Cofinality conjecture for products of boundary Dehn twists

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Let g≥2g\geq 2 and let b1,…,bnb_1,\ldots,b_n be curves isotopic to the boundary components of the surface Σgn\Sigma_g^n. For positive exponents k1,…,knk_1,\ldots,k_n, consider the product

∏i=1nTbiki.\prod_{i=1}^n T_{b_i}^{k_i}.

Here TbiT_{b_i} denotes the Dehn twist about bib_i, and an element of a left-ordered group is cofinal if its positive and negative powers are unbounded in the ordering. Cofinality conjecture. Any element of the form

∏i=1nTbiki\prod_{i=1}^n T_{b_i}^{k_i}

for positive exponents k1,…,knk_1,\ldots,k_n is cofinal in every left ordering of Mod⁡(Σgn)\operatorname{Mod}(\Sigma_g^n). This strengthens the preceding result for Σg2\Sigma_g^2, where the product of the Dehn twists about curves isotopic to the boundary components is cofinal and central in every left ordering.

References

Primary source

Adam Clay and Tyrone Ghaswala, “Cofinal elements and fractional Dehn twist coefficients”, arXiv:2210.07044 (2023).

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