Double pants decompositions were introduced in our paper "Double pants decompositions of 2-surfaces" (Mosc. Math. J. 11 (2011), no. 2, 231-258, arXiv:1005.0073), together with a flip-twist groupoid acting on these decompositions. It was shown that flip-twist groupoid acts transitively on a certain topological class of the decompositions, however, recently Randich discovered a serious mistake in the proof. In this note we present a new proof of the result, accessible without reading the initial paper.
We consider a union of two pants decompositions of the same orientable 2-dimensional surface of any genus g. Each pants decomposition corresponds to some handlebody bounded by this surface, so two pants decompositions correspond to a Heegaard splitting of a 3-manifold. We introduce a groupoid FT acting on double pants decompositions. This groupoid is generated by two simple transformations (called flips and handle twists), each transformation affecting only one curve of the double pants decomposition. We prove that FT acts transitively on all double pants decompositions corresponding to Heegaa…
We consider (local) parametrizations of Teichmuller space $T_{g,n}$ (of genus $g$ hyperbolic surfaces with $n$ boundary components) by lengths of $6g-6+3n$ geodesics. We find a large family of suitable sets of $6g-6+3n$ geodesics, each set forming a special structure called "admissible double pants decomposition". For admissible double pants decompositions containing no double curves we show that the lengths of curves contained in the decomposition determine the point of $T_{g,n}$ up to finitely many choices. Moreover, these lengths provide a local coordinate in a neighborhood of all points of…
We study the topological types of pants decompositions of a surface by associating to any pants decomposition $P,$ in a natural way its pants decomposition graph, $Γ(P).$ This perspective provides a convenient way to analyze the maximum distance in the pants complex of any pants decomposition to a pants decomposition containing a non-trivial separating curve for all surfaces of finite type. In the main theorem we provide an asymptotically sharp approximation of this non-trivial distance in terms of the topology of the surface. In particular, for closed surfaces of genus $g$ we show the maximum…
A double pants decomposition of a 2-dimensional surface is a collection of two pants decomposition of this surface introduced in arXiv:1005.0073v2. There are two natural operations acting on double pants decompositions: flips and handle twists. It is shown in arXiv:1005.0073v2 that the groupoid generated by flips and handle twists acts transitively on admissible double pants decompositions where the class of admissible decompositions has a natural topological and combinatorial description. In this paper, we label the curves of double pants decompositions and show that for all but one surfaces …
For any irreducible representation of a surface group into $\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{C})$, we show that there exists a pants decomposition where the restriction to any pair of pants is irreducible and where no curve of the decomposition is sent to a trace $\pm 2$ element. We prove a similar property for $\mathrm{SO}_3$-representations. We also investigate the type of pants decomposition that can occur in this setting for a given representation. This result was announced in a previous paper of the first and third named authors, motivated by the study of the Azumaya locus of the skein algebra of su…
A pants-block decomposition of a 3-manifold is similar to a triangulation of a 3-manifold in many aspects. In this paper we show that any two pants-block decompositions of a 3-manifold are related by a finite sequence of moves which are called P-moves. The P-moves between pants-block decompositions are similar to the Pachner moves between triangulations. Moreover, we also give a list of types of P-moves. The main tools we used in this paper are the Morse 2-functions, Reeb complexes and a new 2-dimensional complex called P-complex.
We construct a quasiconformally homogeneous hyperbolic Riemann surface-other than the hyperbolic plane-that does not admit a bounded pants decomposition. Also, given a connected orientable topological surface of infinite type with compact boundary components, we construct a complete hyperbolic metric on the surface that has bounded geometry but does not admit a bounded pants decomposition.
We present a construction of sequences of closed hyperbolic surfaces that have long systoles which form pants decompositions of these surfaces. The length of the systoles of these surfaces grows logarithmically as a function of their genus.
We provide analogues for non-orientable surfaces with or without boundary or punctures of several basic theorems in the setting of the Thurston theory of surfaces which were developed so far only in the case of orientable surfaces. Namely, we provide natural analogues for non-orientable surfaces of the Fenchel-Nielsen theorem on the parametrization of the Teichmüller space of the surface, the Dehn-Thurston theorem on the parametrization of measured foliations in the surface, and the Hatcher-Thurston theorem, which gives a complete minimal set of moves between pair of pants decompositions of th…
Let $Σ_{g,n}$ denote the compact orientable surface with genus $g\geq 2$ and boundary disjoint union of $n$ circles. By using a particular pants-decomposition of $Σ_{g,n},$ we obtain a formula that computes the Reidemeister torsion of $Σ_{g,n}$ in terms of Reidemeister torsions of pairs of pants.
Suppose that $M$ is a hyperbolic surface of genus $g$ and with $n$ cusps. Then we can find a pants decomposition of $M$ composed of simple closed geodesics so that each curve is contained in a ball of diameter at most $C\sqrt{g + n}$, where $C$ is a universal constant.
We find a self-linking number formula for a given null-homologous transverse link in a contact manifold that is compatible with either an annulus or a pair of pants open book decomposition. It extends Bennequin's self-linking formula for a braid in the standard contact $3$-sphere.
We exhibit a set of edges (moves) and 2-cells (relations) making the complex of pant decompositions on a surface a simply connected complex. Our construction, unlike the previous ones, keeps the arguments concerning the structural transformations independent from those deriving from the action of the mapping class group. The moves and the relations turn out to be supported in subsurfaces with 3g-3+n=1,2 (where g is the genus and n is the number of boundary components), illustrating in this way the so called Grothendieck principle.
Our goal is to show, in two different contexts, that "random" surfaces have large pants decompositions. First we show that there are hyperbolic surfaces of genus $g$ for which any pants decomposition requires curves of total length at least $g^{7/6 - ε}$. Moreover, we prove that this bound holds for most metrics in the moduli space of hyperbolic metrics equipped with the Weil-Petersson volume form. We then consider surfaces obtained by randomly gluing euclidean triangles (with unit side length) together and show that these surfaces have the same property.
Using tropical geometry, Mikhalkin has proved that every smooth complex hypersurface in $\mathbb{CP}^{n+1}$ decomposes into pairs of pants: a pair of pants is a real compact $2n$-manifold with cornered boundary obtained by removing an open regular neighborhood of $n+2$ generic hyperplanes from $\mathbb{CP}^n$. As is well-known, every compact surface of genus $g\geqslant 2$ decomposes into pairs of pants, and it is now natural to investigate this construction in dimension 4. Which smooth closed 4-manifolds decompose into pairs of pants? We address this problem here and construct many examples: …
In this paper, we show that a smooth 4-manifold diffeomorphic to a complex hypersurface in $\mathbb{CP}^3 $ of degree $d\geq 5$ can be decomposed as the union of $d(d-4)^2$ copies of 4-dimensional pair-of-pants and certain subsets of K3 surfaces.
We consider collections of disjoint simple closed curves in a compact orientable surface which decompose the surface into pairs of pants. The isotopy classes of such curve systems form the vertices of a 2-complex, whose edges correspond to certain simple moves in which only one curve changes, and whose 2-cells correspond to certain elementary cycles of simple moves. The main theorem is that this 2-complex is simply-connected. Thus any two pants decompositions of a surface are joinable by a sequence of simple moves, and any two such sequences of simple move are related by the elementary relatio…
The purpose of this paper is to establish an upper bound on the distance between two pants decompositions in the pants complex for a closed surface of genus g >= 2. This is done by use of graph theory. First distance is found in the pants graph modulo the action of the mapping class group, and then between pants decompositions within an orbit of this action.
It is well-known that a Riemann surface can be decomposed into the so-called pairs-of-pants. Each pair-of-pants is diffeomorphic to a Riemann sphere minus 3 points. We show that a smooth complex projective hypersurface of arbitrary dimension admits a similar decomposition. The n-dimensional pair-of-pants is diffeomorphic to the complex projective n-space minus n+2 hyperplanes. Alternatively, these decompositions can be treated as certain fibrations on the hypersurfaces. We show that there exists a singular fibration on the hypersurface with an n-dimensional polyhedral complex as its base and a…
A pair of pants is a genus zero orientable surface with three boundary components. A pants decomposition of a surface is a finite collection of unordered pairwise disjoint simple closed curves embedded in the surface that decompose the surface into pants. In this paper we present two Morse theory based algorithms for pants decomposition of a surface mesh. Both algorithms operates on a choice of an appropriate Morse function on the surface. The first algorithm uses this Morse function to identify handles that are glued systematically to obtain a pant decomposition. The second algorithm uses the…
Given a topological orientable surface of finite or infinite type equipped with a pair of pants decomposition $\mathcal{P}$ and given a base complex structure $X$ on $S$, there is an associated deformation space of complex structures on $S$, which we call the Fenchel-Nielsen Teichmüller space associated to the pair $(\mathcal{P},X)$. This space carries a metric, which we call the Fenchel-Nielsen metric, defined using Fenchel-Nielsen coordinates. We studied this metric in the papers \cite{ALPSS}, \cite{various} and \cite{local}, and we compared it to the classical Teichmüller metric (defined us…
We study the pants complex of surfaces of infinite type. When $S$ is a surface of infinite type, the usual definition of the pants graph $\mathcal{P}(S)$ yields a graph with infinitely many connected-components. In the first part of our paper, we study this disconnected graph. In particular, we show that the extended mapping class group $\mathrm{Mod}(S)$ is isomorphic to a proper subgroup of $\mathrm{Aut}(\mathcal{P})$, in contrast to the finite-type case where $\mathrm{Mod}(S)\cong \mathrm{Aut}(\mathcal{P}(S))$. In the second part of the paper, motivated by the Metaconjecture of Ivanov, we se…
The main goal of this paper is to investigate the minimal size of families of curves on surfaces with the following property: a family of simple closed curves $Γ$ on a surface realizes all types of pants decompositions if for any pants decomposition of the surface, there exists a homeomorphism sending it to a subset of the curves in $Γ$. The study of such universal families of curves is motivated by questions on graph embeddings, joint crossing numbers and finding an elusive center of moduli space. In the case of surfaces without punctures, we provide an exponential upper bound and a superline…
We introduce Fenchel-Nielsen coordinates on Teicmüller spaces of surfaces of infinite type. The definition is relative to a given pair of pants decomposition of the surface. We start by establishing conditions under which any pair of pants decomposition on a hyperbolic surface of infinite type can be turned into a geometric decomposition, that is, a decomposition into hyperbolic pairs of pants. This is expressed in terms of a condition we introduce and which we call Nielsen convexity. This condition is related to Nielsen cores of Fuchsian groups. We use this to define the Fenchel-Nielsen Teich…
Let $X_0$ be an infinite genus hyperbolic surface (whose boundary components, if any, are closed geodesics or punctures) which has an upper bounded pants decomposition. The length spectrum Teichmüller space $T_{ls}(X_0)$ consists of all surfaces $X$ homeomorphic to $X_0$ such that the ratios of the corresponding simple closed geodesics are uniformly bounded from below and from above. Alessandrini, Liu, Papadopoulos and Su described the Fenchel-Nielsen coordinates for $T_{ls}(X_0)$ and using these coordinates they proved that $T_{ls}(X_0)$ is path connected. We use the Fenchel-Nielsen coordinat…
Let $S_{g}$ denote the genus $g$ closed orientable surface. For $k\in \mathbb{N}$, a $k$-system is a collection of pairwise non-homotopic simple closed curves such that no two intersect more than $k$ times. Juvan-Malnič-Mohar \cite{Ju-Mal-Mo} showed that there exists a $k$-system on $S_{g}$ whose size is on the order of $g^{k/4}$. For each $k\geq 2$, We construct a $k$-system on $S_{g}$ with on the order of $g^{\lfloor (k+1)/2 \rfloor +1}$ elements. The $k$-systems we construct behave well with respect to subsurface inclusion, analogously to how a pants decomposition contains pants decompositi…
Let $S$ be a closed orientable surface with genus $g\geq 2$. For a sequence $\s_i$ in the Teichmüller space of $S$, which converges to a projective measured lamination $[\lam]$ in the Thurston boundary, we obtain a relation between $\lam$ and the geometric limit of pants decompositions whose lengths are uniformly bounded by a Bers constant $L$. We also show that this bounded pants decomposition is related to the Gromov boundary of complex of curves.
The open book decompositions of the 3-sphere whose pages are pairs of pants have been fully understood for some time, through the lens of contact geometry. The purpose of this note is to exhibit a purely topological derivation of the classification of such open books, in terms of the links that form their bindings and the corresponding monodromies. We construct all of the links and their pair-of-pants fiber surfaces from the simplest example, a connected sum of two Hopf links, through performing (generalized) Stallings twists. Then, by applying the now-classical theory of genus two Heegaard di…
