Fixed point index bounds for self-maps on closed surfaces (Q1704383)

This paper concerns the fixed point index of maps of surfaces with non-positive Euler characteristic and non-empty boundary. Given a map having the minimal number of fixed points within its homotopy class, there are known upper and lower bounds for its fixed point index. This paper presents a new proof of this fact and, in the more restrictive framework of negative characteristic, extends these bounds to the case of closed surfaces.