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Let $S_g$ denote a closed, orientable surface of genus $g \geq 2$ and $\mathcal{C}(S_g)$ be the associated curve graph. Let $d$ be the path metric on $\mathcal{C}(S_g)$ and $a_0$ and $a_4$ be a pair of curves on $S_g$ with $d(a_0, a_4) =…

The complex of curves $\mathcal{C}(S_g)$ of a closed orientable surface of genus $g \geq 2$ is the simplicial complex having its vertices, $\mathcal{C}^0(S_g)$, are isotopy classes of essential curves in $S_g$. Two vertices co-bound an edge…

Let $S_g$ be a closed, oriented surface of genus $g$, and let $\operatorname{Mod}(S_g)$ denote its mapping class group. The Torelli group $\mathcal{I}_g$ is the subgroup of $\operatorname{Mod}(S_g)$ consisting of mapping classes that act…

We give new upper bounds on the stable commutator lengths of Dehn twists along separating curves in the mapping class group of a closed oriented surface. The estimates of these upper bounds are $O(1/g)$, where $g$ is the genus of the…

Let $S_g$ denote a closed oriented surface of genus $g \geq 2$. A set $\Omega = \{ c_1, \dots, c_d\}$ of pairwise non-homotopic simple closed curves on $S_g$ is called a filling system or simply a filling of $S_g$, if $S_g\setminus \Omega$…

Let $C$ be a curve in a closed orientable surface $F$ of genus $g \geq 2$ that separates $F$ into subsurfaces $\widetilde {F_i}$ of genera $g_i$, for $i = 1,2$. We study the set of roots in $\Mod(F)$ of the Dehn twist $t_C$ about $C$. All…

Let $N_g^k$ be a nonorientable surface of genus \ $g\geq 5$ \ with \ $k$-punctures. In this note, we will give an algebraic characterization of a Dehn twist about a simple closed curve on $N_g^k$. Along the way, we will fill some little…

This note is devoted to a trick which yields almost trivial proofs that certain complexes associated to topological surfaces are connected or simply connected. Applications include new proofs that the complexes of curves, separating curves,…

Let $S_g$ denote the closed orientable surface of genus $g$. We construct exponentially many mapping class group orbits of collections of $2g+1$ simple closed curves on $S_g$ which pairwise intersect exactly once, extending a result of the…

We give a finite presentation of the mapping class group of an oriented (possibly bounded) surface of genus greater or equal than 1, considering Dehn twists on a very simple set of curves.

A \textit{multicurve} $\C$ on a closed orientable surface is defined to be a finite collection of disjoint non-isotopic essential simple closed curves. The Dehn twist $t_{\C}$ about $\C$ is the product of the Dehn twists about the…

We prove that the separated curve complex of a closed orientable surface of genus g is (g-3)-connected. We also obtain a connectivity property for a separated curve complex of the open surface that is obtained by removing a finite set from…

Let K(S) be the subgroup of the extended mapping class group, Mod(S), generated by Dehn twists about separating curves. In our earlier paper, we showed that Comm(K(S)) and Aut(K(S)) are both isomorphic to Mod(S) when S is a closed,…

Let $N_g$ be the non-orientable surface with genus $g$, $\text{MCG}(N_g)$ be the mapping class group of $N_g$, $\mathcal{T}(N_g)$ be the index 2 subgroup generated by all Dehn twists of $\text{MCG}(N_g)$. We prove that for odd genus,…

The gonality of a smooth geometrically connected curve over a field $k$ is the smallest degree of a nonconstant $k$-morphism from the curve to the projective line. In general, the gonality of a curve of genus $g \ge 2$ is at most $2g - 2$.…

Let f be a Z/2Z-spin structureon a closed surface S of genus g>3. We determine a generating set of the stabilizer of f in the mapping class group of S consisting of Dehn twists about an explicit collection of 2g+1 curves in S. If g=3 then…

Let $\mathrm{Mod}(S_g)$ be the mapping class group of the closed orientable surface $S_g$ of genus $g\geq 2$. Given a finite subgroup $H$ of $\mathrm{Mod}(S_g)$, let $\mathrm{Fix}(H)$ be the set of all fixed points induced by the action of…

Let $N_{g}$ denote the closed non-orientable surface of genus $g$ and let ${\mathcal M} _g$ denote the mapping class group of $N_{g}$. Let ${\mathcal T} _g$ denote the twist subgroup of ${\mathcal M} _g$ which is the subgroup of ${\mathcal…

Suppose $S$ is a closed, oriented surface of genus at least two. This paper investigates the geometry of the homology multicurve complex, $\mathcal{HC}(S,\alpha)$, of $S$; a complex closely related to complexes studied by…

Let $\text{Mod}(S_g)$ be the mapping class group of the closed orientable surface $S_g$ of genus $g \geq 1$. In this paper, we develop various methods for factoring periodic mapping classes into Dehn twists, up to conjugacy. As…