presentations. For example, every homeomorphism of the real projective plane
is isotopic to the identity:
The mapping class group of the Klein bottle
is:
The four elements are the identity, a Dehn twist
on the two-sided curve which does not bound a Möbius strip
, the y-homeomorphism
of Lickorish, and the product of the twist and the y-homeomorphism. It is a nice exercise to show that the square of the Dehn twist is isotopic to the identity.
We also remark that the closed genus
three non-orientable surface
has:
This is because the surface has a unique one-sided curve that, when cut open, yields a once-holed torus. This is discussed in a paper of Martin Scharlemann.
the mapping class group of the pair is the isotopy-classes of automorphisms of the pair, where an automorphism of 
is defined as an automorphism of X that preserves A, i.e. 
is invertible and 
.
is a knot
or a link
, the symmetry group of the knot (resp. link) is defined to be the mapping class group of the pair
. The symmetry group of a hyperbolic knot is known to be dihedra
or cyclic
, moreover every dihedral and cyclic group can be realized as symmetry groups of knots. The symmetry group of a torus knot
is known to be of order two
.
(and cohomology
) of the space
. This is because (co)homology is functorial and
Homeo0 acts trivially (because all elements are isotopic, hence homotopic to the identity, which acts trivially, and action on (co)homology is invariant under homotopy). The kernel of this action is the Torelli group.
In the case of orientable surfaces, this is the action on first cohomology
. Orientation-preserving maps are precisely those that act trivially on top cohomology 
. 
has a symplectic structure, coming from the cup product
; since these maps are automorphisms, and maps preserve the cup product, the mapping class group acts as symplectic automorphisms, and indeed all symplectic automorphisms are realized, yielding the short exact sequence:
One can extend this to
The symplectic group
is well-understood. Hence understanding the algebraic structure of the mapping class group often reduces to questions about the Torelli group.
Note that for the torus (genus 1) the map to the symplectic group is an isomorphism, and the Torelli group vanishes.
of genus g and 1 boundary component into 
by attaching an additional hole on the end (i.e, gluing together 
and 
), and thus automorphisms of the small surface fixing the boundary extend to the larger surface. Taking the direct limit
of these groups and inclusions yields the stable mapping class group, whose rational cohomology ring was conjectured by David Mumford
(one of conjectures called the Mumford conjecture
s). The integral (not just rational) cohomology ring was computed in 2002 by Madsen and Weiss, proving Mumford's conjecture.
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, in the sub-field of geometric topology
Geometric topology
In mathematics, geometric topology is the study of manifolds and maps between them, particularly embeddings of one manifold into another.- Topics :...
, the mapping class group
is an important algebraic invariant of a topological space
Topological space
Topological spaces are mathematical structures that allow the formal definition of concepts such as convergence, connectedness, and continuity. They appear in virtually every branch of modern mathematics and are a central unifying notion...
. Briefly, the mapping class group is a discrete group
Discrete group
In mathematics, a discrete group is a group G equipped with the discrete topology. With this topology G becomes a topological group. A discrete subgroup of a topological group G is a subgroup H whose relative topology is the discrete one...
of 'symmetries' of the space.
Motivation
Consider a topological space, that is, a space with some notion of closeness between points in the space. We can consider the set of homeomorphisms from the space into itself, that is, continuous functions with continuous inverses: functions which stretch and deform the space continuously without puncturing or breaking the space. It can be seen fairly easily that this space forms a group under functional composition. We can also define a topology on this new space of homeomorphisms. The open sets of this new function space will be made up of sets of functions that map compact subsets K into open subsets U as K and U range throughout our original topological space, completed with their finite intersections (which must be open by definition of topology) and arbitrary unions (again which must be open). This gives a notion of continuity on the space of functions, so that we can consider continuous deformation of the homeomorphisms themselves: called homotopies. We define the mapping class group by taking homotopy classes of homeomorphisms, and inducing the group structure from the functional composition group structure already present on the space of automorphisms.Definition
The term mapping class group has a flexible usage. Most often it is used in the context of a manifoldManifold
In mathematics , a manifold is a topological space that on a small enough scale resembles the Euclidean space of a specific dimension, called the dimension of the manifold....
M. The mapping class group of M is interpreted as the group of isotopy-classes
Ambient isotopy
In the mathematical subject of topology, an ambient isotopy, also called an h-isotopy, is a kind of continuous distortion of an "ambient space", a manifold, taking a submanifold to another submanifold. For example in knot theory, one considers two knots the same if one can distort one knot into the...
of automorphism
Automorphism
In mathematics, an automorphism is an isomorphism from a mathematical object to itself. It is, in some sense, a symmetry of the object, and a way of mapping the object to itself while preserving all of its structure. The set of all automorphisms of an object forms a group, called the automorphism...
s of M. So if M is a topological manifold
Topological manifold
In mathematics, a topological manifold is a topological space which looks locally like Euclidean space in a sense defined below...
, the mapping class group is the group of isotopy-classes of homeomorphisms
Homeomorphism group
In mathematics, particularly topology, the homeomorphism group of a topological space is the group consisting of all homeomorphisms from the space to itself with function composition as the group operation. Homeomorphism groups are very important in the theory of topological spaces and in general...
of M. If M is a smooth manifold, the mapping class group is the group of isotopy-classes of diffeomorphism
Diffeomorphism
In mathematics, a diffeomorphism is an isomorphism in the category of smooth manifolds. It is an invertible function that maps one differentiable manifold to another, such that both the function and its inverse are smooth.- Definition :...
s of M. Whenever the group of automorphisms of an object X has a natural topology
Topological space
Topological spaces are mathematical structures that allow the formal definition of concepts such as convergence, connectedness, and continuity. They appear in virtually every branch of modern mathematics and are a central unifying notion...
, the mapping class group of X is defined as
where is the path-componentConnected space
In topology and related branches of mathematics, a connected space is a topological space that cannot be represented as the union of two or more disjoint nonempty open subsets. Connectedness is one of the principal topological properties that is used to distinguish topological spaces...
of the identity in
. For topological spaces, this is usually the compact-open topologyCompact-open topology
In mathematics, the compact-open topology is a topology defined on the set of continuous maps between two topological spaces. The compact-open topology is one of the commonly-used topologies on function spaces, and is applied in homotopy theory and functional analysis...
. In the low-dimensional topology
Low-dimensional topology
In mathematics, low-dimensional topology is the branch of topology that studies manifolds of four or fewer dimensions. Representative topics are the structure theory of 3-manifolds and 4-manifolds, knot theory, and braid groups. It can be regarded as a part of geometric topology.A number of...
literature, the mapping class group of X is usually denoted
, although it is also frequently denoted where one substitutes for Aut the appropriate group for the categoryCategory theory
Category theory is an area of study in mathematics that examines in an abstract way the properties of particular mathematical concepts, by formalising them as collections of objects and arrows , where these collections satisfy certain basic conditions...
X is an object of.
denotes the 0-th homotopy groupHomotopy group
In mathematics, homotopy groups are used in algebraic topology to classify topological spaces. The first and simplest homotopy group is the fundamental group, which records information about loops in a space...
of a space.
So in general, there is a short-exact sequence of groups:
Frequently this sequence is not split.
If working in the homotopy category, the mapping-class group of X is the group of homotopy-classes
Homotopy
In topology, two continuous functions from one topological space to another are called homotopic if one can be "continuously deformed" into the other, such a deformation being called a homotopy between the two functions...
of homotopy-equivalences
Homotopy
In topology, two continuous functions from one topological space to another are called homotopic if one can be "continuously deformed" into the other, such a deformation being called a homotopy between the two functions...
of X.
There are many subgroups of mapping class groups that are frequently studied. If M is an oriented manifold,
would be the orientation-preserving automorphisms of M and so the mapping class group of M (as an oriented manifold) would be index two in the mapping class group of M (as an unoriented manifold) provided M admits an orientation-reversing automorphism. Similarly, the subgroup that acts trivially on the homologyHomology
Homology may refer to:* Homology , analogy between human beliefs, practices or artifacts owing to genetic or historical connections* Homology , any characteristic of biological organisms that is derived from a common ancestor....
of M is called the Torelli group of M, one could think of this as the mapping class group of a homologically-marked surface.
Sphere
In any category (smooth, PL, topological, homotopy)corresponding to maps of degree
Degree of a continuous mapping
In topology, the degree is a numerical invariant that describes a continuous mapping between two compact oriented manifolds of the same dimension. Intuitively, the degree represents the number of times that the domain manifold wraps around the range manifold under the mapping...
.Torus
In the homotopy categoryThis is because
is an Eilenberg-MacLane spaceEilenberg-MacLane space
In mathematics, an Eilenberg–MacLane spaceSaunders Mac Lane originally spelt his name "MacLane" , and co-published the papers establishing the notion of Eilenberg–MacLane spaces under this name. In mathematics, an Eilenberg–MacLane spaceSaunders Mac Lane originally spelt his name "MacLane" (without...
.
Provided that
, there are split-exact sequences:In the category of topological spaces
Category of topological spaces
In mathematics, the category of topological spaces, often denoted Top, is the category whose objects are topological spaces and whose morphisms are continuous maps. This is a category because the composition of two continuous maps is again continuous...
In the PL-category
Piecewise linear manifold
In mathematics, a piecewise linear manifold is a topological manifold together with a piecewise linear structure on it. Such a structure can be defined by means of an atlas, such that one can pass from chart to chart in it by piecewise linear functions.An isomorphism of PL manifolds is called a PL...
In the smooth category
where
are Kervaire-Milnor finite abelian groups of homotopy sphereHomotopy sphere
In algebraic topology, a branch of mathematics, a homotopy sphere is an n-manifold homotopy equivalent to the n-sphere. It thus has the same homotopy groups and the same homology groups, as the n-sphere...
s,
is the group of order 2.Surfaces
The mapping class groups of surfaceSurface
In mathematics, specifically in topology, a surface is a two-dimensional topological manifold. The most familiar examples are those that arise as the boundaries of solid objects in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space R3 — for example, the surface of a ball...
s have been heavily studied, and are called Teichmüller modular group
Teichmüller modular group
In mathematics, a Teichmüller modular group, or mapping class group of a surface, or homeotopy group of a surface, is the group of isotopy classes of orientation-preserving homeomorphisms of an oriented surface...
s. (Note the special case of
above.) This is perhaps due to their strange similarity to higher rank linear groups as well as many applications, via surface bundleSurface bundle
In mathematics, a surface bundle is a bundle in which the fiber is a surface. When the base space is a circle the total space is three-dimensional and is often called a surface bundle over the circle....
s, in Thurston
William Thurston
William Paul Thurston is an American mathematician. He is a pioneer in the field of low-dimensional topology. In 1982, he was awarded the Fields Medal for his contributions to the study of 3-manifolds...
's theory of geometric three-manifolds. For more information on this topic see the Nielsen–Thurston classification theorem and the article on Dehn twist
Dehn twist
In geometric topology, a branch of mathematics, a Dehn twist is a certain type of self-homeomorphism of a surface .-Definition:...
s. Every finite group is a subgroup of the mapping class group of a closed, orientable surface, moreover one can realize any finite group as the group of isometries of some compact Riemann surface
Riemann surface
In mathematics, particularly in complex analysis, a Riemann surface, first studied by and named after Bernhard Riemann, is a one-dimensional complex manifold. Riemann surfaces can be thought of as "deformed versions" of the complex plane: locally near every point they look like patches of the...
.
Non-orientable surfaces
Some non-orientableOrientability
In mathematics, orientability is a property of surfaces in Euclidean space measuring whether or not it is possible to make a consistent choice of surface normal vector at every point. A choice of surface normal allows one to use the right-hand rule to define a "clockwise" direction of loops in the...
surfaces have mapping class groups with simple presentations. For example, every homeomorphism of the real projective plane
Real projective plane
In mathematics, the real projective plane is an example of a compact non-orientable two-dimensional manifold, that is, a one-sided surface. It cannot be embedded in our usual three-dimensional space without intersecting itself...
is isotopic to the identity:The mapping class group of the Klein bottle
Klein bottle
In mathematics, the Klein bottle is a non-orientable surface, informally, a surface in which notions of left and right cannot be consistently defined. Other related non-orientable objects include the Möbius strip and the real projective plane. Whereas a Möbius strip is a surface with boundary, a...
is:The four elements are the identity, a Dehn twist
Dehn twist
In geometric topology, a branch of mathematics, a Dehn twist is a certain type of self-homeomorphism of a surface .-Definition:...
on the two-sided curve which does not bound a Möbius strip
Möbius strip
The Möbius strip or Möbius band is a surface with only one side and only one boundary component. The Möbius strip has the mathematical property of being non-orientable. It can be realized as a ruled surface...
, the y-homeomorphism
Y-homeomorphism
In mathematics, the y-homeomorphism, or crosscap slide, is a special type of auto-homeomorphism in non-orientable surfaces.It can be constructed by sliding a Möbius band included on the surface...
of Lickorish, and the product of the twist and the y-homeomorphism. It is a nice exercise to show that the square of the Dehn twist is isotopic to the identity.
We also remark that the closed genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
three non-orientable surface
has:This is because the surface has a unique one-sided curve that, when cut open, yields a once-holed torus. This is discussed in a paper of Martin Scharlemann.
3-Manifolds
Mapping class groups of 3-manifolds have received considerable study as well, and are closely related to mapping class groups of 2-manifolds. For example, any finite group can be realized as the mapping class group (and also the isometry group) of a compact hyperbolic 3-manifold.Mapping-class groups of pairs
Given a pair of spacesPair of spaces
In mathematics, particularly algebraic topology, a pair of spaces is an ordered pair where is a topological space and a subspace ....
the mapping class group of the pair is the isotopy-classes of automorphisms of the pair, where an automorphism of is defined as an automorphism of X that preserves A, i.e. is invertible and .Symmetry group of knot and links
If is a knotKnot (mathematics)
In mathematics, a knot is an embedding of a circle in 3-dimensional Euclidean space, R3, considered up to continuous deformations . A crucial difference between the standard mathematical and conventional notions of a knot is that mathematical knots are closed—there are no ends to tie or untie on a...
or a link
Link (knot theory)
In mathematics, a link is a collection of knots which do not intersect, but which may be linked together. A knot can be described as a link with one component. Links and knots are studied in a branch of mathematics called knot theory...
, the symmetry group of the knot (resp. link) is defined to be the mapping class group of the pair
. The symmetry group of a hyperbolic knot is known to be dihedraDihedral group
In mathematics, a dihedral group is the group of symmetries of a regular polygon, including both rotations and reflections. Dihedral groups are among the simplest examples of finite groups, and they play an important role in group theory, geometry, and chemistry.See also: Dihedral symmetry in three...
or cyclic
Cyclic group
In group theory, a cyclic group is a group that can be generated by a single element, in the sense that the group has an element g such that, when written multiplicatively, every element of the group is a power of g .-Definition:A group G is called cyclic if there exists an element g...
, moreover every dihedral and cyclic group can be realized as symmetry groups of knots. The symmetry group of a torus knot
Torus knot
In knot theory, a torus knot is a special kind of knot that lies on the surface of an unknotted torus in R3. Similarly, a torus link is a link which lies on the surface of a torus in the same way. Each torus knot is specified by a pair of coprime integers p and q. A torus link arises if p and q...
is known to be of order two
.Torelli group
Notice that there is an induced action of the mapping class group on the homologyHomology (mathematics)
In mathematics , homology is a certain general procedure to associate a sequence of abelian groups or modules with a given mathematical object such as a topological space or a group...
(and cohomology
Cohomology
In mathematics, specifically in algebraic topology, cohomology is a general term for a sequence of abelian groups defined from a co-chain complex. That is, cohomology is defined as the abstract study of cochains, cocycles, and coboundaries...
) of the space
. This is because (co)homology is functorial andHomeo0 acts trivially (because all elements are isotopic, hence homotopic to the identity, which acts trivially, and action on (co)homology is invariant under homotopy). The kernel of this action is the Torelli group.
In the case of orientable surfaces, this is the action on first cohomology
. Orientation-preserving maps are precisely those that act trivially on top cohomology . has a symplectic structure, coming from the cup productCup product
In mathematics, specifically in algebraic topology, the cup product is a method of adjoining two cocycles of degree p and q to form a composite cocycle of degree p + q. This defines an associative graded commutative product operation in cohomology, turning the cohomology of a space X into a...
; since these maps are automorphisms, and maps preserve the cup product, the mapping class group acts as symplectic automorphisms, and indeed all symplectic automorphisms are realized, yielding the short exact sequence:
One can extend this to
The symplectic group
Symplectic group
In mathematics, the name symplectic group can refer to two different, but closely related, types of mathematical groups, denoted Sp and Sp. The latter is sometimes called the compact symplectic group to distinguish it from the former. Many authors prefer slightly different notations, usually...
is well-understood. Hence understanding the algebraic structure of the mapping class group often reduces to questions about the Torelli group.
Note that for the torus (genus 1) the map to the symplectic group is an isomorphism, and the Torelli group vanishes.
Stable mapping class group
One can embed the surface of genus g and 1 boundary component into by attaching an additional hole on the end (i.e, gluing together and ), and thus automorphisms of the small surface fixing the boundary extend to the larger surface. Taking the direct limitDirect limit
In mathematics, a direct limit is a colimit of a "directed family of objects". We will first give the definition for algebraic structures like groups and modules, and then the general definition which can be used in any category.- Algebraic objects :In this section objects are understood to be...
of these groups and inclusions yields the stable mapping class group, whose rational cohomology ring was conjectured by David Mumford
David Mumford
David Bryant Mumford is an American mathematician known for distinguished work in algebraic geometry, and then for research into vision and pattern theory. He won the Fields Medal and was a MacArthur Fellow. In 2010 he was awarded the National Medal of Science...
(one of conjectures called the Mumford conjecture
Mumford conjecture
In mathematics Haboush's theorem, often still referred to as the Mumford conjecture, states that for any semisimple algebraic group G over a field K, and for any linear representation ρ of G on a K-vector space V, given v ≠ 0 in V that is fixed by the action of G, there is a...
s). The integral (not just rational) cohomology ring was computed in 2002 by Madsen and Weiss, proving Mumford's conjecture.
See also
- Braid groupBraid groupIn mathematics, the braid group on n strands, denoted by Bn, is a group which has an intuitive geometrical representation, and in a sense generalizes the symmetric group Sn. Here, n is a natural number; if n > 1, then Bn is an infinite group...
s, the mapping class groups of punctured discs - Homotopy groupHomotopy groupIn mathematics, homotopy groups are used in algebraic topology to classify topological spaces. The first and simplest homotopy group is the fundamental group, which records information about loops in a space...
s - HomeotopyHomeotopyIn algebraic topology, an area of mathematics, a homeotopy group of a topological space is a homotopy group of the group of self-homeomorphisms of that space.-Definition:...
groups - Lantern relationLantern relationIn geometric topology, a branch of mathematics, the lantern relation is a relation that appears between certain Dehn twists in the mapping class group of a surface...
Stable mapping class group
- The stable moduli space of Riemann surfaces: Mumford's conjecture, by Ib Madsen and Michael S. Weiss, 2002
- Published as: The stable moduli space of Riemann surfaces: Mumford's conjecture, by Ib Madsen and Michael S. Weiss, 2007, Annals of Mathematics
External links
- Madsen-Weiss MCG Seminar; many references