Celebratio Mathematica — Birman — Birman

The Birman–Hilden theory

Works connected to David Robert John Chillingworth

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J. S. Birman and D. R. J. Chillingworth: “On the homeotopy group of a non-orientable surface,” Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 71 : 3 (May 1972), pp. 437–448. An erratum to this article was published in Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 136:2 (2004). MR 0300288 Zbl 0232.57001 article

Let \( X \) be a closed, compact connected 2-manifold (a surface), which we will denote by \( O \) or \( N \) if we wish to stress that \( X \) is orientable or non-orientable. Let \( G(X) \) denote the group of all homeomorphisms \( X\to X \), \( D(X) \) the normal subgroup of homeomorphisms isotopic to the identity, and \( H(X) \) the factor group \( G(X)/D(X) \), i.e. the homeotopy group of \( X \). The problem of determining generators for \( H(O) \) was considered by Lickorish in [7,8], and the second of these papers specifies a finite set of generators of a particularly simple type. In [10] and [11] Lickorish considered the analogous problem for non-orientable surfaces, and, using Lickorish’s partial results, Chillingworth [4] determined a finite set of generators for \( H(N) \). While the generators obtained for \( H(O) \) and \( H(N) \) were strikingly similar, it was noteworthy that the techniques used in the two cases were different, and in particular that little use was made in the non-orientable case of the earlier results obtained on the orientable case. The purpose of this note is to show that the results of Lickorish and Chillingworth on non-orientable surfaces follow rather easily from the work in [7,8] by an application of some ideas from the theory of covering spaces [2]. Moreover, while Lickorish and Chillingworth sought only to find generators, we are able to show how in fact the entire structure of the group \( H(N) \) is determined by \( H(O) \), where \( O \) is an orientable double cover of \( N \). Finally, we are able to determine defining relations for \( H(N) \) for the case where \( N \) is the connected sum of 3 projective planes.