Characterizing homotopy of systems of curves on a compact surface by crossing numbers (Q1899430)

Two sets of closed curves \(C_1, \dots,C_k\) and \(C_1', \dots, C_k'\), are called homotopy equivalent if \(k = k'\) and (after possibly permuting the indices) one has that for each \(i\), \(C_i'\) is freely homotopic to either \(C_i\) or to \(C_i^{-1}\). Call a curve \(C\) orientation primitive if there does not exist an orientation-preserving curve \(D\) and an integer \(n\) such that \(D^n\) \((D\) traversed \(n\) times) is homotopic to \(C\). The authors prove the following Theorem: If \(C_1, \dots, C_k\) and \(C_1', \dots, C_k'\), are orientation-primitive closed curves on a compact surface \(S\), then the following two conditions are equivalent: (i) \(C_1, \dots, C_k\) and \(C_1', \dots C_k'\), are homotopy equivalent. (ii) For every closed curve \(D\) on \(S\), \[ \sum^k_{i = 1} \text{min cr} (C_i, D) = \sum^{k'}_{i = 1} \text{min cr} (C_i', D), \] where \(\text{min cr}(C, D)\) denotes the minimum of the number of crossings of curves \(\widetilde {C}\) and \(\widetilde {D}\) with \(\widetilde {C}\), \(\widetilde {D}\) homotopic to \(C\), \(D\), respectively. This result generalizes a result of the second author who treated the case of orientable surfaces \(S\) [Linear Algebra Appl. 114/115, 157-167 (1989; Zbl 0673.05027)].