Affine twist deformation of a sphere with holes (Q292069)

Let \(S_{b+1}\) be the sphere \(\mathbb{S}^2\) minus \((b+1)\) distinct points and let \(G_b\subset \mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{R})\) be the image group of the holonomy \(\pi_1\big(S_{b+1},pt\big)\to \mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb R)\). The article under review is concerned with the problem of characterizing the affine deformations of \(S_b\), i.e., faithful representations of \(G_b\) into \(\text{SO}^0(2,1)\ltimes \mathbb{R}^2_1\) (where \(\mathbb{R}^2_1\) is \(\mathbb{R}^3\) with the Lorentzian inner product \(B\)). Such deformations are defined by the identification \(\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{R}) \cong \mathrm{SO}^0(2,1)\) and a cocycle \(\mathbf{u}\). To classify the affine deformations is equivalent to classify the cocycles. For \(b=2\), Charette, Drumm and Goldman used the \textit{Margulis invariant} to produce a classification of the quotient space \(H_1(G_b,\mathbb{R}^2_1)\) (cocycles up to translation). The author introduces an \textit{affine twist parameter} which, combined with the Margulis invariant provides a parametrization of the space \(H_1(G_b,\mathbb{R}^2_1)\) (Theorem 1.1). The affine twist parameter has a canonical correspondence with the Fenchel-Nielsen twist parameter in Teichmüler theory.