Hyperbolic structures on the configuration space of six points in the projective line (Q1977155)

The authors present at length all the steps needed to carry out a computation which helps to solve a problem posed by S.~Kojima concerning the deformation space of hyperbolic structures on the manifold \(X_6^+\) of six points on the real projective line. The oriented configuration space \(X_6^+\) is a noncompact three-dimensional manifold which admits a unique complete hyperbolic structure of finite volume with ten cusps. It decomposes naturally into 120 cells each of which can be interpreted as the set of equiangular hexagons with unit area. Similar hyperbolic structures can he obtained by considering nonequiangular hexagons so that the standard hyperbolic structure on \(X_6^+\) is at the center of a five parameter family of hyperbolic structures of finite volume. The properties of this family are investigated. In particular, two real analytic maps from the set of prescribed angles of hexagons into \(\mathbb R^{10}\) whose components are the traces of the monodromies at the ten cusps are exhibited. These maps have maximal rank 5 at the center.