The dual boundary complex of the \(SL_2\) character variety of a punctured sphere (Q341039)

For a smooth quasiprojective variety \(X\) choose a normal crossings compactification \(\bar{X}=X\cup D\) and define a simplicial set called the dual boundary complex \(D\partial X\) containing the combinatorial information about multiple intersections of divisor components of \(D\). The author treats the case when \(X=M_B(S;C_1,\ldots C_k)\) is the character variety of local systems on a punctured sphere \(S\sim \mathbb{P}^1-\{ y_1,\ldots y_k\}\) such that the conjugacy classes of the monodromies around the punctures are \(C_1\), \(\ldots\), \(C_k\); their eigenvalues are presumed to satisfy a natural genericity condition. In this case \(D\partial X\) is homotopy equivalent to the sphere \(S^{2(k-3)-1}\).