On extremal discs inside compact hyperbolic surfaces (Q4261685)

Let \(S\) be a compact hyperbolic surface of genus \(g\) and \(D(R)\) a disc of radius \(R\) isometrically embedded in \(S\). Then \textit{C. Bavard} showed that \(R\) is bounded by \(R_g=\cosh^{-1}(1/2\sin (\pi/(12g-6)))\) [Ann. Fac. Sci. Toulouse, VI. Sér., Math. 5, No. 2, 191-202 (1996; Zbl 0873.30026)] . The disc of radius \(R_g\) is called an extremal disc and the surface containing extremal discs is called an extremal surface. In general, extremal surfaces of genus \(g=2\) contain several extremal discs. In this paper, the authors show that if \(g>3\), then every extremal surface contains a unique extremal disc. The proof is achieved by using the following facts: (1) the commensurator of a triangle group is Fuchsian if and only if the triangle group is nonarithmetic, (2) there exist no arithmetic triangle groups of type \((2,3,k)\) if \(k>30\), (3) every triangle group of type \((2,3,k)\) is maximal. In the case of \(g=3\),the authors give an example of an extremal surface which possibly contains two extremal discs.