An infinite family of braid group representations in automorphism groups of free groups

Abstract

The [Formula: see text]-fold ([Formula: see text]) branched coverings on a disk give an infinite family of nongeometric embeddings of braid groups into mapping class groups. We, in this paper, give new explicit expressions of these braid group representations into automorphism groups of free groups in terms of the actions on the generators of free groups. We also give a systematic way of constructing and expressing these braid group representations in terms of a new gadget, called covering groupoid. We prove that each generator [Formula: see text] of braid group inside mapping class group induced by [Formula: see text]-fold covering is the product of [Formula: see text] Dehn twists on the surface.