Amenability, Poincaré series operator and Teichmüller distance (Q1906590)

Let \(X\) be a hyperbolic Riemann surface and \(Q(X)\) be the family of holomorphic quadratic differentials \(\phi\) on \(X\) with \(|\phi|= \int_X |\phi|< + \infty\). Assume \(P: Y\to X\) is a covering map, then there is a natural operator \(\Theta: Q(Y)\to Q(X)\), \(\Theta(\psi)= \sum_{\gamma\in \Gamma_X/\Gamma_Y} (\psi \circ \gamma) (\gamma')^2\), where \(\Gamma_X\) and \(\Gamma_Y\) are the universal covering transformation groups of \(X\) and \(Y\) respectively. It is obvious that \(|\Theta|\leq 1\). The covering \(P\) also induces a map \(T(X)\to T(Y)\), where \(T(X)\) and \(T(Y)\) are the Teichmüller spaces of \(X\) and \(Y\) respectively. In this paper, the author proves that the map \(T(X)\to T(Y)\) is a global isometry for the Teichmüller metric iff \(|\Theta|= 1\) and is contracting iff \(|\Theta|< 1\). Furthermore, when \(T(X)\to T(Y)\) is contracting, it is not a uniform contraction on \(T(X)\). The results are generalizations of C. McMullen who proved same results under the assumption that the Riemann surface \(X\) is of finite type.