A trace identity for parabolic elements of \(\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb C)\) (Q2372836)

The objective of this paper is to establish a trace identity for four parabolic elements in \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb C)\). The main result of the paper is the version of the ''ideal Ptolemy theorem'': Let \(P_1\), \(P_2\), \(P_3\), \(P_4\) be matrices in \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb C)\) satisfying the following conditions: 1. \(\text{tr}\, P_1 = \text{tr}\, P_2 = \text{tr}\, P_3 = \text{tr}\, P_4 = -2\), and 2. Any two of them generate an irreducible group. Let \(\mathcal Q_1\), \(\mathcal Q_2\), \(\mathcal Q_3\), \(\mathcal Q_4\), \(\mathcal Q_5\), \(\mathcal Q_6 \in \text{SL}(2,\mathbb C)\) be matrices with the following properties: \[ P_1P_2 = -\mathcal Q_1^2,\quad P_2P_3 = -\mathcal Q_2^2,\quad P_3P_4 = -\mathcal Q_3^2, \] \[ P_4P_1 = -\mathcal Q_4^2,\quad P_3P_1 = -\mathcal Q_5^2,\quad P_4P_2 = -\mathcal Q_6^2. \] (The existence and the uniqueness up to a multiple factor in \(\{-1,1\}\) of these matrices are shown). If \(\text{tr}\, \mathcal Q_1\mathcal Q_2\mathcal Q_5 = \text{tr}\, \mathcal Q_2\mathcal Q_3\mathcal Q_6 = \text{tr}\, \mathcal Q_1\mathcal Q_2\mathcal Q_3\mathcal Q_4 = -2,\) then the following equation holds: \[ \text{tr}\, \mathcal Q_1\, \text{tr}\, \mathcal Q_3 + \text{tr}\, \mathcal Q_2\, \text{tr}\, \mathcal Q_4 = \text{tr}\, \mathcal Q_5\, \text{tr}\, \mathcal Q_6.\tag{1} \] Similar results hold for the cases where some pairs of \(P_1\), \(P_2\), \(P_3\), \(P_4\) generate reducible groups. It is shown an application of the trace identity (1) to the mapping class group \(\mathcal M\mathcal C_{0,4}\) acting on \(R_{0,4}\).