Nonuniqueness of geodesics in infinite dimensional teichmuller spaces (Q3978050)

Universal Teichmüller space \(T\) is the space of quasisymmetric homeomorphisms of a circle factored by the group of Möbius transformations which preserve the circle. Elements \(h\) of \(T\) can be realized as boundary values of quasiconformal homeomorphisms of the interior of the circle. The minimum value of the dilatation \(K\) of such a homeomorphism is a number \(K_ 0(h)\). A quasiconformal mapping \(f\) with dilatation \(K_ 0\) whose boundary values coincide with \(h\) is called extremal. For certain elements \(h\) in \(T\) there can be two different extremal mappings \(f_ 1\) and \(f_ 2\) of the interior of the disk whose boundary values coincide with \(h\). Let \(\mu_ 1\) and \(\mu_ 2\) be the Beltrami coefficients of \(f_ 1\) and \(f_ 2\), respectively. Let \(f^{t\mu_ 1}\) and \(f^{t\mu_ 2}\) be the curves of solutions to the Beltrami equation with Beltrami coefficients \(t\mu_ 1\) and \(t\mu_ 2\) and let \(h_ 1^ t\) and \(h_ 2^ t\) be the boundary values of these mappings. It is a fact that both curves \(h_ 1^ t\) and \(h_ 2^ t\) are geodesics in Teichmüller space. In this paper an example is constructed for which the curves \(h_ 1^ t\) and \(h_ 2^ t\) in \(T\) trace out different point sets in \(T\). The example implies that geodesics for Teichmüller's metric in universal Teichmüller space are not unique and even provides an infinite supply of distinct geodesics which join the same two points. To construct the example one looks at boundary values of a stretch mapping of a strip domain which is expanding on one side and contracting on the other.