Compatible pants decomposition for \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{C})\) representations of surface groups (Q6924841)

Let \(\Sigma\) be a closed oriented surface of genus at least \(2\). The main result of the present paper states as follows: for any irreducible representation \(\rho:\pi_1(\Sigma)\to G\) with \(G=\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{C})\) or \(\mathrm{SO}_3\), there exists a pants decomposition \(\mathcal{P}\) of \(\Sigma\) such that for any curve \(c\in\mathcal{P}\), the elements \(\pm\rho(c)\) are not unipotent, and the restriction of \(\rho\) to \(\pi_1(P)\) is irreducible for each pants \(P\) in \(\mathcal{P}\). Furthermore, if the image of \(\rho\) is not conjugated to the quaternion group, then \(\mathcal{P}\) can be chosen to be of \textit{sausage type}, meaning to lie in the orbit of a certain special decomposition under the action of the mapping class group.\N\NThis result played an important role in [\textit{R. Detcherry} and \textit{R. Santharoubane}, Geom. Topol. 29, No. 1, 313--348 (2025; Zbl 1573.57045)], and was motivated by the study of the Azumaya locus of skein algebras of surfaces at roots of unity. The proof largely builds on the previous works [\textit{D. Gallo} et al., Ann. Math. (2) 151, No. 2, 625--704 (2000; Zbl 0977.30028); \textit{J. P. Previte} and \textit{E. Z. Xia}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 354, No. 6, 2475--2494 (2002; Zbl 1089.53059)].