Related papers: Mapping class groups of highly connected $(4k+2)$-…

The aim of this paper is to give an $s$-cobordism classification of topological $4$-manifolds in terms of the standard invariants using the group of homotopy self-equivalences. Hambleton and Kreck constructed a braid to study the group of…

We show that special cycles generate a large part of the cohomology of locally symmetric spaces associated to orthogonal groups. We prove in particular that classes of totally geodesic submanifolds generate the cohomology groups of degree…

Let P be a closed smooth (4j-2)-connected 8j-manifold. We complete Wilkens' classification of the manifolds P for j = 1,2 and give an alternative proof to Wall's classification of the manifolds for j > 2. The Hopf-invariant-one dimensions…

We give alternative computations of the Schur multiplier of $Sp(2g,\mathbb Z/D\mathbb Z)$, when $D$ is divisible by 4 and $g\geq 4$: a first one using $K$-theory arguments based on the work of Barge and Lannes and a second one based on the…

Positive Dehn twist products for some elements of finite order in the mapping class group of a 2-dimensional closed, compact, oriented surface $\Sigma_g$, which are rotations of $\Sigma_g$ through $2\pi /p$, are presented. The homeomorphism…

The hyperelliptic mapping class group has been studied in various contexts within topology and algebraic geometry. What makes this study tractable is that there is a surjective map from the hyperelliptic mapping class group to a mapping…

When $S$ is a closed, orientable surface with genus $g(S) \geq 2$, we show that the automorphism group of the compression body graph $\mathcal{CB}(S)$ is the mapping class group. Here, vertices are compression bodies with exterior boundary…

Let $(X,\omega)$ be a symplectic rational 4 manifold. We study the space of tamed almost complex structures $\mathcal{J}_{\omega}$ using a fine decomposition via smooth rational curves and a relative version of the infinite-dimensional…

Let $M$ be a simply connected spin manifold of dimension at least six which admits a metric of positive scalar curvature. We show that the observer moduli space of positive scalar curvature metrics on $M$ has non-trivial higher homotopy…

Let $\Gamma$ be either the mapping class group of a closed surface of genus $\geq 2$, or the automorphism group of a free group of rank $\geq 3$. Given any homological representation $\rho$ of $\Gamma$ corresponding to a finite cover, and…

For $g\geq 2$, let $\mathrm{Mod}(S_g)$ be the mapping class group of closed orientable surface $S_g$ of genus $g$. In this paper, we derive a finite generating set for the liftable mapping class groups corresponding to finite-sheeted…

For $4 \nmid L$ and $g$ large, we calculate the integral Picard groups of the moduli spaces of curves and principally polarized abelian varieties with level $L$ structures. In particular, we determine the divisibility properties of the…

The action of the mapping class group of a surface on the collection of homotopy classes of disjointly embedded curves or arcs in the surface is discussed here as a tool for understanding Riemann's moduli space and its topological and…

The purpose of this article is to compare the two self-maps of $\Omega^kS^{2n+1}$ given by $\Omega^k[2]$ the $k$-fold looping of a degree 2 map and $\Psi^k(2)$ the H-space squaring map. The main results give that in case $2n+1 \neq 2^j-1$,…

We provide algorithms for computing the Rochlin invariants of mod 2 homology spheres and mapping tori. This provides a unified framework for studying two families of maps: the Birman-Craggs maps of the Torelli group, and Sato's maps of the…

Examples of aspherical closed symplectic 4-manifolds are presented whose Sullivan minimal models are (1,n)-formal for any n, without being formal. They have as cohomology algebra, signature, canonical class, those of a product of a closed…

In this paper we classify the homotopy classes of proper maps $E\rightarrow \mathbb R^k$, where $E$ is a vector bundle over a compact Hausdorff space. As a corollary we compute the homotopy classes of proper maps $\mathbb R^n\rightarrow…

Smooth structures on high dimensional manifolds are classified by maps to the infinite loop space $TOP/O$. The homotopy groups of this space are known to be finite. Given a compact Lie group $G$, this space can be regarded as an equivariant…

We show that there exists an algorithm that takes as input two closed, simply connected, topological 4-manifolds and decides whether or not these 4-manifolds are homeomorphic. In particular, we explain in detail how closed, simply…

Let $M$ be a closed, oriented, simply connected 6-manifold. After localization away from 2, we give a homotopy decomposition of $\Sigma M$ in terms of spheres, Moore spaces and other recognizable spaces. As applications we calculate…