Mapping classes are almost determined by their finite quotient actions (Q6046449)

The author introduces the relation of procongruent conjugacy between elements of the mapping class group \(\mathrm{Mod}(S)\) of an orientable connected compact surface \(S\). As explained in the introduction, this relation is an analogue of profinite isomorphism between 3-manifold groups. Every mapping class of \(S\) naturally induces an outer automorphism of the profinite completion of the fundamental group \(\widehat{\pi_1(S)}\). A pair of mapping classes \([f_A]\) and \([f_B]\) is said to be procongruently conjugate it they induce a conjugate pair in \(\mathrm{Out}(\widehat{\pi_1(S)})\). For example, it is shown that \([f_A]\) and \([f_B]\) are procongruently conjugate if they induce a conjugate pair of outer automorphisms for every characteristic finite quotient \(\pi_1(S)/K\). The main result of the paper says that every mapping class is procongruently almost rigid in the following sense. For any mapping class \([f]\) there exist finitely many mapping classes \([f_1],\dots,[f_r]\) with the following property: for any mapping class \([f']\) which is procongruently conjugate to \([f]\), there exists some \(s\in\{1,\dots,r\}\) such that \([f']\) is conjugate to \([f_s]\) in \(\mathrm{Mod}(S)\). As an application, it is shown that a number of dynamical features of a pseudo-Anosov mapping class of a closed orientable surface are invariant under procongruent conjugacy, including the stretching factor, the number of fixed points of each index, the topological type of singularities of the invariant foliations and the transverse orientability of the invariant foliations.