Simple length rigidity for Hitchin representations (Q2281332)

The main aim of the paper is to prove a rigidity result regarding the marked length spectrum of Hitchin representations of the fundamental group \(\Gamma_g\) of closed orientable surfaces with genus \(g\) greater than or equal to 2. In order to prove such a rigidity phenomenon, the authors first study the space of full real flags in \(\mathbb{R}^d\). They show that given a positive 4-tuple of flags \((a,x,y,b)\) which is positive in the sense of Fock and Goncharov, there must exist a family of lines \[\{L_1(a,b),\ldots,L_d(a,b), L_1(x,y),\ldots,L_d(x,y)\}\] such that any \(d\) distinct lines are in general position. The proof of this statement is based on one hand on the study of the combinatorics of the components of positivity in the flag space. On the other hand it relies on the analysis of the action of the permutation group on the adapted family of lines. Then follows the notion of correlation function, which allows the authors to state a rigidity result regarding three generated subgroups of \(\Gamma_g\). The equivalence between the trace spectrum and the length spectrum obtained by the asymptotic expansion of spectral radii, enables the authors to conclude the rigidity result. Then, attention is focused on isometries of the intersection form on the Hitchin component. It is shown that the intersection isometry group agrees with the extended mapping class group of the surface. The proof relies on the study of geodesic currents on the surface and on Bonahon's compactification of the Teichmüller space. The paper end with an infinitesimal rigidity result about the differential of length functions.