Mapping Class Groups of Nonorientable Surfaces

Abstract

We obtain a finite set of generators for the mapping class group of a nonorientable surface with punctures. We then compute the first homology group of the mapping class group and certain subgroups of it. As an application we prove that the image of a homomorphism from the mapping class group of a nonorientable surface of genus at least nine to the group of real-analytic diffeomorphisms of the circle is either trivial or of order two.