Counting curves, and the stable length of currents

Deformations of submanifolds and subspaces (32G10) Dynamical systems involving homeomorphisms and diffeomorphisms of planes and surfaces (37E30) Geodesics in global differential geometry (53C22)

Abstract: Let

g a m m a_{0}

be a curve on a surface

S i g m a

of genus

g

and with

r

boundary components and let

p i_{1} (S i g m a) c u r v e a r r o w r i g h t X

be a discrete and cocompact action on some metric space. We study the asymptotic behavior of the number of curves

g a m m a

of type

g a m m a_{0}

with translation length at most

L

on

X

. For example, as an application, we derive that for any finite generating set

S

of

p i_{1} (S i g m a)

the limit

lim_{L oinfty}frac 1{L^{6g-6+2r}}{gamma ext{ of type }gamma_0 ext{ with }S ext{-translation length}le L}

exists and is positive. The main new technical tool is that the function which associates to each curve its stable length with respect to the action on

X

extends to a (unique) continuous and homogenous function on the space of currents. We prove that this is indeed the case for any action of a torsion free hyperbolic group.

Review text

Summary: Let \(\gamma_0\) be a curve on a surface \(\Sigma\) of genus \(g\) and with \(r\) boundary components and let \(\pi_1(\Sigma)\curvearrowright X\) be a discrete and cocompact action on some metric space. We study the asymptotic behavior of the number of curves \(\gamma\) of type \(\gamma_0\) with translation length at most \(L\) on \(X\). For example, as an application, we derive that for any finite generating set \(S\), of \(\pi_1(\Sigma)\) the limit \[\lim_{L\to\infty}\frac{1}{L^{6g-6+2r}}|\{\gamma : \text{ of type } \gamma_0 \text{ with } S \text{-translation length } \le L\}|\] exists and is positive. The main new technical tool is that the function which associates to each curve its stable length with respect to the action on \(X\) extends to a (unique) continuous and homogenous function on the space of currents. We prove that this is indeed the case for any action of a torsion free hyperbolic group.

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