Thurston equivalence of topological polynomials (Q858557)

Consider a complex polynomial \(f(z)=z^2+a\) such that its critical point \(z=0\) has an orbit of finite length. Let \(T\) be the Dehn twist of \(\mathbb{C}\) around two points of the orbit. The main problem is to define to which polynomial or rational map is equivalent the composition of \(f\) with the \(m\)-th power \(T^m\), \(m\in {\mathbb Z}\). In the paper the following two particular cases are considered. 1) The Hubbard problem, see [\textit{K. M. Pilgrim}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 131, No. 11, 3527--3534 (2003; Zbl 1113.37029)]. The following polynomials have periodic orbits of length \(3\): the rabbit polynomial \(f_R(z)\approx z^2+(-0.1226+0.7449i)\), the corabbit polynomial \(f_C(z)\approx z^2+(-0.1226-0.7449i)\), and the airplane polynomial \(f_A(z)\approx z^2+-1.7549\). Let \(T\) be the Dehn twist \(T\) of \textbf{C} around the two non-critical points of the orbit. The composition \(T^m f_R\) is equivalent to one of the polynomials \(f_R\), \(f_C\) or \(f_A\). The authors give the following answer to the problem. Let \(m=\sum_{k=1}^\infty m_k4^k\), \(m_k\in \{0,1,2,3\}\) and almost all \(m_k=0\) if \(m\) is positive, and almost all \(m_k=-3\) if \(m\) is negative. If at least one of \(m_k\)'s equals \(1\) or \(2\), then \(T^m f_R\) is equivalent to \(f_A\). Otherwise, \(T^mf_R\sim f_R\) for non-negative \(m\), and \(T^mf_R\sim f_C\) for negative \(m\). 2) The problem by \textit{A. Douady} and \textit{J. H. Hubbard} [Acta Math. 171, No. 2, 263--297 (1993; Zbl 0806.30027)]. Let \(f_i=z^2+i\), \(f_{-i}=z^2-i\). The orbit of the critical point \(z=0\) is \(0\mapsto i\mapsto i-1\mapsto-i\mapsto i-1\). It is known that any branched covering with that ramification graph is equivalent to \(f_i\), \(f_{-i}\) or is not equivalent to a rational map. In the last case we say that it is obstructed. For a Dehn twist \(D\) it is determined when \(f_i\cdot D\) is equivalent to \(f_i\), \(f_{-i}\) or it is obstructed (Theorem~6.1). It depends on the image of the Dehn twist \(D\) in a finite group of order \(100\). In Corollary~6.11 it is proved that there are infinitely many inequivalent obstructed maps with the same ramification graph as \(f_i\). The authors give an algorithm to determine when two obstructed maps are equivalent.