Exhausting curve complexes by finite rigid sets (Q265512)

Let \(S=S_{g,n}\) be an orientable surface of genus \(g\) with \(n\) punctures and/or marked points. A simple closed curve on \(S\) is essential if it does not bound a disk or a once-punctured disk on \(S.\) The curve complex \(\mathcal{C}(S)\) of \(S\) is a simplicial complex whose \(k\)-simplices correspond to sets of \(k+1\) isotopy classes of essential simple closed curves on \(S\) with pairwise disjoint representatives. If \(\mathrm{Mod}^{\pm}(S)\) denotes the extended mapping class group, a well-known theorem due to \textit{N. V. Ivanov} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 1997, No. 14, 651--666 (1997; Zbl 0890.57018)], \textit{M. Korkmaz} [Topology Appl. 95, No. 2, 85--111 (1999; Zbl 0926.57012)] and \textit{F. Luo} [Topology 39, No. 2, 283--298 (2000; Zbl 0951.32012)], asserts that the natural homomorphism \(\mathrm{Mod}^{\pm}(S)\rightarrow\mathrm{Aut}(\mathcal{C}(S))\) is surjective unless \(S\neq S_{1,2}\). In [\textit{J. Aramayona} and \textit{C. J. Leininger}, J. Topol. Anal. 5, No. 2, 183--203 (2013; Zbl 1277.57017)], the following definition is given. A set \(Y\subset\mathcal{C}(S)\) is called rigid if for every locally injective simplicial map \(\phi:Y\rightarrow\mathcal{C}(S)\) there exists \(h\in\mathrm{Mod}^{\pm}(S)\) with \(h_{|Y}=\phi\) and \(h\) is unique up to the pointwise stabilizer of \(Y\) in \(\mathcal{C}(S)\). All rigid sets identified in the previous paper have diameter 2 in \(\mathcal{C}(S),\) and a natural question is whether there exist finite rigid sets in \(\mathcal{C}(S)\) of arbitrary large diameter. The present paper gives a positive answer to this question by proving the following theorem. Let \(S\neq S_{1,2}\) be a connected orientable surface of finite topological type. There exists a sequence \(\mathfrak{X}_{1}\subset\mathfrak{X}_{2}\dots\subset\mathcal{C}(S)\) such that: (1) \(\mathfrak{X}_{i}\) is a finite rigid set for all \(i\geq1,\) (2) \(\mathfrak{X}_{i}\) has trivial pointwise stabilizer in \(\mathrm{Mod}^{\pm}(S)\), for all \(i\geq 1\), and (3) \(\cup_{i\geq1}\mathfrak{X}_{i}=\mathcal{C}(S)\).