Differentiable rigidity of Fuchsian groups (Q1324079)

Lt \(\Gamma_ g\) denote the fundamental group of a compact orientable surface of genus \(g\geq 2\) and let \(\Phi : \Gamma_ g \to \text{Diff}^ r_ + (S^ 1)\) be a homomorphism, where \(\text{Diff}^ r_ + (S^ 1)\) denotes the group of orientation preserving \(C^ r\) diffeomorphisms of the circle, \(0 \leq r \leq \infty\). To such a homomorphism one associates an integer \(\text{eu}(\Phi)\), the Euler number of \(\Phi\), and results of J. Milnor and J. Wood show that \(\text{eu}(\Phi) \leq 2g - 2\). These results also show that the maximum value \(2g - 2\) is taken on for injective homomorphisms \(\Phi : \Gamma_ g \to \text{PSL}(2,\mathbb{R}) \subseteq \text{Diff}^ r_ + (S^ 1)\), where the inclusion corresponds to the projective action of \(\text{PSL}(2,\mathbb{R})\) on the real projective line \(P^ 1\). The main result of the present article is the following Theorem. Let \(\Phi : \Gamma_ g \to \text{Diff}^ r_ + (S^ 1)\), \(3 \leq r \leq \infty\), be a homomorphism whose Euler number equals the maximum value \(2g - 2\). Then there exists a \(\mathbb{C}^ r\) diffeomorphism \(f\) of the circle such that the conjugate of \(\Phi\) by \(f\) is an injective homomorphism of \(\Gamma_ g\) whose image is a discrete cocompact subgroup of \(\text{PSL}(2,\mathbb{R}) \subseteq \text{Diff}^ r_ +(S^ 1)\). This result may be restated equivalently as follows: Theorem. Let \(\Sigma_ g\) be a compact orientable surface of genus \(g \geq 2\), and for \(3 \leq r \leq \infty\) let \(\mathcal F\) be a \(C^ r\) codimension 1 foliation without compact leaves of the unit tangent bundle \(T_ 1 (\Sigma_ g)\). Then \(\mathcal F\) is \(C^ r\)-conjugate to the weak stable foliation of the geodesic flow of some metric with curvature \(K \equiv -1\) on \(\Sigma_ g\). If \(\Phi : \Gamma_ g \to \text{Diff}^ r_ +(S^ 1)\) is a homomorphism with maximal Euler number \(2g - 2\), then a result of Matsumoto asserts the existence of a homeomorphism \(f\) of the circle such that the conjugate of \(\Phi\) by \(f\) is an injective homomorphism of \(\Gamma_ g\) whose image is a discrete cocompact subgroup of \(\text{PSL}(2,\mathbb{R}) \subseteq \text{Diff}^ r_ + (S^ 1)\). Moreover, it is known that any two injective homomorphisms \(\Phi_ 1, \Phi_ 2 : \Gamma_ g \to \text{PSL}(2, \mathbb{R}) \subseteq \text{Diff}^ r_ + (S^ 1)\) are always conjugate by a homeomorphism \(f\) of the circle. However if \(f\) is a \(C^ 1\) diffeomorphism, then \(\Phi_ 1 (\Gamma_ g)\) and \(\Phi_ 2 (\Gamma_ g)\) are conjugate subgroups of \(\text{PSL}(2, \mathbb{R})\) and hence define the same point in the Teichmüller space of genus \(g\) surfaces. In proving the main theorem the author first studies \(C^ r\) flows, \(r \geq 2\), on a compact 3-dimensional manifold that are Anosov but are not assumed to preserve a volume form or a connection. He shows that for such an Anosov flow if the weak stable foliation is transversally of class \(C^{1,1}\), then it is transversally projective (Theorem 4.1). He then uses this result together with the result of Matsumoto stated above to prove the first statement of the main theorem. In the last section of the paper the author uses the main theorem to obtain a rigidity theorem for local holomorphic deformations of the Fuchsian groups \(\Gamma_ g\), \(g \geq 2\).