Hyperbolic cone-manifold structures with prescribed holonomy. II: Higher genus (Q715190)

A hyperbolic cone-manifold structure on a surface, with all interior cone angles being integer multiples of \(2\pi\), determines a holonomy representation of the fundamental group. In a previous paper [Geom. Dedicata 152, 85--128 (2011; Zbl 1252.57007)], the author started to consider the converse question when a representation of the fundamental group is the holonomy of a hyperbolic cone-manifold structure, and proved for the case of the torus \(S\) with one boundary component that a representation \(\rho: \pi_1(S) \to \text{PSL}_2(\mathbb R)\) of its fundamental group is the holonomy representation of a hyperbolic cone-manifold structure on \(S\), with geodesic boundary except for at most one corner point on the boundary and no interior cone points, if and only if the representation \(\rho\) is not virtually abelian. Building on this work, in the present paper the question is considered for higher genus surfaces. ``Our techniques construct fundamental domains for hyperbolic cone-manifold structures, from the geometry of a representation. Central to these techniques are the Euler class of a representation, the group \(\widetilde{\text{PSL}}_2(\mathbb R)\), the twist of hyperbolic isometries, and character varieties. We consider the action of the outer automorphism group and related groups on the character variety, which is measure-preserving with respect to a natural measure derived from its symplectic structure, and ergodic in certain regions. Under various hypotheses, we almost surely or surely obtain a hyperbolic cone-manifold structure with prescribed holonomy.''