No label defined (Q4485791)

This paper is concerned with one-dimensional discrete holomorphic dynamical systems of postcritically finite rational functions. In the case of postcritically finite polynomials, there is an explicit normal form for the associated combinatorial data of this map viewed as a branched covering coming from the associated Hubbard tree. Namely, by the main result of \textit{A. Poirier} [On post-critically finite polynomials. Part two: Hubbard trees, SUNY Stony Brook I.M.S., Preprint (1993/97), No. 7], there is a bijective correspondence between Hubbard trees and conjugacy classes of postcritically finite polynomials, and so the problem of classifying such maps reduces to enumeration of Hubbard trees. However, for rational maps (non-polynomial), no nice normal form is known in general for the corresponding branched coverings, making the problem of their classification more difficult. The authors say that a possible avenue of approach to this classification problem is to develop a combination and decomposition theory for such maps, akin to the Haken theory of three-manifolds. And they propose another intriguing problem to attempt to deduce topological, dynamical, and geometric information about the map directly from its combinatorics as a branched covering, which by Thurston rigidity is a priori possible. The goal of this work is to list, up to Möbius conjugacy, exactly one representative from each class of postcritically finite, nonpolynomial, hyperbolic rational maps of degree 2 and 3 with four or fewer points in the postcritical set. Their approach is guided by the dictionary between rational maps and Kleinian groups. For example, Thurston's rigidity theorem for rational maps can be constructed as a loose analogue of Mostow rigidity for closed hyperbolic three manifolds. Their data are tabulated in full detail at \url{http://www.umr.edu/~pilgrim/Research/Census/WebPages/Main/Main.html} Their enumeration proceeds as follows: Section 2: Combinatorics and topology -- Branch data, Mapping schemes, Topological and rational realizability, Branched covering from the sphere to itself. Section 3: Algebra and Galois theory -- The mapping scheme \(\mathbb{Z}_f\subset \mathbb{P}^1\) determines \(f\), Normalization, Proof of Theorem 3.6, Gröbner bases, Detecting conjugacies and automorphisms. Section 4: Dynamics -- Drawing the images, Dynamical properties. Section 5: The data -- Mapping schemes with symmetries, A worked example (cubic \#71).