Non-realizability of the pure braid group as area-preserving homeomorphisms

Let $\operatorname{Homeo}_{+}(D_{n}^{2})$ be the group of orientation-preserving homeomorphisms of $D^{2}$ fixing the boundary pointwise and $n$ marked points as a set. The Nielsen realization problem for the braid group asks whether the natural projection $p_{n}:\operatorname{Homeo}_{+}(D_{n}^{2})\rightarrow B_{n}:=\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}_{0}(\operatorname{Homeo}_{+}(D_{n}^{2}))$ has a section over subgroups of $B_{n}$ . All of the previous methods use either torsion or Thurston stability, which do not apply to the pure braid group $PB_{n}$ , the subgroup of $B_{n}$ that fixes $n$ marked points pointwise. In this paper, we show that the pure braid group has no realization inside the area-preserving homeomorphisms using rotation numbers.

Geometric realizations of cyclic actions on surfaces

Let [Formula: see text] denote the mapping class group of the closed orientable surface [Formula: see text] of genus [Formula: see text], and let [Formula: see text] be of finite order. We give an inductive procedure to construct an explicit hyperbolic structure on [Formula: see text] that realizes [Formula: see text] as an isometry. In other words, this procedure yields an explicit solution to the Nielsen realization problem for cyclic subgroups of [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, we give a purely combinatorial perspective by showing how certain finite order mapping classes can be viewed as fat graph automorphisms. As an application of our realizations, we determine the sizes of maximal reduction systems for certain finite order mapping classes. Moreover, we describe a method to compute the image of finite order mapping classes and the roots of Dehn twists, under the symplectic representation [Formula: see text].

Torsion

This chapter deals with finite subgroups of the mapping class group. It first explains the distinction between finite-order mapping classes and finite-order homeomorphisms, focusing on the Nielsen realization theorem for cyclic groups and detection of torsion with the symplectic representation. It then considers the problem of finding an Euler characteristic for orbifolds, to prove a Gauss–Bonnet theorem for orbifolds, and to use these results to show that there is a universal lower bound of π‎/21 for the area of any 2-dimensional orientable hyperbolic orbifold. The chapter demonstrates that, when g is greater than or equal to 2, finite subgroups have order at most 84(g − 1) and cyclic subgroups have order at most 4g + 2. It also describes finitely many conjugacy classes of finite subgroups in Mod(S) and concludes by proving that Mod(Sɡ) is generated by finitely many elements of order 2.