Factorization rules in quantum Teichmüller theory (Q373642)

Quantum Teichmüller spaces were described by Chekhov and Fock using Thurston's shear coordinates, and by Kashaev using the quantum dilogarithm. The finite-dimensional irreducible representations of the quantum Teichmüller space were studied by Bonahon and Liu. More precisely, let \(S\) be a puncture surface with \(s\) punctures \(v_1,\dots,v_s.\) Given a parameter \(q\in \mathbb C^*,\) the quantum Teichmüller space \(\mathcal T^q(S)\) is a non-commutative algebra, a deformation of an algebra of functions on the Teichmüller space \(\mathcal T(S)\) of \(S.\) When \(q\) is a primitive \(N^{\text{th}}\) root of unity with \(N\) odd and fixing weights \(p_1,\dots,p_s\in \{0,\dots, N-1\}\) labeling the punctures \(v_1,\dots, v_s,\) there is associated to every isotopy class of hyperbolic metrics \(m\in\mathcal T(S)\) a unique irreducible representation \(\rho_m:\mathcal T^q(S)\rightarrow End(V).\) From this, one can construct a projective vector bundle \(\mathcal K^q=\mathcal K^q(p_1,\dots,p_s)\) over \(\mathcal T(S)\) with fiber \(\mathbb PV.\) This construction behaves well under the mapping class group action, hence defines a projective vector bundle \(\widetilde{\mathcal K}^q\) over the moduli space \(\mathcal M(S)\) of \(S.\) The goal of this interesting paper under review attempts to answer the question whether this bundle \(\widetilde{\mathcal K}^q\) extends to the Deligne-Mumford compactification \(\overline{\mathcal M(S)}\) of the moduli space \(\mathcal M(S).\) To this end, the author studies the limiting behavior of \(\rho_m\) when \(m\) approaches infinity of \(\mathcal T(S).\) To be precise, let us recall that the augmented Teichmüller space \(\overline{\mathcal T(S)}\) is the completion of the Teichmüller space in the Weil-Petersson metric. As a set, it is the union of \(\mathcal T(S)\) and of the \(\mathcal T(S_{\gamma})\) for every multicurve \(\gamma\) on \(S,\) \(S_{\gamma}\) being the pinched surface along \(\gamma.\) The mapping class group action on \(\mathcal T(S)\) extends to \(\overline{\mathcal T(S)},\) and the quotient can be topologically identified with \(\overline{\mathcal M(S)}.\) The main result of this paper states that an irreducible representations of \(\mathcal T^q(S)\) limits to a direct sum of representations of \(\mathcal T^q(S_{\gamma}),\) which can be considered as the factorization rule in quantum Teichmüller theory. More precisely, for any ideal triangulation \(\lambda\) of \(S,\) there is associated the Chekhov-Fock algebra \(\mathcal T^q_{\lambda}(S),\) which is the skew-commutative algebra with set of generators \(\{X_1^{\pm1},\dots,X_n^{\pm1}\}\) associated to the edges of \(\lambda\) and relations \(X_iX_j=q^{2\sigma_{ij}}X_jX_i,\) where \(\sigma_{ij}\in\{0,\pm1,\pm2\}\) are the coefficients of the Weil-Petersson Poisson structure on \(\mathcal T(S).\) The quantum Teichmüller space \(\mathcal T^q(S)\) of \(S\) is roughly speaking the union of \(\mathcal T^q_{\lambda}(S),\) for every triangulation \(\lambda,\) modulo the relation given by the so called quantum coordinate change isomorphisms \(\Phi_{\lambda,\lambda'}^q: \mathcal T^q_{\lambda'}(S) \rightarrow \mathcal T^q_{\lambda}(S)\) introduced by Checkhov-Fock. The author shows that \(\lambda\) induces an ideal triangulation \(\lambda_{\gamma}\) on the pinched surface \(S_{\gamma},\) and proves that \noindent{Proposition 1} For every ideal triangulation \(\lambda\) and every multicurve \(\gamma\) on \(S,\) there exists an algebra homomorphism \[ \Theta_{\gamma,\lambda}^q:\mathcal T^q_{\lambda_{\gamma}}(S_{\gamma})\rightarrow \mathcal T^q_{\lambda}(S) \] described explicitly by sending each generator of \(\mathcal T^q_{\lambda_{\gamma}}(S_{\gamma})\) to certain monomials in \(\mathcal T^q_{\lambda}(S).\) Assume for simplicity that the multicurve \(\gamma\) consists of a single curve. \noindent{Theorem 2} Let \(m_t\in\mathcal T(S)\) be a continuous family of hyperbolic metrics such that, as \(t\to 0,\) \(m_t\) converges to \(m_{\gamma}\in \mathcal T(S_{\gamma})\) in \(\overline{\mathcal T(S)}.\) Let \(\rho_t: \mathcal T^q_{\lambda}(S)\rightarrow End(V)\) be a continuous family of irreducible representations classified by \(m_t\) and weights \(p_1,\dots,p_s\in\{0,\dots, N-1\}\) labeling the punctures \(v_1,\dots, v_s\) of \(S.\) Then, as \(t\to0,\) the representation \[ \rho_t\circ\Theta_{\gamma,\lambda}^q: \mathcal T^q_{\lambda_{\gamma}}(S_{\gamma})\rightarrow End(V) \] approaches \[ \bigoplus_{i=0}^{N-1}\rho_{\gamma}^i:\mathcal T^q_{\lambda_{\gamma}}(S_{\gamma})\rightarrow End\bigg(\bigoplus_{i=0}^{N-1}V_i\bigg) \] where, for each \(i,\) \(\rho_{\gamma}^i:\mathcal T^q_{\lambda_{\gamma}}(S_{\gamma})\rightarrow End(V_i)\) is the irreducible representation classified by \(m_{\gamma},\) the weights \(p_1,\dots,p_s\) labeling the old punctures and the weights \(i\) labeling the two new punctures \(v'\) and \(v''\) of \(S_{\gamma}.\) \noindent{ Theorem 3} For each ideal triangulation \(\lambda\) of \(S,\) let the limit \[ \lim_{t\to0}\rho_{t,\lambda}\circ\Theta_{\gamma,\lambda}^q=\bigoplus_{i}\rho_{\gamma,\lambda}^i \] be given as in Theorem 2. Then for any ideal triangulations \(\lambda\) and \(\lambda'\) and weight \(i,\) one has \[ \rho^i_{\gamma,\lambda'}=\rho^i_{\gamma,\lambda}\circ \Phi_{\lambda_{\gamma},\lambda'_{\gamma}}^q. \] Hence the family of representations \(\{\rho^i_{\gamma,\lambda}\}_{\lambda}\) determines an irreducible representation \[ \rho_{\gamma}^i:\mathcal T^q(S_{\gamma})\rightarrow End(V), \] which is classified by \(m_{\gamma},\) the weights \(p_1,\dots, p_s\) labeling the old punctures and the weight \(i\) labeling the new punctures \(v'\) and \(v''\) of \(S_{\gamma}.\)