The cohomology of automorphism groups of free groups

Abstract

There are intriguing analogies between automorphism groups of finitely generated free groups and mapping class groups of surfaces on the one hand, and arithmetic groups such as GL(n, ℤ) on the other. We explore aspects of these analogies, focusing on cohomological properties. Each cohomological feature is studied with the aid of topological and geometric constructions closely related to the groups. These constructions often reveal unexpected connections with other areas of mathematics.