Symmetric pants decompositions of Riemann surfaces (Q1196400)

L. Bers and P. Buser proved with different methods that for each genus \(g>1\) there exists a constant \(M=M(g)\) such that, if \(X\) is a compact Riemann surface of genus \(g\), then there are \(3g-3\) nonintersecting closed geodesic curves on \(X\), each one of length less than \(M\). Such a family of curves is called a length controlled pants decomposition. P. Buser showed that \(M\) can be taken to be \((6g-4) \text{arcosh} 2 \pi(g- 1)\). In this paper it is shown that the constant can be taken to be \(M=21g\). In this paper it is also shown that for symmetric Riemann surfaces the corresponding result holds with symmetric geodesics and the same constant \(M=21g\). On the other hand it is shown that for any finite group \(G\) there exists a number \(g=g(G)\) depending only on \(G\) such that the following holds: For each \(L>0\) there exists a Riemann surface of genus \(g\) such that \(G\) acts on \(X\) via holomorphic or antiholomorphic self-mappings and such that on \(X\) there is no pants decomposition compatible with \(G\) and of length less than \(L\).