On the involution generators of the mapping class group of a punctured surface
Abstract
Let Mod(Sigma_{g, p}) denote the mapping class group of a connected
orientable surface of genus g with p punctures. For every even integer p \geq
10 and g \geq 14, we prove that Mod(Sigma_{g, p}) can be generated by three
involutions. If the number of punctures p is odd and \geq 9, we show that
Mod(Sigma_{g, p}) for g \geq 13 can be generated by four involutions. Moreover,
we show that for an even integer p \geq 4 and 3 \leq g \geq 6, Mod(Sigma_{g,
p}) can be generated by four involutions.