Approximate roots of pseudo-Anosov diffeomorphisms (Q734602)

Let \(Z\) be a closed surface of genus \(\geqslant 2\), and let \(\Phi: Z \to Z\) be a pseudo-Anosov diffeomorphism. The induced map \(\Phi_\ast\) on the Teichmüller space \(\mathcal T(Z)\) is an isometry, which fixes a Teichmüller geodesic \(A\) (the axis of \(\Phi\)), along which \(\Phi_\ast\) acts by a translation of \(\log\lambda\) for some \(\lambda > 1\) (the entropy of \(\Phi\)). Fix a surface \(Z\) of genus 2 and denote by \(\mathcal T\) the (isometric) direct limit of the Teichmüller spaces \(\mathcal T(Z)\) of all closed surfaces \(Z\) of genus \(\geqslant 2\), where the system maps are isometric inclusions induced by unramified coverings, and where each isomorphism class of the covering \(Z\to\Sigma\) appears exactly once. Thus \(\mathcal T\) is the universal Teichmüller space parametrizing all marked Riemann surfaces of closed and hyperbolic type. Consider a sequence of pseudo Anosov diffeomorphisms \(\{\Psi_i\}\) of closed surfaces \(Z\), of genus \(\geqslant2\). Such a sequence is called an approximate \(n\)th root of \(\Phi\) if the entropies \(\lambda_i\) of \(\Psi_i\) converge to \(\root n\of{\lambda}\) and if the axes \(A_i\) of \(\Psi_i\) converge uniformly on compacta to \(A\) in \(\mathcal T\). Root Conjecture. Every pseudo Anosov diffeomorphism of a closed surface of genus \(\geqslant2\) has an approximate \text{n}th root for every natural number \(n\geqslant 2\). In this article, the author proves an analogue of the root conjecture in which the Teichmüller topology on \(\mathcal T\) is replaced by the heights-widths topology. The notion of a heights-widths approximate \(n\)th root is obtained by replacing the requirement of Teichmüller convergence of axes by heights-widths convergence of tangent quadratic differentials along the axes. Main Theorem. Every pseudo-Anosov diffeomorphism of a closed surface of genus \(\geqslant2\) has an approximate heights-widths \(n\)th root for every natural number \(n\geqslant 2\).