The Teichmüller theory of harmonic maps (Q1109381)

Let \((M,\sigma)\) be a Riemann surface of genus \(g>1\) equipped with a (hyperbolic) metric of constant Gauss curvature -1, and let \(QD(\sigma)\) denote the vector space of holomorphic quadratic differentials on \((M,\sigma)\). Associated to each point \([\rho]\) in the Teichmüller space \(T_ g\), is a hyperbolic metric \(\rho\) on M, and thus an energy minimizing map \(w(\sigma,\rho): (M,\sigma)\to (M,\rho)\); associated to each such map is a holomorphic quadratic differential \(\Phi(\rho)= (w(\sigma,\rho)^*\rho)^{2,0}\in QD(\sigma).\) This process defines a map \(\Phi: T_ g\to QD(\sigma)\). J. H. Sampson has shown that the map is an injection; we show that it is also surjective. Consider the compactification \(\overline{T^ h_ g}\) of \(T_ g\) obtained by adjoining to each ray \(t\Phi_ 0\subset QD(\sigma)\) the projective measured vertical foliation of \(\Phi_ 0\); we show that this compactification agrees with Thurston's compactification of \(T_ g.\) Consider the energy of \(w(\sigma,\rho)\) as a function on \(T_ g\). It has a minimum when \(\rho =\sigma\), and so the Hessian, Hess E is a pseudo metric on \(T_ g:\) we show that this metric is the Weil-Petersson metric. We show that \[ \frac{\partial^ 4}{\partial t^{\alpha}\partial t^{{\bar \beta}}\partial t^{\gamma}\partial t^{{\bar \delta}}}|_{\vec t=0} E(\sigma,\Phi^{- 1}(t^{\alpha}\Phi_{\alpha}+ t^{\beta}\Phi_{\beta}+ t^{\gamma}\Phi_{\gamma}+ t^{\delta}\Phi_{\delta}))= -4R_{\alpha\bar \beta\gamma\bar\delta} \] where \(R_{\alpha {\bar \beta}\gamma {\bar \delta}}\) represents the curvature tensor of the Weil-Petersson metric.