Thurston's asymmetric metrics for Anosov representations (Q6924843)

Let \(S\) be a closed, hyperbolizable surface. \textit{W. P. Thurston} [``Minimal stretch maps between hyperbolic surfaces'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:math/9801039}] defined an asymmetric metric on its Teichmüller space by defining the distance between hyperbolic metrics \(g_1,g_2\) to be \(\log\sup_c\frac{L_{g_2}(c)}{L_{g_1}(c)}\), where \(c\) runs over all free isotopy classes of closed curves and \(L_g(c)\) is the length of the unique geodesic in \(c\) for the hyperbolic metric \(g\), and he proved that this distance coincides with the least possible Lipschitz constant for homeomorphisms between the two hyperbolic surfaces. He also proved that this metric is the path metric induced by the asymmetric Finsler norm \(\Vert v\Vert=\sup_c\frac{D_g(L_.(c))(v)}{L_g(c)}\) for \(v\in T_g\mathrm{Teich}(S)\).\N\NAfter identification of the Teichmüller space with the character variety \(\mathcal{X}(\pi_1S,\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{R}))\) one can reinterpret Thurston's distance between two representations \(\rho_1,\rho_2\) as \(\log \sup_\gamma\frac{\lambda_1(\rho_2(\gamma))}{\lambda_1(\rho_1(\gamma))}\), where \(\lambda_1(\rho(\gamma))\) means the logarithm of the spectral radius (the maximal absolute value of an eigenvalue) of \(\rho(\gamma)\in\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{R})\). The goal of the paper under review is to generalize this definition and its properties to spaces of Anosov representations of higher rank Lie groups.\N\NTo carry out the construction, let \(\mathcal{X}(\Gamma,G)\) be the character variety of a finitely generated group \(\Gamma\) for a semisimple Lie group \(G\). Choose a Weyl chamber \(\mathfrak{a}^+\), denote \(\lambda\colon G\to\mathfrak{a}^+\) the Jordan projection, and let \(\phi\in\mathfrak{a}^*\) be a functional such that \(\phi(\lambda(\rho(\gamma)))\ge c\Vert \lambda(\rho(\gamma))\Vert\) for some norm and some constant \(c>0\). Then, one has the \(\phi\)-marked length spectrum \(L_\rho^\phi(\gamma)=\phi(\lambda(\rho(\gamma)))\) and the \(\phi\)-entropy \(h_\rho^\phi=\limsup_{t\to\infty}\frac{1}{t}\log\sharp\left\{\gamma\colon L_\rho^\phi(\gamma)\le t\right\}\) and the wanted generalization of Thurston's metric is defined as \(d^\phi(\rho_1,\rho_2)=\log\sup_\gamma\frac{h_{\rho_2}^\phi L_{\rho_2}^\phi(\gamma)} {h_{\rho_1}^\phi L_{\rho_1}^\phi(\gamma)}\). (The multiplication by entropies is needed because otherwise the metric may take negative values.)\N\NUnder the assumptions that \(G\) is connected, real algebraic, simple and center free, that every automorphism leaving \(\phi\) invariant is inner, and that \(\mathcal{X}\subset\mathcal{X}(\Gamma, G)\) consistly only of Zariski-dense \(\Theta\)-Anosov representations, the authors prove that \(d^\phi\) defines an asymmetric metric on \(\mathcal{X}\). Due to the renormalization with entropies, this metric may be incomplete.\N\NThe assumption on Zariski density can be weakened in some cases. So, the authors obtain a metric on spaces of Benoist representations and on spaces of Hitchin representations.\N\NAs a second theme of the paper the authors give explicit formula for the Finsler norm associated to the distance \(d^\phi\).\N\NThe proofs of the main results follow closely the approach by \textit{C. Guillarmou} et al. [Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 42, No. 3, 974--1022 (2022; Zbl 1493.37036)], who constructed a distance and a Finsler norm on the space of negatively curved, entropy one metrics. The authors develop a dynamical framework inspired by [\textit{M. Bridgeman} et al., Geom. Funct. Anal. 25, No. 4, 1089--1179 (2015; Zbl 1360.37078)] to generalize the construction of Guillarmou-Knieper-Lefeuvre to the setting of Anosov representations. The dynamical setting is to study the space of Livšic cohomology classes of entropy one Hölder functions on the unit tangent bundle. This is studied through the lens of thermodynamic formalism using the Anosov property.