Projective structures, grafting and measured laminations (Q2479719)

Let \(S\) be a compact Riemann surface \(S\), \({\mathcal{ML}}(S)\) its space of measured laminations, \({\mathcal T}(S)\) its Teichmüller space and \({\mathcal P}(S)\) its space of equivalence classes of complex projective structures. The grafting map, due to Thurston, is a homeomorphism \[ \text{Gr}:{\mathcal{ML}}(S) \times {\mathcal T}(S)\to {\mathcal P}(S). \] In the paper under review, the authors study the onformal grafting map \[ {\mathcal{ML}}(S) \times {\mathcal T}(S)\to{\mathcal T}(S) \] obtained by composing the map \(\text{Gr}\) with the map that assigns to each projective structure its underlying conformal structure. Fixing an element \(X\) in \({\mathcal T}(S)\) and an element \(\lambda\) in \({\mathcal{ML}}(S)\), the authors consider the two restricted maps, which they denote respectively by \(\text{gr} X: {\mathcal{ML}}(S) \to {\mathcal T}(S)\) and \(\text{gr}_{\lambda}:{\mathcal T}(S) \to{\mathcal T}(S)\). They prove the following: Theorem: For each \(X\) in \({\mathcal T}(S)\), the map \(\text{gr} X: {\mathcal{ML}}(S) \to {\mathcal T}(S)\) is a bitangentiable homeomorphism. This theorem complements a result by Scannell and Wolf saying that for each \(\lambda\) in \({\mathcal{ML}}(S)\), the map \(\text{gr}_{\lambda}:{\mathcal T}(S) \to{\mathcal T}(S)\) is a real-analytic homeomorphism [see \textit{K. P. Scannell} and \textit{M. Wolf}, J. Am. Math. Soc. 15, 893--927 (2002; Zbl 1011.32009)]. The term ``bitangentiable'' in the above theorem has to do with the fact (due to Thurston) that the space \({\mathcal{ML}}(S)\) is naturally equipped with a piecewise-linear structure rather than with a differentiable structure. The paper also contains applications of the theorem stated above. These include a study of the relationship between the complex-analytic and the geometric coordinate systems for the space \({\mathcal P}(S)\), and a rigidity result for quasi-Fuchsian manifolds. Finally, the authors study the rays in Teichmüller space that are associated to the grafting coordinates, obtaining estimates for extremal and hyperbolic length functions and their derivatives along these grafting rays.