A Thurston boundary for infinite-dimensional Teichmüller spaces (Q2049948)

The Teichmüller space of a Riemann surface \(X_0\) is the space of quasiconformal deformations of the complex structure of \(X_0\). Thurston compactified the Teichmüller space of a compact Riemann surface \(X_0\), of genus at least 2, by adding a boundary at infinity consisting of projective measured foliations or, equivalently, projective measured geodesic laminations. In the present paper, the authors introduce a similar construction of a boundary for the Teichmüller space of a noncompact surface \(X_0\), using the technical tool of geodesic currents. ``In addition to the fact that Teichmüller spaces of noncompact Riemann surfaces are fundamental objects in complex analysis, our motivation here is to put in evidence the hidden features that underlie Thurston's construction, by tying it more closely to the quasiconformal geometry of \(X_0\) and less to the purely topological considerations that suffice for compact surfaces.''