Noncompact Fuchsian and quasi-Fuchsian surfaces in hyperbolic 3-manifolds (Q2464764)

Let \(M\) be a compact 3-manifold such that the interior of \(M\) is hyperbolic of finite volume. Then \(M\) can be realized as the quotient of the hyperbolic 3-space \(\mathbb{H}^3\) by a discrete group of isometries \(\Gamma\). It is well-known that the boundary of \(M\) is a finite collection of tori. A closed neighborhood of a torus boundary that lifts to a collection of horoballs in \(\mathbb{H}^3\) with disjoint interiors is called a cusp. Let \(S\) be an essential surface with boundary properly embedded in \(M\). By [\textit{W. P. Thurston}, The geometry and topology of three-manifolds, Princeton Univ. Press, 1979] there are three possibilities for \(S\): 1) \(S\) is a virtual fiber, that is, a finite cover of \(M\) is fibered and \(S\) is covered by a fiber; 2) \(S\) is accidental, that is, there is a simple closed curve on \(S\) which is not parallel to \(\partial S\) but can be homotoped to \(\partial M\); 3) \(S\) is quasi-Fuchsian. Recall that a surface is quasi-Fuchsian if it is covered by a topological plane in \(\mathbb{H}^3\) such that its limit set on \(\partial\mathbb{H}^3\) is a topological circle bounding two disks. Given a noncompact quasi-Fuchsian surface \(S\) in a finite volume compact hyperbolic 3-manifold \(M\), the author introduces a new invariant called the cusp thickness of \(S\) which measures how far \(S\) is from being totally geodesic. Then he relates this new invariant to the width of \(S\), and generalizes some results known for totally geodesic surfaces. Furthermore, it is shown that checkerboard surfaces provide examples of such surfaces in alternating knot complements. Finally, he utilizes the obtained results to generate closed immersed essential surfaces.