A class function on the mapping class group of an orientable surface and the Meyer cocycle

Abstract

In this paper we define a $\mathbf{QP}^1$-valued class function on the mapping class group $\mathcal{M}_{g,2}$ of a surface $\Sigma_{g,2}$ of genus $g$ with two boundary components. Let $E$ be a $\Sigma_{g,2}$ bundle over a pair of pants $P$. Gluing to $E$ the product of an annulus and $P$ along the boundaries of each fiber, we obtain a closed surface bundle over $P$. We have another closed surface bundle by gluing to $E$ the product of $P$ and two disks. The sign of our class function cobounds the 2-cocycle on $\mathcal{M}_{g,2}$ defined by the difference of the signature of these two surface bundles over $P$.