No label defined (Q4938010)

The author describes a natural algorithm (discovered by her 10 years ago) that classifies (up to combinatorial equivalence) all possible side pairings of a given \(2n\)-gon \((2\leq n\in N)\) such that each identified polygon represents a compact surface (without boundary). As a special case, she classifies by computer all the unfoldings of a given compact surface of genus \(g\) onto a \(2\alpha g\)-gon (with \(\alpha=2\) for orientable surface and \(\alpha=1\) otherwise) up to \(2\alpha g\leq 14\). Moreover, she gives lower und upper bounds for the numbers of corresponding unfoldings for large \(n\). This shows the complexity \(\exp (n \log n)\) of the problem. The work is related and compared with the parallel investigations of \textit{D. H. Huson} [Geom. Dedicata 47, 269-296 (1993; Zbl 0787.52011)] by the Delaney-Dress-symbols (\(D\)-symbols) and it serves as a base to the general computer algorithm of \textit{Z. Lučić}, \textit{E. Molnár} and \textit{N. Vasiljević} [`Combinatorial structure of fundamental polygons of finite area for plane discontinuous groups', Manuscript 1998 to be submitted to Beiträge Alg. Geom.].