Teichmüller theory of the punctured solenoid

Teichmüller theory for Riemann surfaces (30F60) Moduli of Riemann surfaces, Teichmüller theory (complex-analytic aspects in several variables) (32G15)

Abstract: The punctured solenoid

S

is an initial object for the category of punctured surfaces with morphisms given by finite covers branched only over the punctures. The (decorated) Teichm"uller space of

S

is introduced, studied, and found to be parametrized by certain coordinates on a fixed triangulation of

S

. Furthermore, a point in the decorated Teichm"uller space induces a polygonal decomposition of

S

giving a combinatorial description of its decorated Teichm"uller space itself. This is used to obtain a non-trivial set of generators of the modular group of

S

, which is presumably the main result of this paper. Moreover, each word in these generators admits a normal form, and the natural equivalence relation on normal forms is described. There is furthermore a non-degenerate modular group invariant two form on the Teichm"uller space of

S

. All of this structure is in perfect analogy with that of the decorated Teichm"uller space of a punctured surface of finite type.

Review text

Sullivan introduced the universal hyperbolic solenoid as the inverse limit of all finite unbranched covers of a compact surface with negative Euler cha\-rac\-te\-ris\-tic. Different choices of compact surfaces give homeomorphic solenoids, since any two such surfaces admit a common cover. The space of all complex structures on the solenoid is a version of a ``universal Teich\-müller space insofar as the union of the Teich\-müller spaces of all compact surfaces lies naturally as a dense subset. Locally as a topological space, the solenoid is modeled on a product of the form (2-dimensional disk) \(\times\) (Cantor set), and these charts glue together to provide a 2-dimensional foliation of the solenoid itself. Because surface groups are residually finite, each leaf of this foliation is a 2-dimensional disk, which is in fact dense in the solenoid. Deformations of geometric structures on the solenoid are typically required to be smooth/conformal/quasiconformal in the 2-disk direction and continuous in the Cantor set direction. The Ehrenpreis conjecture is that any two compact Riemann surfaces have almost conformal finite unbranched covers of the same genus. Sullivan noted that the Ehrenpreis conjecture is equivalent to the statement that the (baseleaf preserving) modular group of the solenoid has dense orbits in the Teichmüller space of the solenoid. The algebraic structure of the modular group of Sullivan's solenoid is not yet well understood. An interesting phenomenon is that any finite subgroup of the modular group of the solenoid is cyclic unlike for compact surfaces. The authors modify the universal object by allowing controlled finite branching, namely the punctured solenoid \(\mathcal H\) (the universal object) is the inverse limit of all finite unbranched covers of any fixed punctured surface with negative Euler characteristic, e.g., covers of the once-punctured torus, where, in effect, branching is permitted only over the missing puncture. Equivalently again using properties of finite covers, \(\mathcal H\) is the inverse limit over all finite-index subgroups \(K\) in the modular group \(PSL_2(\mathbb Z)\) of the tower \(\mathbb D/K\) of covers, where \(\mathbb D\) is the unit disk with frontier circle \(S^1\). Unlike Sullivan's universal hyperbolic solenoid, \(\mathcal H\) is not a compact space; the ends are quotients of the product (horoball) \(\times\) (Cantor set) by the continuous action of a countable group, and the orbit of each horoball is dense in the end. The centers of the horoballs are called punctures of \(\mathcal H\). In analogy to the case of punctured surfaces, the authors introduce decorations at the punctures, namely, a choice of a horocycle at each puncture, and find global coordinates and a combinatorial decomposition of the decorated Teichmüller space of \(\mathcal H\). Furthermore, the combinatorial action of an appropriate ``baseleaf preserving modular group of the punctured solenoid is used to give an explicit set of generators. The elements of this modular group are written as compositions of generators in a suitable ``normal form. The authors furthermore disprove the Ehrenpreis conjecture in a strong sense for the decorated Teichmüller space, namely, there is an open dense subspace of the quotient by the modular group, which is Hausdorff. Finally, the authors give a closed two form akin to the Weil-Petersson Kähler form using global coordinates, and show that it is invariant under the modular group using the relevant generators.

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