Rank 2 affine manifolds in genus \(3\) (Q2208490)

A \textit{translation surface} is a pair of a Riemann surface \(X\) together with a holomorphic 1-form \(\omega\). Fixing the topological type of \(X\), there is a moduli space \(\mathcal{H}\) of translation surfaces, which admits an action of \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})\). The moduli space is stratified according to the type of zeroes of the 1-form, and this stratification is \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})\)-invariant. In general, however, closures of orbits can be more complicated than full strata, and classifying orbit closures is an extremly complicated and rich question. \textit{C. T. McMullen} [Ann. Math. (2) 165, No. 2, 397--456 (2007; Zbl 1131.14027)] obtained such a classification in genus 2. More recently, seminal work of \textit{A. Eskin} and \textit{M. Mirzakhani} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 127, 95--324 (2018; Zbl 1478.37002)], \textit{A. Eskin} et al. [Ann. Math. (2) 182, No. 2, 673--721 (2015; Zbl 1357.37040)], \textit{S. Filip} [Ann. Math. (2) 183, No. 2, 681--713 (2016; Zbl 1342.14015)] shows that in general orbit closures are \textit{affine submanifolds} (in suitable natural charts of the space of translation structures) with finite ergodic \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})\)-invariant measure, and also have the structure of quasi-projective varieties. A full classification of such orbit closures in higher genus is beyond the scope of current methods, but partial results exist. In particular, \textit{A. Wright} [Geom. Topol. 19, No. 1, 413--438 (2015; Zbl 1318.32021)] defined a complexity measure for orbit closures, called the \textit{cylinder rank}, which varies between 1 and the genus \(g\) of the surface \(X\). Surfaces whose orbit closures have cylinder rank 1 are geometrically very constrained (they are \textit{completely periodic}). In certain strata of genus 3, rank 2 orbit closures have also been classified before [the second author and \textit{A. Wright}, Geom. Funct. Anal. 24, No. 4, 1316--1335 (2014; Zbl 1303.30039); the first author et al., J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 18, No. 8, 1855--1872 (2016; Zbl 1369.37044); Geom. Topol. 20, No. 5, 2837--2904 (2016; Zbl 1370.32006)]. The central result of this article completes this classification of rank-2 orbit closures in genus 3 (Theorem 1.1). Combining this result with work of [\textit{M. Mirzakhani} and \textit{A. Wright}, Duke Math. J. 167, No. 1, 1--40 (2018; Zbl 1435.32016)] yields a description of all \(\mathrm{GL}^+(2,\mathbb{R})\)-orbit closures in genus 3 (Theorem A).