2\(\pi\)-grafting and complex projective structures with generic holonomy (Q1682503)

Let \(S\) be a closed oriented surface of genus at least two. A \textit{complex projective structure} on \(S\) consists of an atlas with charts in the Riemann sphere and transition maps in \(\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{C})\). Such a structure induces a \textit{holonomy representation} \(\rho: \pi_1(S)\to \mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{C})\), which is unique up to conjugation. Given a complex projective structure, one can produce another structure with the same holonomy via a procedure called \(2\pi\)-grafting. In broad terms, grafting amounts to cutting the surface along a set of curves and gluing in certain Euclidean cylinders. This has a natural inverse operation, ungrafting. A natural object to study is therefore the set \(\mathcal{P}_\rho\) of all (marked) complex projective structures on \(S\) that have the same holonomy. A foundational result concerning \(\mathcal{P}_\rho\) is due to \textit{D. Gallo}, \textit{M. Kapovich} and \textit{A. Marden} [Ann. Math. (2) 151, No. 2, 625--704 (2000; Zbl 0977.30028)], who showed that \(\mathcal{P}_\rho\) is non-empty if and only if \(\rho\) is non-elementary and lifts to \(\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{C})\). They asked whether it is possible to pass between any two points in \(\mathcal{P}_\rho\) via a sequence of graftings and ungraftings. In the paper under review, the author answers this question affirmatively (Theorem 1.2) for a very large, in some sense, generic, family of representations. These have the property that each element in the image is loxodromic and are thus called \textit{purely loxodromic representations}. This includes quasi-Fuchsian groups, singly and doubly degenerate groups and Schottky groups. The author makes the proof of Theorem 1.2, which is long and technical, accessible through an informative outline in the introduction, explaining the main ideas and ingredients in the proof.