Intersection points of closed geodesics on hyperbolic surfaces of finite area (Q6937594)

It is well-known that the closed geodesics of length no more than \(T\) on a complete hyperbolic surface of finite area equidistribute with respect to the area measure as \(T\to\infty\) (this was shown, for example, by \textit{R. Bowen} [Am. J. Math. 94, 413--423 (1972; Zbl 0249.53033)] and in the~1970 thesis of \textit{G. A. Margulis} [On some aspects of the theory of Anosov systems. With a survey by Richard Sharp: Periodic orbits of hyperbolic flows. Transl. from the Russian by S. V. Vladimirovna. Berlin: Springer (2004; Zbl 1140.37010)]. Here the theory of geodesic currents is used to show a similar equidistribution result for the set of intersection points of closed geodesics. The method of proof also gives the growth rate of the intersection numbers between all closed geodesics. Part of the argument recovers in a new way results of \textit{S. P. Lalley} on equidistribution of self-intersections of closed geodesics in the same setting [Ohio State Univ. Math. Res. Inst. Publ. 5, 263--272 (1996; Zbl 0868.58066)].