Actions and irreducible representations of the mapping class group (Q1598159)

\(X(M,P)\), the complex of curves, consists of equivalence classes under isotopy of appropriately defined families of curves on a compact connected oriented surface \(M\) with a set \(P\) of punctures. The mapping class group, \({\mathcal M}(M, P)\), acts on \(X(M, P)\). If \(\alpha\in X(M, P)\), \(\text{Stab}(\alpha)\) is the subgroup of \({\mathcal M}(M, P)\) which fixes \(\alpha\). The key result in this paper is that if \(\alpha\) is not a face of \(\beta\) then the \(\text{Stab}(\beta)\)-orbit of \(\alpha\) is infinite. With \(\alpha= [a_1,\dots, a_r]\) and \(\beta= [b_1,\dots, b_s]\), saying \(\alpha\) is not a face of \(\beta\) implies there is an \(a_i\) which is neither isotopic to \(b_j\) or \(b^{-1}_j\) for all \(j\). The proof consists of finding a curve, either one of the \(b_j\) or disjoint from all of them, whose isotopy class has a positive intersection index with \(a_i\). The Dehn twist around that curve is in \(\text{Stab}(\beta)\) and its orbit of \(\alpha\) is infinite. From this it follows that the action of \({\mathcal M}(M, P)\) on \(X(M, P)\) has noncommensurable stabilizers. In particular if \(H_1\) and \(H_2\) are the stabilizers of distinct elements in \(X(M, P)\) then \(H_1\cap H_2\) has infinite index in either \(H_1\) or \(H_2\). The action leads to the construction of irreducible unitary representations of \({\mathcal M}(M, P)\).