The affine deformation space of a rank two Schottky group: a picture gallery (Q881919): Difference between revisions

A complete flat Lorentz manifold is a quotient \(\mathbb{R}^3/\Gamma\), where \(\Gamma\) is a properly discontinuous group of affine transformations whose linear parts preserve the standard bilinear form of signature \((2,1)\) and hence can be regarded as acting on the hyperbolic plane. Such groups are common, in fact \textit{T. Drumm} [Topology 31, No. 4, 677--683 (1992; Zbl 0773.57008)] proved that any finitely generated free, discrete, orientation-preserving group of hyperbolic isometries admits affine deformations. The main objective of the paper is a pictorial description of the affine deformation space of a rank-\(2\) Schottky group, up to translational conjugacy and rescaling. A tool for understanding these deformations is the Margulis invariant of an affine hyperbolic element, which measures the signed Lorentzian displacement along the unique closed geodesic in its class. The author shows how the translational conjugacy class of an affine deformation of a rank-\(2\) Schottky group is determined by the values of the Margulis invariant on a triple of generators. Projectivizing sends the deformation into a certain triangle \(\mathcal{T}\) in the plane \(x+y+z=1\), giving an image of the deformation space as a subset of~\(\mathcal{T}\). Allowable translations are choices of translational parts assigned to Schottky generators such that the action of the induced affine deformation admits a fundamental domain bounded by crooked planes. These can be obtained using a construction that the author calls a Schottky system. For the case of the three-holed sphere, every point in \(\mathcal{T}\) is the image of a deformation with allowable translations, and the author illustrates this empirically by explaining how to vary the Schottky system so as to reach every point of \(\mathcal{T}\). In contrast, examination of the Schottky systems for the once-punctured torus case clarifies the fact that not every point in \(\mathcal{T}\) gives allowable translations. Finally, the author discusses the placement in \(\mathcal{T}\) of the zero sets of the Margulis invariants for various elements of the Schottky group, illustrating some of her results about the sign of the Margulis invariant for various generating sets [\textit{V. Charette}, Forum Math. 18, No. 1, 121--135 (2006; Zbl 1096.53041)].