Branched \(\mathbb{C} P^ 1\)-structures on surfaces with prescribed real holonomy (Q1345947)

Due to a result of Gallo-Goldman-Porter (preprint), a representation \(\in \Hom (\pi, \text{PSL} (2, \mathbb{R}))\) of the fundamental group \(\pi\) of a closed oriented surface \(F_g\) of genus \(g \geq 2\) occurs as the holonomy representation of a \(\mathbb{C} P^1\)-structure on \(F_g\) if and only if its Euler class \(e(\rho)= 0\pmod 2\) (i.e., \(\rho\) admits a lift to \(\text{SL} (2, \mathbb{R})\)), and \(\rho (\pi)\) is not an elementary subgroup of \(\text{PSL} (2, \mathbb{R})\). The goal of the present paper is to show that representations \(\rho\in \Hom (\pi, \text{PSL} (2, \mathbb{R}))\) with \(e(\rho)= 1\pmod 2\) nonetheless occur as the holonomy representations of branched \(\mathbb{C} P^1\)- structures with one branch point of degree 2. See also \textit{W. M. Goldman} [Invent. Math. 93, No. 3, 557-607 (1988; Zbl 0655.57019)]\ and \textit{D. M. Gallo} [Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New. Ser. 20, No. 1, 31-34 (1989; Zbl 0674.30032)].