Sections of surface bundles

Abstract

A bundle with base $B$ and fibre $F$ aspherical closed surfaces has a section if and only if the action $:\pi_1(B)\to{Out}(\pi_1(F))$ factors through $Aut(\pi_1(F))$ and a cohomology class is 0. We simplify and make more explicit the latter condition. We also show that the transgression $d^2_{2,0}$ in the homology LHS spectral sequence of a central extension is evaluation of the extension class. Examples with hyperbolic fibre and no section (based on ideas of Endo) added.