On the geometry of the Thompson group (Q2765894)

The Thompson group \(T\) is the group of piecewise-integral-projective homeomorphisms of the projective plane \(\mathbb{R}\mathbb{P}^1\). P. Greenberg's made in 1992 a geometrical study of the group \(T\), using piecewise-projective geometry (called \(CPP\) geometry). In the paper under review, the author extends Greenberg's work by using lambda-length coordinates which were introduced by R. Penner in his study of Teichmüller space. In fact, the author studies the action of the group \(T\) on a relative Teichmüller space, which is defined in terms of piecewise-projective \({\mathcal C}^1\) homeomorphisms of the circle. The author describes a geometric model for \(BT\) and a combinatorial model for \({\mathcal L}S^3\) and he obtains a geometric interpretation of the homology equivalence between the classifying space \(BT\) and the space of free loops \({\mathcal L}S^3\) (this equivalence is due to Ghys and Sergiescu). Most of the proofs in this paper are only sketched.