Dehn-Thurston coordinates for curves on surfaces (Q707463)

Let \(\Sigma\) be an oriented compact connected surface of genus \(g\) with \(r\geq 0\) boundary components. A \textit{curve system} on \(\Sigma\) is a proper essential \(1\)-dimensional submanifold. The space of isotopy classes of curve systems is denoted by \(CS(\Sigma)\). Given two elements \(\alpha,\beta\in CS(\Sigma)\) their \textit{geometric intersection number} will be denoted by \(I(\alpha,\beta)\). The \textit{Dehn-Thurston} parmetrization of \(CS(\Sigma)\) is an injective homogeneous map \(\Pi\colon CS(\Sigma)\to ({\mathbb Z}^{2}/ \pm)^{3g+r-3}\times{\mathbb Z}^{r}_{\geq0}\) where \({\mathbb Z}^{2}/ \pm =\{[x,y]\mid x,y\in {\mathbb Z}\}\) is the quotient of \({\mathbb Z}^{2}\) by the equivalence relation \((x,y)\sim -(x,y)\). In order to state their results, the authors use the following metric on \({\mathbb Z}^{2}/ \pm\): \(| [x_1,y_1]-[x_2,y_2]| =\min(| x_1-x_2| +| y_1-y_2| ,| x_1+x_2| +| y_1+y_2| )\) and \(| [x,y]| = | [x,y]-[0,0]| \). The metric on \(({\mathbb Z}^{2}/ \pm)^{k}\times{\mathbb Z}^{r}_{\geq0}\) is the product metric \(| (v_1,\dots,v_{k+r}) - (u_1\dots,u_{k+r})| = \sum_{i=1}^{k+r}| v_{i}-u_{i}| \). Also \(| (v_1,\dots,v_{k+r})| =\sum_{i=1}^{k+r}| v_{i}| \). The main theorem of the paper is the following: the geometric intersection number satisfies the ``Cauchy'' inequality \(| I(\alpha,\beta)-I(\alpha,\gamma)| \leq 3| \Pi(\alpha)| | \Pi(\beta)-\Pi(\gamma)| \) for all \(\alpha\), \(\beta\) and \(\gamma\) in \(CS(\Sigma)\). This theorem improves a result of \textit{M. Rees} [Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 1, 461--488 (1982; Zbl 0539.58018)]. The authors apply their main theorem to prove the following results of Thurston: (1) the intersection pairing \(I\) extends to a continuous homogeneous map \(ML(\Sigma)\times ML(\Sigma)\to{\mathbb R}\) where \(ML(\Sigma)\) denotes the space of measured laminations. (2) The space \(ML(\Sigma)\) is homeomorphic to the product \(({\mathbb R}^2/ \pm)^{3g+r-3}\times{\mathbb R}^{r}_{\geq0}\).