Almost filling laminations and the connectivity of ending lamination space (Q1006146)

In this paper, \(S\) is an orientable surface of finite type of negative Euler characteristic which is not the \(3\)-holed sphere, the \(4\)-holed sphere or the \(1\)-holed torus. \(\mathcal{EL}(S)\) is the space of filling minimal geodesic laminations with the topology obtained by quotienting (a subspace of) the space \(\mathcal{ML}(S)\) of measured geodesic laminations by forgetting the measure. The author proves the following Theorem. The space \(\mathcal{EL}(S)\) is path connected and locally path connected, and for every element \(\mu\) in \(\mathcal{EL}(S)\), there exists a simple closed curve in that space passing through \(\mu\). The proof of the theorem uses techniques introduced by Thurston, in particular train tracks. It involves a criterion for the construction of continuous paths in \(\mathcal{EL}(S)\) starting from paths in \(\mathcal{ML}(S)\). As a by-product, the author describes a new construction of nonuniquely ergodic measured laminations.