Minimal intersection of curves on surfaces (Q849369)

\textit{W. M. Goldman} [Invent. Math. 85, 263--302 (1986; Zbl 0619.58021)] discovered a Lie algebra structure on the vector space generated by the free homotopy classes of oriented curves on an oriented surface, by defining the Lie product of two oriented curves as the signed sum, summed over the intersection points of the two curves, of their loop products at each of these intersection points. The main result of the present, well-written paper states that, if one of the two classes can be represented by a simple closed curve, the minimal number of intersection points of two free homotopy classes of oriented curves is equal to the number of terms of their Lie bracket, counted with multiplicities (and an analogous result also for the case of unoriented curves). Goldman had proved that if the Lie bracket of the two classes is zero then the two classes have disjoint representatives, by using Kerckhoff's earthquake convexity property of Teichmüller space. The proof of the present generalization is purely combinatorial-topological instead, exploiting the combinatorics of the decomposition of the fundamental group as a free product with amalgamation or HNN-extension induced by a simple closed curve on a surface; as a result, a combinatorial group theory description of the terms of the Lie bracket is also obtained.