New sheaf theoretic methods in differential topology
Archivum mathematicum, Tome 44 (2008) no. 5, pp. 549-567 Cet article a éte moissonné depuis la source Czech Digital Mathematics Library

Voir la notice de l'article

The Mumford conjecture predicts the ring of rational characteristic classes for surface bundles with oriented connected fibers of large genus. The first proof in [11] relied on a number of well known but difficult theorems in differential topology. Most of these difficult ingredients have been eliminated in the years since then. This can be seen particularly in [7] which has a second proof of the Mumford conjecture, and in the work of Galatius [5] which is concerned mainly with a “graph” analogue of the Mumford conjecture. The newer proofs emphasize Tillmann’s theorem [23] as well as some sheaf-theoretic concepts and their relations with classifying spaces of categories. These notes are an overview of the shortest known proof, or more precisely, the shortest known reduction of the Mumford conjecture to the Harer-Ivanov stability theorems for the homology of mapping class groups. Some digressions on the theme of classifying spaces and sheaf theory are included for motivation.
The Mumford conjecture predicts the ring of rational characteristic classes for surface bundles with oriented connected fibers of large genus. The first proof in [11] relied on a number of well known but difficult theorems in differential topology. Most of these difficult ingredients have been eliminated in the years since then. This can be seen particularly in [7] which has a second proof of the Mumford conjecture, and in the work of Galatius [5] which is concerned mainly with a “graph” analogue of the Mumford conjecture. The newer proofs emphasize Tillmann’s theorem [23] as well as some sheaf-theoretic concepts and their relations with classifying spaces of categories. These notes are an overview of the shortest known proof, or more precisely, the shortest known reduction of the Mumford conjecture to the Harer-Ivanov stability theorems for the homology of mapping class groups. Some digressions on the theme of classifying spaces and sheaf theory are included for motivation.
Classification : 57R19, 57R20, 57R22
Keywords: surface bundle; sheaf; classifying space; homological stability
@article{ARM_2008_44_5_a14,
     author = {Weiss, Michael},
     title = {New sheaf theoretic methods in differential topology},
     journal = {Archivum mathematicum},
     pages = {549--567},
     year = {2008},
     volume = {44},
     number = {5},
     mrnumber = {2501584},
     zbl = {1212.57008},
     language = {en},
     url = {http://geodesic.mathdoc.fr/item/ARM_2008_44_5_a14/}
}
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Weiss, Michael
TI  - New sheaf theoretic methods in differential topology
JO  - Archivum mathematicum
PY  - 2008
SP  - 549
EP  - 567
VL  - 44
IS  - 5
UR  - http://geodesic.mathdoc.fr/item/ARM_2008_44_5_a14/
LA  - en
ID  - ARM_2008_44_5_a14
ER  - 
%0 Journal Article
%A Weiss, Michael
%T New sheaf theoretic methods in differential topology
%J Archivum mathematicum
%D 2008
%P 549-567
%V 44
%N 5
%U http://geodesic.mathdoc.fr/item/ARM_2008_44_5_a14/
%G en
%F ARM_2008_44_5_a14
Weiss, Michael. New sheaf theoretic methods in differential topology. Archivum mathematicum, Tome 44 (2008) no. 5, pp. 549-567. http://geodesic.mathdoc.fr/item/ARM_2008_44_5_a14/

[1] Bröcker, T., Jänich, K.: Introduction to Differential Topology. Engl. edition, Cambridge University Press, New York (1982); German ed. Springer-Verlag, New York (1973). | MR

[2] Drinfeld, V.: On the notion of geometric realization. arXiv:math/0304064. | MR | Zbl

[3] Earle, C. J., Eells, J.: A fibre bundle description of Teichmüller theory. J. Differential Geom. 3 (1969), 19–43. | MR | Zbl

[4] Earle, C. J., Schatz, A.: Teichmüller theory for surfaces with boundary. J. Differential Geom. 4 (1970), 169–185. | MR | Zbl

[5] Galatius, S.: Stable homology of automorphism groups of free groups. arXiv:math/0610216.

[6] Galatius, S.: Mod $p$ homology of the stable mapping class group. Topology 43 (2004), 1105–1132. | DOI | MR | Zbl

[7] Galatius, S., Madsen, I., Tillmann, U., Weiss, M.: The homotopy type of the cobordism category. arXiv:math/0605249. | MR

[8] Harer, J.: Stability of the homology of the mapping class groups of oriented surfaces. Ann. of Math. (2) 121 (1985), 215–249. | MR

[9] Ivanov, N.: Stabilization of the homology of the Teichmüller modular groups. Algebra i Analiz 1 (1989), 120–126, translation in Leningrad Math. J. 1 (1990), 675–691. | MR

[10] Madsen, I., Tillmann, U.: The stable mapping class group and $Q\mathbb{C}P^\infty _+$. Invent. Math. 145 (2001), 509–544. | DOI | MR

[11] Madsen, I., Weiss, M.: The stable moduli space of Riemann surfaces: Mumford’s conjecture. Ann. of Math. (2) 165 (2007), 843–941. | MR | Zbl

[12] McDuff, D., Segal, G.: Homology fibrations and the “group-completion” theorem. Invent. Math. 31 (1976), 279–284. | DOI | MR | Zbl

[13] Miller, E.: The homology of the mapping class group. J. Differential Geom. 24 (1986), 1–14. | MR | Zbl

[14] Milnor, J.: Construction of universal bundles. II. Ann. of Math. (2) 63 (1956), 430–436. | DOI | MR | Zbl

[15] Moerdijk, I.: Classifying spaces and classifying topoi. Lecture Notes in Math. 1616, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1995. | MR | Zbl

[16] Morita, S.: Characteristic classes of surface bundles. Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 11 (1984), 386–388 11 (1984), 386–388. | DOI | MR | Zbl

[17] Morita, S.: Characteristic classes of surface bundles. Invent. Math. 90 (1987), 551–557 90 (1987), 551–557. | DOI | MR | Zbl

[18] Mumford, D.: Towards an enumerative geometry of the moduli space of curves. Arithmetic and Geometry, Vol. II, Progr. in Maths. series 36, 271–328, Birkhäuser, Boston, 1983, pp. 271–328. | MR | Zbl

[19] Powell, J.: Two theorems on the mapping class group of a surface. Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 68 (1978), 347–350 68 (1978), 347–350. | DOI | MR | Zbl

[20] Segal, G.: Classifying spaces and spectral sequences. Inst. Hautes Études Sci. Publ. Math. 34 (1968), 105–112. | DOI | MR | Zbl

[21] Segal, G.: Categories and cohomology theories. Topology 13 (1974), 293–312. | DOI | MR | Zbl

[22] Segal, G.: The topology of spaces of rational functions. Acta Math. 143 (1979), 39–72. | DOI | MR | Zbl

[23] Tillmann, U.: On the homotopy of the stable mapping class group. Invent. Math. 130 (1997), 257–275. | DOI | MR | Zbl

[24] Weiss, M.: What does the classifying space of a category classify?. Homology, Homotopy Appl. 7 (2005), 185–195. | MR | Zbl