Distance 4 curves on closed surfaces of arbitrary genus

DOI10.1016/J.TOPOL.2022.108137MaRDI QIDQ2140640zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Kuwari Mahanta, Sreekrishna Palaparthi

Publication date 23 May 2022

Published in Topology and its Applications (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.04588

zbMATH Keywords

curve complexdistance 4 curvesfilling pairs of curvesminimal intersection number

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Geometric group theory (20F65) Hyperbolic groups and nonpositively curved groups (20F67) Group actions on manifolds and cell complexes in low dimensions (57M60)

Abstract: Let $S_g$ denote a closed, orientable surface of genus $ggeq2$ and $mathcalC(S_g)$ be the associated curve complex. The mapping class group of $S_g$, $Mod(S_g)$ acts on $mathcalC(S_g)$ by isometries. Since Dehn twists about certain curves generate $Mod(S_g)$, one can ask how Dehn twists move specific vertices in $mathcalC(S_g)$ away from themselves. We show that if two curves represent vertices at a distance $3$ in $mathcalC(S_g)$ then the Dehn twist of one curve about another yields two vertices at distance $4$. This produces many tractable examples of distance $4$ vertices in $mathcalC(S_g)$. We also show that the minimum intersection number of any two curves at a distance $4$ on $S_g$ is at most $(2g-1{)}^2$.

Review text

The \textit{curve graph} is a combinatorial object capturing the intersection patterns of (isotopy classes of) essential simple closed curves on a surface. It has proved remarkably successful in the study of mapping class groups, 3-manifolds and many other areas. While it is known that the curve graph has infinite diameter [\textit{H. A. Masur} and \textit{Y. N. Minsky}, Geom. Funct. Anal. 10, No. 4, 902--974 (2000; Zbl 0972.32011)], drawing explicit examples of vertices of even distance \(4\) is surprisingly challenging. In particular, it is not known what the minimal number of intersection points between two curves of distance \(4\) in a genus \(g\) surface is in general (see [\textit{T. Aougab} and \textit{S. Huang}, Algebr. Geom. Topol. 15, No. 2, 903--932 (2015; Zbl 1334.57013)] for asymptotic behaviour). In this article, the authors construct pairs of curves on genus \(g\) surfaces of curve graph distance \(4\) and intersection number \((2g-1)^2\).

Recommendations

• Small intersection numbers in the curve graph
• Distance in the curve graph
• Distance and intersection number in the curve graph of a surface
• Distances and Intersections of Curves
• Distance of edges in the curve complex of a surface

Cites work

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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5057434 (Why is no real title available?)
• Intersection numbers in the curve graph with a uniform constant
• MICC: a tool for computing short distances in the curve complex
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• Small intersection numbers in the curve graph
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Cited in

(6)

• Distance in the curve graph
• Distance and intersection number in the curve graph of a surface
• Distance of edges in the curve complex of a surface
• Small intersection numbers in the curve graph
• Distance 5 curves in the curve graph of closed surfaces
• MICC: a tool for computing short distances in the curve complex

Describes a project that uses

Uses Software

• MICC

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