The Arnoux-Yoccoz Teichmüller disc (Q841088)

A translation surface is obtained by identifying parallel sides of a Euclidean polygon such that all cone angles at conical singularities are integer multiplies of \(2\pi\). Given a translation surface \(S\) represented as a Euclidean polygon, the group \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb R)\) acts on \(S\) by linear transformation. Different polygons may be glued into the same translation surface. If a matrix in \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb R)\) fixes a translation surface \(S\), the matrix is an element of the Veech group of \(S\). One of the fundamental problems is to determine the Veech group of a given translation surface. A translation surface corresponds to a Riemann surface with a holomorphic 1-form. \({\mathcal H}(d_1,\dots,d_m)\) is the stratum consisting of holomorphic 1-forms with zeros of degree \(d_1,\dots,d_m\). \({\mathcal H}_1(d_1,\dots,d_m)\) is the subset of the stratum corresponding to translation surfaces of unit area. When \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb R)\) acts on a translation surface \(S\) of unit area, the orbit is in some \({\mathcal H}_1(d_1,\dots,d_m)\). Another fundamental problem is to investigate the property of this orbit of a given translation surface. The paper under review concerns the two problems for an interesting translation surface: the genus 3 Arnoux-Yoccoz surface. Let \(a\) be the real root of \(a^3+a^2+a=1\). The genus 3 Arnoux-Yoccoz surface is obtained by gluing three rectangles with cutting and of sizes related to the number \(a\). The matrix \(\Phi= \text{diag}(a,a^{-1})\) in \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb R)\) is an element of the Veech group of the genus 3 Arnoux-Yoccoz surface. Note that the trace of \(\Phi\) is greater than 2. The authors find another element in the Veech group whose trace is also greater than 2. The strategy is to find two directions on the surface such that the geodesics in these directions are closed. Once the two directions have the same combinatorics and the same numerical invariants, there is a map sending one direction to the other. This map produces an element in the Veech group. Let \({\mathcal L}_1\) in \({\mathcal H}_1(2,2)\) be the locus consisting of hyperelliptic translation surfaces with odd-spin structures. The genus 3 Arnoux-Yoccoz surface sits in \({\mathcal L}_1\). The authors prove that the \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb R)\)-orbit of the genus 3 Arnoux-Yoccoz surface is dense in \({\mathcal L}_1\). The proof follows the idea introduced in [\textit{C. I. McMullen}, Ann. Math. (2) 165, No.~2, 397--456 (2007; Zbl 1131.14027)]. Cut the surface into pieces along the homologous saddle connections. An application of Ratner's theorem and the explicit geometry of the surface imply that the closure of the orbit is as big as one can hope for. Splitting the surface in another direction implies that the closure of the orbit is the whole locus. These results for the genus 3 Arnoux-Yoccoz surface show that the situation for genus 3 translation surfaces is different from the situation for genus 2 translation surfaces.