Big Handlebody Distance Implies Finite Mapping Class Group

Abstract

We show that if $M$ is a closed three manifold with a Heegaard splitting with sufficiently big "handlebody distance" then the subgroup of the mapping class group of the Heegaard surface, which extend to both handlebodies is finite. As a corollary, this implies that under the same hypothesis, the mapping class group of $M$ is finite.