Most Hitchin representations are strongly dense (Q6963102)

A subgroup \(\Gamma \subset \mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{R})\) is strongly dense if any pair of noncommuting elements of \(\Gamma\) generates a Zariski-dense subgroup of \(\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{R})\). In [Isr. J. Math. 192, Part A, 347--379 (2012; Zbl 1266.20060)], \textit{E. Breuillard} et al. proved that the group \(\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{R})\) contains a strongly dense non-abelian free subgroup. In the paper under review the authors extend this result to certain discrete and faithful representations of surface groups of genus at least two into \(\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{R})\).\N\NThe Hitchin representations are those that lie in the same connected component (for the usual, Euclidean topology) of \(\operatorname{Hom}(\pi_1(\Sigma_g), \mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{R}))\) as a Teichmüller representation. According to the parity of \(n\), there may be more than one such component, but the authors simply choose one and denote it by \(\mathrm{HIT}_n\). A representation is strongly dense if its image is a strongly dense subgroup of \(\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{R})\) and it is said that a subset of \(\operatorname{Hom}(\pi_1(\Sigma_g), \mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{R}))\) is generic if its complement consists of a countable union of proper subvarieties.\N\NThe main result of this paper is Theorem 1: Let \(n \geq 3\). Then the set of strongly dense representations of \(\pi_1\Sigma_g\) is generic in \(\mathrm{HIT}_n\). \N\NIn order to prove Theorem 1 the authors previously prove Theorem 2: For all \(n \geq 2\), the set \(\mathrm{HIT}_n\) is Zariski-dense in the affine algebraic set \(\operatorname{Hom}(\pi_1(\Sigma_g), \mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{C}))\). This theorem is interesting in its own right. The proof of Theorem 1 follows from Theorem 2 and the result by \textit{Breuillard} et al. [loc.cit].