The Dehn twist action for quantum representations of mapping class groups

Abstract We calculate the Dehn twist action on the spaces of conformal blocks of a not necessarily semisimple modular category. In particular, we give the order of the Dehn twists under the mapping class group representations of closed surfaces. For Dehn twists about non‐separating simple closed curves, we prove that this order is the order of the ribbon twist, thereby generalizing a result that De Renzi–Gainutdinov–Geer–Patureau–Mirand–Runkel obtained for the small quantum group. In the separating case, we express the order using the order of the ribbon twist on monoidal powers of the canonical end. As an application, we prove that the Johnson kernels of the mapping class groups act trivially if and only if for the canonical end the ribbon twist and double braiding with itself are trivial. We give a similar result for the visibility of the Torelli groups.