On ideal points of deformation curves of hyperbolic 3-manifolds with one cusp (Q804015)

\textit{M. Culler} and \textit{P. B. Shalen} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 117, 109-146 (1983; Zbl 0529.57005)], investigated varieties of characters of representations of fundamental groups of hyperbolic 3-manifolds into \(SL_ 2(C)\), showing that to each ideal point in an algebraic curve in the character variety, there corresponds an incompressible and boundary- incompressible surface in the hyperbolic 3-manifold. In this paper, using combinatorics of ideal triangulations of hyperbolic 3-manifolds as developed by \textit{W. D. Neumann} and \textit{D. Zagier} [Topology 24, 307- 332 (1985; Zbl 0589.57015)], the author gives an explicit geometric description of this correspondence, in the case when the manifold N has exactly one cusp. The work of Neumann and Zagier describes the deformation curve for the hyperbolic structure on N in terms of the complex parameters which tell the shapes of the ideal tetrahedra in a triangulation of N. Starting from this description, the author determines how an ideal point in the deformation curve leads to an imbedded 2-manifold in N made up of a collection of ``twisted squares'' in the ideal tetrahedra. A key algebraic fact is that one can choose coordinates on the deformation curve so that each ideal point is the endpoint of a half-line determined by slopes which are rational. The rationality of these slopes translates into the geometric fact that there is a finite collection of twisted squares in the ideal tetrahedra that fit together to form the surface. A difficult argument is needed to prove that after surgery making it incompressible, this surface is not boundary parallel. The example of the figure-8 knot is worked out in detail, to illustrate the author's technique.