McMullen polynomials and Lipschitz flows for free-by-cyclic groups (Q1676085)

Summary: Consider a group \(G\) and an epimorphism \(u_0:G\to\mathbb{Z}\) inducing a splitting of \(G\) as a semidirect product \(\mathrm{ker}(u_0)\rtimes_\varphi\mathbb{Z}\) with \(\mathrm{ker}(u_0)\) a finitely generated free group and \(\varphi\in\mathrm{Out(ker}(u_0))\) representable by an expanding irreducible train track map. Building on our earlier work [DKL], in which we realized \(G\) as \(\pi_1(X)\) for an Eilenberg-Maclane 2-complex \(X\) equipped with a semiflow \(\psi\), and inspired by McMullen's Teichmüller polynomial for fibered hyperbolic 3-manifolds, we construct a polynomial invariant \(\mathfrak{m}\in\mathbb{Z}[H_1(G;\mathbb{Z})/\text{torsion}]\) for \((X,\psi)\) and investigate its properties.{ }Specifically, \(\mathfrak{m}\) determines a convex polyhedral cone \(\mathcal{C}_X\subset H^1(G;\mathbb{R})\), a convex, real-analytic function \(\mathfrak{H}:\mathcal{C}_X\to\mathbb{R}\), and specializes to give an integral Laurent polynomial \(\mathfrak{m}_u(\zeta)\) for each integral \(u\in\mathcal{C}_X\). We show that \(\mathcal{C}_X\) is equal to the ``cone of sections'' of \((X,\psi)\) (the convex hull of all cohomology classes dual to sections of of \(\psi\)), and that for each (compatible) cross section \(\Theta_u\subset X\) with first return map \(f_u:\Theta_u\to\Theta_u\), the specialization \(\mathfrak{m}_u(\zeta)\) encodes the characteristic polynomial of the transition matrix of \(f_u\). More generally, for every class \(u\in\mathcal{C}_X\) there exists a geodesic metric \(d_u\) and a codimension-1 foliation \(\Omega_u\) of \(X\) defined by a ``closed 1-form'' representing \(u\) transverse to \(\psi\) so that after reparametrizing the flow \(\psi^u_s\) maps leaves of \(\Omega_u\) to leaves via a local \(e^{s\mathfrak{H}(u)}\)-homothety.{ } Among other things, we additionally prove that \(\mathcal{C}_X\) is equal to (the cone over) the component of the BNS-invariant \(\Sigma(G)\) containing \(u_0\) and, consequently, that each primitive integral \(u\in\mathcal{C}_X\) induces a splitting of \(G\) as an ascending HNN-extension \(G=Q_u\ast_{\phi_u}\) with \(Q_u\) a finite-rank free group and \(\phi_u:Q_u\to Q_u\) injective. For any such splitting, we show that the stretch factor of \(\phi_u\) is exactly given by \(e^{\mathfrak{H}(u)}\). In particular, \(\mathcal{C}_X\) and \(\mathfrak{H}\) depend only on the group \(G\) and epimorphism \(u_0\).