Marked fatgraph complexes and surface automorphisms

Abstract

Combinatorial aspects of the Torelli–Johnson–Morita theory of surface automorphisms are extended to certain subgroups of the mapping class groups. These subgroups are defined relative to a specified homomorphism from the fundamental group of the surface onto an arbitrary group K. For K abelian, there is a combinatorial theory akin to the classical case, for example, providing an explicit cocycle representing the first Johnson homomophism with target Λ^3 K. Furthermore, the Earle class with coefficients in K is represented by an explicit cocyle.