Non-commuting pairs of symmetries of Riemann surfaces (Q2393440)

The author investigates symmetries of a compact Riemann surface~\(X\) of genus \(g>1\). As Harnack showed, the set of fixed points of every symmetry \(\sigma\) consists of disjoint ovals, i.~e., simple closed curves. If \(\sigma\) has exactly \(g+1-q\) ovals, then it is called an \((M-q)\)-symmetry. The main goal of the paper is to investigate the order of the product of two non-conjugate symmetries of~\(X\). The paper consists of 4 sections. Section~1 has an introductory character. In Section 2 some preliminary results on NEC-groups, Fuchsian groups and the number of ovals for symmetries of a compact Riemann surface are given. The main Section 3 is devoted to the study of the order of the product of a pair of symmetries. First the author recalls some known results by E.~Bujalance, A.~F.~Costa, and D.~Singerman, by M.~Izquierdo and D.~Singerman, and by S.~M.~Natanzon on the number of ovals for two symmetries and the existence of a Riemann surface admitting a pair of \((M-q)\)- and \((M-q')\)-symmetries. As a corollary of the results, Theorem 3.4 is proved. It states that the order of the product of two \((M-q)\)- and \((M-q')\)-symmetries does not exceed \(2^n\) if \[ 2g-\frac{g}{2^{n-2}}\leq q+q'< 2g-\frac{g}{2^{n-1}}.\qquad\qquad(*) \] The maximal exponent of the power of \(2\) which can be realized as the order of the product of non-conjugate \((M-q)\)- and \((M-q')\)-symmetries of \(X\) is denoted by \(\mu_g(q,q')\) (\(q\leq q'\)). Therefore, under the conditions of Theorem~3.4 we have \(\mu_g(q,q')\leq n\). In Corollary 3.6 it is proved that 1)~\(\mu_g(1,g)=1\) if \(g> 2\), and \(\mu_2(1,1)=1\); 2)~\(\mu_g(q,q')=1\) for \(g\geq q+q'+1\); 3)~\(\mu_g(q,q')\geq 2\) for \(g\leq q+q'\) and \(\{q,q'\}\neq \{1,g\}\) for the case \(g>2\) or \(\{q,q'\}\neq \{1,1\}\) for \(g=2\). Corollary 3.6 corrects some earlier results of the author. Theorem~3.7 states that if \(2^{n-2}\) divides \(g\) and \((*)\) holds, then \(\mu_g(q,q')=n\), except of two cases: \(q=q'=g-1\) and \(g=2^{n-1}\) or \(g=3\cdot 2^{n-2}\); for these cases \(\mu_g(q,q')=n-1\). Theorem~3.10 affirms that if \(g=2^{n-1}b+1\) and \((*)\) holds, then \(n-1\leq \mu_g(q,q')\leq n\) and the upper estimates is attained iff one of the following is true: 1)~\(q+q'\geq 2g+2-2b\); 2)~\(q+q'=2g+1-2b\) and \(q'\geq g-1\) or \(n\leq 4\); 3)~\(q+q'=2g-2b\) and \(q'=g-1\) or \(n=3\). The last Section~4 deals with pairs of symmetries with a unique oval of symmetry. In Theorem~4.1 it is proved that \(\mu_g(g,g)\leq n\) if \(2^{n-1}\leq g<2^n\) and \(n\geq 2\). The lower bound is attained only if \(g=2^n-2^{n-l}\) for some \(0<l\leq n\). Propositions~4.2 and 4.3 give lower estimates for \(\mu_g(g,g)\) for some sets of values of genus~\(g\).