Quotients of the mapping class group by power subgroups

Abstract: We study the quotient of the mapping class group $\operatorname{Mod}_g^n$ of a surface of genus $g$ with $n$ punctures, by the subgroup $\operatorname{Mod}_g^n[p]$ generated by the $p$-th powers of Dehn twists. Our first main result is that $\operatorname{Mod}_g^1 /\operatorname{Mod}_g^1[p]$ contains an infinite normal subgroup of infinite index, and in particular is not commensurable to a higher-rank lattice, for all but finitely many explicit values of $p$. Next, we prove that $\operatorname{Mod}_g^0/ \operatorname{Mod}_g^0[p]$ contains a K\"ahler subgroup of finite index, for every $p\ge 2$ coprime with six. Finally, we observe that the existence of finite-index subgroups of $\operatorname{Mod}_g^0$ with infinite abelianization is equivalent to the analogous problem for $\operatorname{Mod}_g^0/ \operatorname{Mod}_g^0[p]$.