Mumford's conjecture on the stable cohomology of mapping class groups

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Let Γg\Gamma_g be the mapping class group of a closed oriented surface of genus gg, and let κ1,κ2,…\kappa_1,\kappa_2,\ldots denote the Morita–Miller–Mumford classes. The tautological homomorphism of graded algebras is

Q[κ1,κ2,…]⟶H∗(BΓg,Q).\mathbb{Q}[\kappa_1,\kappa_2,\ldots]\longrightarrow H^*(B\Gamma_g,\mathbb{Q}).

Mumford's conjecture. This homomorphism should be an isomorphism in the stable range of Harer's stability theorem; in the formulation stated earlier, it is an isomorphism in degrees ∗<g/2*<g/2.

Mumford formulated this conjecture to describe the stable rational cohomology of mapping class groups. The stated stable-range and degree-range assertions were proved by Madsen and Weiss.

References

Primary source

Johannes Felix Ebert, “Characteristic classes of spin surface bundles. Appliations of the Madsen-Weiss theory”, arXiv:math/0611612 (2006).

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