Contractible flow of stability conditions via global dimension function (Q7023256)

In his seminal work [Ann. Math. (2) 166, No. 2, 317--345 (2007; Zbl 1137.18008)], \textit{T. Bridgeland} introduces the space \(\mathrm{Stab}(\mathcal{D})\) of stability conditions on a triangulated category \(\mathcal{D}\). Subject to some technical conditions, \(\mathrm{Stab}(\mathcal{D})\) is a finite dimensional complex manifold which is never compact. In some cases, a subgroup of the autoequivalence group of \(\mathcal{D}\) acts freely on \(\mathrm{Stab}(\mathcal{D})\) -- see [\textit{T. Bridgeland}, Duke Math. J. 141, No. 2, 241--291 (2008; Zbl 1138.14022)] for example. It is furthermore conjectured that in certain cases, \(\mathrm{Stab}(\mathcal{D})\) (or at least a connected component of it) should be contractible, which in good situations gives a construction of an \(EG\) for \(G\) a subgroup of the group of autoequivalences of \(\mathcal{D}\). Indeed, in all non-pathological examples where the global structure of \(\mathrm{Stab}(\mathcal{D})\) is known, the space is contractible.\N\NIn the present work, the author considers a new strategy for proving contractibility of certain spaces of stability conditions in terms of the \textit{global dimension function} introduced in [\textit{A. Ikeda} and \textit{Y. Qiu}, Compos. Math. 159, No. 7, 1347--1386 (2023; Zbl 1543.18013)] and further developed in [\textit{Y. Qiu}, Math. Z. 303, No. 1, Paper No. 11, 24 p. (2023; Zbl 1505.14045)]. The global dimension function \(\mathrm{gldim}:\mathrm{Stab}(\mathcal{D}) \to \mathbb{R}_{\ge 0}\) is a triangulated version of the classical global dimension of an Abelian category. A stability condition can be regarded as giving an \(\mathbb{R}\)-refinement of a bounded t-structure on \(\mathcal{D}\) which is something like a \(\mathbb{Z}\)-grading of \(\mathcal{D}\). By analogy to this, given \(\sigma \in \mathrm{Stab}(\mathcal{D})\) one sees that \(\mathrm{gldim}(\sigma) \in \mathbb{R}_{\ge 0}\) is something like a refinement of the \(\mathbb{Z}_{\ge 0}\)-valued global dimension of the underlying heart.\N\NThe idea, then, is that under some circumstances one obtains a deformation retraction of sub-level sets \(\mathrm{gldim}^{-1}(0,y)\) onto \(\mathrm{gldim}^{-1}(0,x)\) for \(0<x<y\). In the present work, the author proves that for the topological Fukaya category \(\mathcal{D}_\infty(\mathbf{S}^\lambda)\) of a graded surface \(\mathbf{S}^\lambda\) as studied in [\textit{F. Haiden} et al., Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 126, 247--318 (2017; Zbl 1390.32010)], the sub-level set \(\mathrm{gldim}^{-1}(0,y)\) retracts to \(\mathrm{gldim}^{-1}(0,x)\) for \(1\le x <y\) so long as \((x,y)\) does not contain any critical points.