Reducible mapping class of the canonical Heegaard splitting in a mapping torus (Q1738955): Difference between revisions

Let $S$ be an orientable closed surface with genus $g\geq2$. The mapping torus $M_{f}=S\times \lbrack0,1]/f$ is a closed orientable 3-manifold obtained by gluing $S\times \{0\}$ with $S\times \{1\}$ via an orientation-preserving homeomorphism $f$ from $S\times \{0\}$ to $S\times \{1\}$. $M_{f}$ admits a standard Heegaard splitting $H_{1}\cup_{\Sigma}H_{2}$ of genus $2g+1$ referred to as the canonical Heegaard splitting of $M_{f}$. If we denote by $\mathrm{Aut}(\Sigma;H_{1},H_{2})$ the set of automorphisms of $M_{f}$ which send $\Sigma$ to itself, the mapping class group of $H_{1}\cup_{\Sigma}H_{2}$, denoted by $\mathrm{Mod}(\Sigma;H_{1},H_{2})$, is the set of connected components of $\mathrm{Aut}(\Sigma;H_{1},H_{2})$. \par The present paper examines how $f$ affects $\mathrm{Mod}(\Sigma;H_{1},H_{2})$. In order to state precisely the main results of the paper we need some definitions. An element $g\in \mathrm{Mod}(\Sigma;H_{1},H_{2})$ is called periodic, reducible or pseudo-Anosov if a representative of $g$ restricting to $\Sigma$ is periodic, reducible or pseudo-Anosov, respectively, following the Nielsen-Thurston classification of surface automorphisms. Also, if $\mathcal{C}(S)$ denotes the curve complex of $S$, the translation length of $f$, denoted by $d(f)$, is defined as the $\min \{d_{\mathcal{C}(S)} (C\times \{0\},f(C)\times \{1\})\mid C$ is an essential simple closed curve of $S\}. $ \par The main theorem of the paper asserts that: (i) If $f$ is the identity map, then each element of $\mathrm{Mod}(\Sigma;H_{1},H_{2})$ is reducible. (ii) If $d(f)\geq8$, then each element of $\mathrm{Mod}(\Sigma;H_{1},H_{2})$ is reducible.