Finiteness of mapping class groups: locally large strongly irreducible Heegaard splittings (Q784898)

The complex of curves for surfaces has become a popular tool in the arsenal of the low-dimensional topologist. It can be used to make exclusion statements about the types of essential surfaces that can be found in a 3-manifold. It can be used as a sufficiency condition to ensure that a Heegaard splitting for a 3-manifold is unique up to isotopy. In this work, it is used to show that the mapping class group of a Heegaard surface is finite. It is known for Heegaard splittings of distance at least four that the mapping class group of the Heegaard surface is finite [\textit{J. Johnson}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 138, No. 12, 4529--4535 (2010; Zbl 1229.57021)]. Since strongly irreducible Heegaard splittings have distance at least two, this article takes on the charge of determining conditions for when the mapping class group of the Heegaard surface of a distance-two or -three splitting is finite. Through a careful consolidation of known facts about the curve complex, the classification of mapping class groups of surfaces, and of recent developments in Heegaard splitting theory, the authors articulate the definition of a ``locally large'' Heegaard splitting as largely satisfying this sufficiency. They acknowledge that this is an incomplete condition, but a result of \textit{M. Lustig} and \textit{Y. Moriah} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 670, 93--119 (2012; Zbl 1248.57012)] shows that this condition is not difficult to satisfy. This work exhibits the continued utility of the curve complex in the study of Heegaard splittings of 3-manifolds. In particular, it closes the gap in understanding between weakly reducible and strongly irreducible splittings. The picture is still incomplete in general, but this work and the authors' previous work [Commun. Anal. Geom. 27, No. 6, 1355--1379 (2019; Zbl 1461.57006)] give further connections between the geometry, topology, and algebra that seem to feature more and more prominently in the study of these objects as well as good reason to continue to make use of the curve complex in studying such geometric problems. Not only is the content of the article of great value, but the authors' exposition is at the head of the class. Seemingly disparate concepts and strange definitions are elucidated through a narrative-first approach, and this makes for a reading experience that all mathematics should strive to achieve. Proofs are given so as to serve the narrative; and even when it doesn't look like there is a proof given, it is cleverly hidden within the narrative structure. This is what makes the article most effective in presenting the authors' results. I would certainly recommend this article to novices and experts alike who study Heegaard splittings, the mapping class group, or the curve complex. I'm excited to see what other results the authors can provide toward a more complete picture of the theory.