The asymptotic cone of Teichmüller space and thickness (Q894970)

Recall that the pants graph \(\mathcal P(\Sigma)\) of a surface with negative Euler characteristic is the simplicial complex whose vertices correspond to pants decomposition of the surface and edges joining pairs of pants decompositions that intersect minimally. The author studies the geometry of the asymptotic cone of the pants complex and provides a characterization of the canonical finest pieces in its tree graded structure: two points \(a_\omega\), \(b_\omega\) belong to the same canonical finest piece if and only if in any neighborhood of \(a_\omega\) and \(b_\omega\) is it possible to find sequences \(a_\omega'\), \(b_\omega'\) with bounded distance in the complex of separating curves. The techniques are based on a close analysis of subsurface projections, hierarchy paths, product regions (as encoded in the complex of separating curves) and the new notion of structurally integral corners on surfaces with \(|\chi(\Sigma)|\leq 4\): these are points in the asymptotic cone whose removal disconnects natural product regions. \textit{J. F. Brock} proved in [J. Am. Math. Soc. 16, No. 3, 495--535 (2003; Zbl 1059.30036)] that the pants graph is quasi-isometric to the Teichmüller space endowed with the Weyl-Petersson metric. Combining this result with the techniques developed in his study of the asymptotic cone of the pants graph, the author improves on a result of \textit{J. A. Behrstock} and \textit{Y. N. Minsky} [Ann. Math. (2) 167, No. 3, 1055--1077 (2008; Zbl 1280.57015)], and shows that the Teichmüller space of the genus-two surface with one boundary component is thick of order two. This was the last missing case in the thickness classification of Teichmüller spaces.