Tightness and computing distances in the curve complex

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Abstract: We give explicit bounds on the intersection number between any curve on a tight multigeodesic and the two ending curves. We use this to construct all tight multigeodesics and so conclude that distances in the curve graph are computable. The algorithm applies to all surfaces. We recover the finiteness result of Masur-Minsky for tight goedesics. The central argument makes no use of the geometric limit arguments seen in the recent work of Masur-Minsky (2000) and of Bowditch (2003), and is enough to deduce a computable version of the acylindricity theorem of Bowditch.


The author computes effective bounds on certain intersection numbers among curves lying on a natural family of geodesics (called tight geodesics) in the curve graph of an exceptional surface. He also gives a finite time algorithm for constructing all tight geodesics between any two curves. The main Theorem of the paper is as follows: Theorem: Let \(\Sigma\) be any non-exceptional surface. There exists a computable function \(F : \mathbb{N} \rightarrow \mathbb{N}\) such that, for any tight geodesic \((\alpha_0, \cdots,\alpha_n)\) in the curve graph of \(\Sigma\), both the intersection numbers \(i(\alpha_0, \alpha_j)\) and \(i(\alpha_j, \alpha_n)\) are at most \(F(i(\alpha_0, \alpha_n))\) for each index \(j\). From this, the author recovers Masur-Minsky's Theorem about the existence of finitely many tight multigeodesics between any two vertices of the curve graph of a non-exceptional surface.




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