Partial sums of excursions along random geodesics and volume asymptotics for thin parts of moduli spaces of quadratic differentials (Q2408259): Difference between revisions

Given \(x \in (0,1)\), consider the continued fraction expansion \(x = [a_1, a_2, \ldots, a_n, \ldots]\). Diamond-Vaaler considered the \textit{trimmed partial sums} \(\tilde{S}_n(x) = a_1 + a_2 + a_3+ \cdots + a_n - \max_{1\leq i\leq n}a_i\), and showed that for a Lebesgue-almost every \(x\), \[ \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \frac{\tilde{S}_n(x)}{n\log n} = \frac{1}{\log 2}. \] This theorem can be interpreted in terms of cusp excursions of the geodesic flow on the modular surface \(\mathbb{H}^2/SL(2,\mathbb Z)\), which in turn can be thought of as the moduli space of flat metrics on the torus. This points to possible generalizations of this to understanding cusp excursions of the Teichmüller geodesic flow on moduli spaces of flat metrics on higher-genus surfaces. A careful study of these flows, and the geometry of the associated spaces, in particular neighborhoods of infinity (cusp neighborhoods) leads to elegant generalizations of the Diamond-Vaaler results in this well-written and interesting paper.